Big statement by girls
Enniscorthy defeat Leinster standard-bearers
ENNISCORTHY 21 WICKLOW 19
CLONROCHE’S KATIE Foley led her Under-18 rugby team to the biggest win in their history.
Wicklow are the standard-bearers in Leinster girls’ rugby, and rightly so. This win leaves Katie’s team unbeaten this year, but more importantly they stand alone on top of Division 1 of the Leinster League.
This game followed a similar pattern to the previous week’s win on the road in Dundalk. Enniscorthy dominated for the first 15 minutes, took the lead and, through marvellous defiance in defence, withstood everything their excellent opponents threw at them to hold out.
After winger Leah Doran brought play to the Wicklow line on 15 minutes, Aoife Wafer, Eabha Farrell and Katie Whelan went close to touching down.
A five-metre scrum was awarded after Anna Nolan was held up over the line. Full marks to hooker Lucy Egan, who had a great game, for winning the scrum under tremendous pressure from the stronger Garden county front row.
Scrum-half Katie Whelan picked and, despite three defenders hanging out of her, she forced her way over the line beside the posts, leaving Mia Kelly with a simple conversion.
Wicklow started to dominate after this, with their well-drilled pack making ground despite great tackling from Ciara O’Leary, Jessica Wickham, Erin Cahill, and excellent full-back Lauren Delaney.
The pressure finally told with a try being scored out wide as half-time approached, with the conversion crucially being missed.
Straight from the kick-off, good pressure from Ciara Boland forced a turnover, and Katie Whelan did well to pick up the loose ball at full speed and was unstoppable as she sprinted in under the posts from 50 metres. Mia Kelly added the extras to leave the Ross Roaders 14-5 up at half-time.
Enniscorthy lost Ciara Boland and outstanding Leinster flanker Aoife Wafer to injury at thre break, the latter with a serious-looking knee problem.
The second-half was a much more even affair, and forwards’ coach Colin Cahill will have been pleased with the work of his pack as they fronted up to the big Wicklow pack, with Miria O’Dowd in particular causing them trouble at the breakdown.
Once again, some great lastditch tackles from Hollie Kelly, Katie Whelan, Bonnie Kinnaird and Taragh Cooper denied the fast Wicklow backs.
The crucial score came with five minutes left, and what a fantastic score it was. Katie Whelan broke down the left wing from her own ‘22.
She was stopped on the halfway line and, when it seemed that the visitors were about to win a turnover, Laura Doyle produced the clean out of the day to secure possession.
Quick thinking from Miria O’Dowd got the ball to Aoife Codd who, under huge pressure, got her pass away to Mia Kelly in space.
Mia took off down the right wing and, with two well-timed handoffs, beat the covering defence and had the presence of mind to score under the posts to make the conversion easy for Anna Nolan.
Wicklow managed to score a converted try with the last play of the game to leave the home team with a two-point victory.
Head coach Eamon Whelan was particularly pleased with the performances of all seven replacements. Fiona Cousins deserves special mention. In her first-ever game, she tackled and carried like a veteran.
Enniscorthy: Jessica Wickham (Orla McCauley, 45), Lucy Egan (Mikayla O’Leary, 40), Eabha Farrell, Ciara O’Leary (Laura Doyle, 32), Katie Foley (capt.), Anna Nolan, Aoife Wafer (Taragh Cooper, 32), Miria O’Dowd, Katie Whelan, Bonnie Kinnaird, Erin Cahill (Hollie Kelly, 32), Mia Kelly, Ciara Boland (Aoife Codd, 30), Leah Doran, Lauren Delaney (Fiona Cousins, 32).