England Women 17
Ireland Women 10
IRELAND WOMEN SUFFERED their first Six Nations defeat since 2012 and so handed England a Championship lifeline at Twickenham today.
Victories over Scotland and Wales had set up a potential Triple Crown for Philip Doyle’s side, but on their first visit to English rugby HQ in a decade, the hosts were able to just edge them out with a clinical second half display.
The hosts’ accuracy was in evidence from very early on, a powerful scrum put Ireland’s pack on the back foot inside their five metre line and number eight Sarah Hunter crashed over for the try.
Niamh Briggs and Alison Miller appeared Ireland’s most dangerous threats and the former would put the visitors onto the scoreboard with a fine 24th minute penalty.
That score signaled a period of dominance for Doyle’s side and the Fiona Coghlan-led pack turned their focus to a maul in search for a weak link the white defence.
They found it. The pack rumbled towards the try-line in the 32nd minute, but as it slowed, Larissa Muldoon showed excellent awareness to dig the ball out from between the forwards to snipe through the gap on the blindside.
Briggs was on target again to give the champions a lead approaching half-time, but the class of the home team shone through. Katherine Merchant was stalled at the five metre line, but the ball was recycled well and Ireland just didn’t have the numbers to prevent Kay Wilson from giving her side a 12 -10 half-time advantage.
That English pressure would not abate in the minutes after the break, but Ireland held firm despite injury to Briggs after 46 minutes.
With the hour approaching, England’s width again proved destructive for Ireland. Wilson came close to a touchdown in the left corner, but was bundled into touch by Miller. The danger was far from over, however, and England wasted little time in winning the ball back to set up a 60th minute try for Marlie Packer.
It looked like a killer blow to the Grand Slam champions, but the missed conversion from McLean coupled with a sin-binning within 60 seconds for Joanna McGilchrist gave real reason to hope that the seven-point deficit could be overturned.
The English pack refused to wilt, however, and the few gaps the Miller did find for Ireland came in central areas and were soon shut off. Ireland’s frustration at the inability to take a score with an extra woman on the field was compounded by the loss of Lynne Cantwell to a sin-bin of her own just as McGilchrist’s punishment expired.
Heather O’Brien would join the centre in the bin before the close, but Ireland bravely fought on under the high Twickenham stands with an estimated 13,ooo people watching on.
But the dream of a double Triple Crown day for Ireland fizzled our as England, powered by Maggie Alphonsi, ensured the closing stages of the game was played far from their own try-line.
England: E Scarratt; K Merchant, A Reed, R Burford, K Wilson; K McLean, N Hunt; R Clark, E Croker, S Hemming; R Essex, J McGilchrist; H Gallagher, M Alphonsi, S Hunter.
Replacements: V Fleetwood, L Keates, S Acheson, T Taylor, M Packer, L Mason, C Large, L Thompson.
Ireland: N Briggs,; A Baxter, L Cantwell, J Murphy, A Miller; N Stapleton, L Mulddon; F Coghlan, G Bourke, A Egan; A Spence, ML Reilly; S Fleming, C Molloy, H O’Brien.
Replacements: SL Kennedy, F Hayes, KA Craddock, L Guest, A Davis, H Casey, G Davitt, J Shiels.
