Ireland cruise to 10-try rout of Colombia
BEIBHINN Parsons and Neve Jones bagged braces as Ireland grabbed 10 tries in a 64-3 rout of Colombia in yesterday’s WXV3 clash in Dubai.
Scott Bemand’s side continue to blaze a trail through the tournament, following up on last weekend’s 109-0 rout of Kazakhstan with another emphatic win against their South American opponents.
A disastrous few years has seen the national team pitted against minnows in the third and lowest tier of this new global rugby competition, and Ireland have been making light work of the poor opposition on show in recent weeks.
Next weekend, they face Spain in a title decider and, for this squad, a chance to exact some revenge for their galling World Cup qualifier defeat at the hands of their opponents back in 2021.
For now, Bemand — the newlyappointed head coach — is continuing the latest rebuild and the former England assistant coach will have been heartened by the performances of Parsons and Eve Higgins, in particular.
The pair were unavailable for large swathes of Greg McWilliams’ time in charge due to Sevens commitments but the presence of the dynamic duo in the backs is a game-changer.
Of course, given the callow nature of this recent opposition, Bemand knows that the real acid tests for this new-look squad will occur in next year’s Six Nations.
For now, he can reflect on another ruthless attacking display. Ireland surged into a 38-0 lead at the break, thanks to tries from Jones, Natasja Behan, Grace Moore, Meabh Deely, Brittany Hogan and Edel McMahon.
Parsons and Jones took Scott Bemand’s charges to a half-century of points before Colombia’s Maria Arzuaga responded with a 62ndminute penalty.
Parsons’ sixth try of the tournament, coupled with Leah Tarpey’s first international score, completed the scoring, but Ireland did leave further tries behind them, with young frontrower Sadhbh
McGrath held up and fellow replacement Sarah Delaney denied from a last-minute maul.
Ulster lock Fiona Tuite and Connacht wing Clara Barrett were both introduced from the bench.
Ireland’s final game is against Spain, who have beaten Fiji and Kenya, next weekend, where a win would mean promotion to the second tier of the competition, which is in its inaugural year.
It’s clear that Ireland are too good for this level. Promotion and further progress is paramount next week. The meeting with the Spanish will provide an early indicator if this squad are turning the corner.
Having the likes of Parsons and Higgins back on board is a good start.