WE WERE IN the 30th minute in Belfast when Aoife Wafer conjured the moment that will live longest in the memory.
The Wexford woman increasingly has a habit of coming up with plays like this one.
Ireland had a scrum in Welsh territory with an inviting shortside. Wafer loves a pick and carry off any scrum at all, but this one seemed especially inviting.
She scooped the ball up and accelerated diagonally away from it, with a fend taking her outside Welsh blindside Jorja Aiono, while opposite number Bryonie King was also left chasing.
Still, there were two Welsh backs outside. They closed in on Wafer and everyone’s thoughts began turning to what seemed like an inevitable breakdown and the next phase. Everyone’s thoughts, apart from Wafer’s.
As she was tackled and fell towards the ground, she suddenly flashed a one-handed flick of an offload out of her right hand. Even the recipient, Béibhinn Parsons, didn’t seem to be fully expecting it. Parsons did well to adjust and hold the ball before racing clear to score.
It was the kind of beautifully surprising moment that makes sport such a joy.
Few in the crowd of just under 5,000 people saw it coming. And there was a collective exhalation of delight when the offload stuck.
These are the things that separate Wafer from the rest. She is an athlete of supreme quality. Even if she ‘only’ had her power, pace, balance, and explosive leg drive, she would be one of the best in the world. But she is a skillful, intuitive rugby player too.
We saw the bullish physical qualities in a number of Wafer’s 20 carries, which included two explosive tries from close range as she made up those difficult final few inches over which many players struggle.
The highlights from Wafer’s latest masterclass also included a 50-metre linebreak from deep in her own half, which involved a slick dummy pass before she galloped upfield, subtly changed her line to tie in a backfield defender, and found the supporting Eve Higgins.
Just before that linebreak, Wafer had come up with a crucial breakdown penalty for Ireland when they were down to 14 players with Cliodhna Moloney-MacDonald in the sin bin.
Wafer’s ensuing break resulted in Wales having Jasmine Joyce sent to the bin as she infringed in the panic of the defensive scramble.
Knowing Wafer’s character and relentless search for improvement, she will probably remember being sat down by a brutish Aiono carry in the first half before one of the Welsh tries as much as anything else yesterday.
Wafer is one of the leading rugby players in the world despite only having turned 23 in March, yet she sees major scope for getting even better.
It was far from a one-woman show against Wales yesterday, though, with Brittany Hogan matching Wafer in making 20 ball carries.
Playing on home soil, Ulster woman Hogan showed her pride in representing Ireland with a relentless performance in the number six shirt. It is a rarity to see anyone keeping pace with Wafer on the ball-carrying front.
Erin King celebrates a turnover. Nick Elliott / INPHO
Nick Elliott / INPHO / INPHO
Hogan also bashed over for two tries from close range, providing another weapon in the trenches when Ireland had worked so hard to get within sight of the tryline. After coming up short against France on several crucial occasions, Ireland got the job done yesterday.
Hogan was also Ireland’s top tackler, with her tally of 15 keeping her just in front of Wafer’s 13.
The third player in Ireland’s back row, captain Erin King, wasn’t far behind them on 11, despite being called ashore with 15 minutes of the contest against Wales remaining.
King doesn’t have the same eye-catching size and ballast as Wafer and Hogan, but her skillset ensures balance in the combination.
The Irish skipper is akin to an outside back at times with her speed, mobility, and game sense. She showed her breakdown threat against the Welsh with a crucial first-half poach penalty, while King is well able to punch onto the ball and carried eight times yesterday.
With locks Dorothy Wall and Fiona Tuite in imposing form for Ireland against Wales too, it was an impressive effort from the back five of the scrum.
Being able to send on big, explosive players like Sam Monaghan, Ruth Campbell, and Grace Moore from the bench in the second half only added to the effect.
“We’ve got a great back row,” said Ireland boss Bemand last night. “And the balance of it works really well.
“Erin has a role in it. Aoife’s role, she gets some of those massive dynamic carries. And if you look at how Brit played today, I thought Brit was outstanding in terms of doing a lot of the hard yards, a lot of the grunt work, when things were going a bit laterally, a bit on the back foot, Brit got us go-forward again.
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Wafer's magic moment part of a potent Irish back row display
WE WERE IN the 30th minute in Belfast when Aoife Wafer conjured the moment that will live longest in the memory.
The Wexford woman increasingly has a habit of coming up with plays like this one.
Ireland had a scrum in Welsh territory with an inviting shortside. Wafer loves a pick and carry off any scrum at all, but this one seemed especially inviting.
She scooped the ball up and accelerated diagonally away from it, with a fend taking her outside Welsh blindside Jorja Aiono, while opposite number Bryonie King was also left chasing.
Still, there were two Welsh backs outside. They closed in on Wafer and everyone’s thoughts began turning to what seemed like an inevitable breakdown and the next phase. Everyone’s thoughts, apart from Wafer’s.
As she was tackled and fell towards the ground, she suddenly flashed a one-handed flick of an offload out of her right hand. Even the recipient, Béibhinn Parsons, didn’t seem to be fully expecting it. Parsons did well to adjust and hold the ball before racing clear to score.
It was the kind of beautifully surprising moment that makes sport such a joy.
Few in the crowd of just under 5,000 people saw it coming. And there was a collective exhalation of delight when the offload stuck.
These are the things that separate Wafer from the rest. She is an athlete of supreme quality. Even if she ‘only’ had her power, pace, balance, and explosive leg drive, she would be one of the best in the world. But she is a skillful, intuitive rugby player too.
We saw the bullish physical qualities in a number of Wafer’s 20 carries, which included two explosive tries from close range as she made up those difficult final few inches over which many players struggle.
The highlights from Wafer’s latest masterclass also included a 50-metre linebreak from deep in her own half, which involved a slick dummy pass before she galloped upfield, subtly changed her line to tie in a backfield defender, and found the supporting Eve Higgins.
Just before that linebreak, Wafer had come up with a crucial breakdown penalty for Ireland when they were down to 14 players with Cliodhna Moloney-MacDonald in the sin bin.
Wafer’s ensuing break resulted in Wales having Jasmine Joyce sent to the bin as she infringed in the panic of the defensive scramble.
Knowing Wafer’s character and relentless search for improvement, she will probably remember being sat down by a brutish Aiono carry in the first half before one of the Welsh tries as much as anything else yesterday.
Wafer is one of the leading rugby players in the world despite only having turned 23 in March, yet she sees major scope for getting even better.
It was far from a one-woman show against Wales yesterday, though, with Brittany Hogan matching Wafer in making 20 ball carries.
Playing on home soil, Ulster woman Hogan showed her pride in representing Ireland with a relentless performance in the number six shirt. It is a rarity to see anyone keeping pace with Wafer on the ball-carrying front.
Hogan also bashed over for two tries from close range, providing another weapon in the trenches when Ireland had worked so hard to get within sight of the tryline. After coming up short against France on several crucial occasions, Ireland got the job done yesterday.
Hogan was also Ireland’s top tackler, with her tally of 15 keeping her just in front of Wafer’s 13.
The third player in Ireland’s back row, captain Erin King, wasn’t far behind them on 11, despite being called ashore with 15 minutes of the contest against Wales remaining.
King doesn’t have the same eye-catching size and ballast as Wafer and Hogan, but her skillset ensures balance in the combination.
The Irish skipper is akin to an outside back at times with her speed, mobility, and game sense. She showed her breakdown threat against the Welsh with a crucial first-half poach penalty, while King is well able to punch onto the ball and carried eight times yesterday.
With locks Dorothy Wall and Fiona Tuite in imposing form for Ireland against Wales too, it was an impressive effort from the back five of the scrum.
Being able to send on big, explosive players like Sam Monaghan, Ruth Campbell, and Grace Moore from the bench in the second half only added to the effect.
“We’ve got a great back row,” said Ireland boss Bemand last night. “And the balance of it works really well.
“Erin has a role in it. Aoife’s role, she gets some of those massive dynamic carries. And if you look at how Brit played today, I thought Brit was outstanding in terms of doing a lot of the hard yards, a lot of the grunt work, when things were going a bit laterally, a bit on the back foot, Brit got us go-forward again.
“It’s always about more than one person.”
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Aoife Wafer Brittany Hogan combination Six Nations Ireland Wales