UL Bohemians 8 v 38 Old Belvedere, Thomond Park Back Pitch
Galwegians 19 v 22 Highfield, Crowley Park
Blackrock 43 v 0 St Mary’s, Stradbrook
Railway Union RFC 22 v 0 Tralee, Park Avenue
FRIENDS BECAME FOES as stars of Ireland’s terrific Women’s Rugby World Cup campaign were out in force for the first round of Women’s All Ireland League Division 1A action.
The recently retired captain Fiona Coghlan could only give her support to her old club UL Bohemians from the side-lines as they lost to defending league champions Old Belvedere, who scored six tries.
A partisan home crowd cheered on the hosts at a blustery Thomond Park back pitch as they fielded three players involved in the Word Cup squad: fullback Niamh Briggs, hooker Gillian Bourke and prop Fiona Hayes.
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Old Belvedere’s starting line up contained four of Ireland’s World Cup players: tighthead prop Ailis Egan, second row Sophie Spence, back row Sharon Lynch and out-half Nora Stapleton.
Ireland's number 10 Nora Stapleton in fine form for Belvo
Briggs, shortlisted in August for the IRB Women’s Player of the Year, scored all of her side’s points with an early penalty to open scoring and a try after 34 minutes.
However, at that point Old Belvedere had already scored two tries through Egan and wing Janice Daly, with Stapleton missing the second conversion.
On the stroke of half-time the visitors further cemented their lead when outside centre Elise O’Byrne White broke through the middle to dot down.
After the interval, there was a slight lull in proceedings until Stapleton broke away to score under the posts at the 55-minute mark. She duly converted.
The extremely organised Old Belvedere continued to find space and built up their line-speed causing difficulties for ‘Bohs.
The visitors sealed their victory with two tries in the final ten minutes with a superb team effort leading to replacement scrum half Czech woman Kamila Rousova scoring followed by a second for Daly.
Galwegians' Mary Healy Mark White at Scoobyphoto
Mark White at Scoobyphoto
A scrappy encounter was played out in Galway’s Crowley Park as hosts Galwegians were left disappointed with their 19-22 loss against a determined Highfield who will return to Cork content with a win over the side who knocked them out in the Cup final.
Mark White at Scoobyphoto
Mark White at Scoobyphoto
Blackrock looked to be in imperious form at Stradbrook as they put 43 points on fellow Dubliners St Mary’s without answer.
It was another World Cup squad member who helped to spark the hosts into action as New Zealand Born scrum half Tania Rosser scored a hat-trick, including the match’s two opening scores.
Rosser at the 2014 World Cup. Dan Sheridan / INPHO
Dan Sheridan / INPHO / INPHO
In the later kick off, the 22-0 score line in favour of the hosts, newly promoted Railway Union did not show the dogged display put in by Tralee.
Briggs can't stop Belvo, hat-trick for Rosser and more from the women's AIL weekend action
UL Bohemians 8 v 38 Old Belvedere, Thomond Park Back Pitch
Galwegians 19 v 22 Highfield, Crowley Park
Blackrock 43 v 0 St Mary’s, Stradbrook
Railway Union RFC 22 v 0 Tralee, Park Avenue
FRIENDS BECAME FOES as stars of Ireland’s terrific Women’s Rugby World Cup campaign were out in force for the first round of Women’s All Ireland League Division 1A action.
The recently retired captain Fiona Coghlan could only give her support to her old club UL Bohemians from the side-lines as they lost to defending league champions Old Belvedere, who scored six tries.
A partisan home crowd cheered on the hosts at a blustery Thomond Park back pitch as they fielded three players involved in the Word Cup squad: fullback Niamh Briggs, hooker Gillian Bourke and prop Fiona Hayes.
Old Belvedere’s starting line up contained four of Ireland’s World Cup players: tighthead prop Ailis Egan, second row Sophie Spence, back row Sharon Lynch and out-half Nora Stapleton.
Briggs, shortlisted in August for the IRB Women’s Player of the Year, scored all of her side’s points with an early penalty to open scoring and a try after 34 minutes.
However, at that point Old Belvedere had already scored two tries through Egan and wing Janice Daly, with Stapleton missing the second conversion.
On the stroke of half-time the visitors further cemented their lead when outside centre Elise O’Byrne White broke through the middle to dot down.
After the interval, there was a slight lull in proceedings until Stapleton broke away to score under the posts at the 55-minute mark. She duly converted.
The extremely organised Old Belvedere continued to find space and built up their line-speed causing difficulties for ‘Bohs.
The visitors sealed their victory with two tries in the final ten minutes with a superb team effort leading to replacement scrum half Czech woman Kamila Rousova scoring followed by a second for Daly.
A scrappy encounter was played out in Galway’s Crowley Park as hosts Galwegians were left disappointed with their 19-22 loss against a determined Highfield who will return to Cork content with a win over the side who knocked them out in the Cup final.
Blackrock looked to be in imperious form at Stradbrook as they put 43 points on fellow Dubliners St Mary’s without answer.
It was another World Cup squad member who helped to spark the hosts into action as New Zealand Born scrum half Tania Rosser scored a hat-trick, including the match’s two opening scores.
In the later kick off, the 22-0 score line in favour of the hosts, newly promoted Railway Union did not show the dogged display put in by Tralee.
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