Skill and courage see Wicklow women home
CLONDALKIN WICKLOW 20 29
A new venue on Wicklow’s Odyssey in Division 2, Clondalkin welcomed Wicklow on a windy Sunday, pre-Ophelia.
Wicklow kicked off with the wind behind them and playing downhill.
The first 10 minutes saw the two sides getting to know each other.
Alana Sheridan made a strong start for Wicklow breaking down the blindside before being tackled into touch.
Clondalkin showed their strength at scrum-time and were awarded a penalty, which they ran and scored a good try off.
Wicklow recovered well form the shaky start and stormed up the pitch.
Niamh O’Leary was forced off with a bad ankle injury, however she was replaced by Aoise Killeen who made a strong im- pact. She broke the gain-line, along with Rachel Griffey, with thunderous runs and this allowed space to open for Ciara Patrick to score a converted try under the posts. Game on.
Wicklow were fighting back and Sarah Gleeson made some immense tackles to secure a turnover for Wicklow. They had a lineout in the Clondalkin 22 but some messy play eventually led to a Wicklow scrum. After the ball rolled quickly out of the scrum Meagan Parkinson reacted well to break down the wing, Megan McConnell in support dotted down in the corner. The conversion was short.
Both sides produced some big hits, Jessica Schmidt made her senior debut and was immense in defense. Amy O’Neill too made some crushing tackles, showing the strength of the Wicklow backrow.
Wicklow had a scrum upfield but opted to kick the ball, Leanne Sullivan put in a great chase and Caitlin Griffey was just denied over the line. The preceding scrum, however, was strong and Hannah-Rose Buckley powered over in the corner. The score stood 5-17 at half-time.
Clondalkin started the second half all guns blazing and within minutes of the restart scored their second try.
Clondalkin were strong in the loose and their backs capitalized off the quick ball, they scored another minutes later to make it 15-17.
Wicklow bounced back from their early mistakes and upped the attack once more. The forwards edged closer and closer towards the try line.
Another break saw Ciara Patrick score a converted try. Clondalkin were not holding back under the Wicklow pressure and struck again, breaking through the soft defense. 24-20.
This was end to end action. A nice chip through by Leanne Sullivan put Clondalkin under pressure and they carried over the line, awarding Wicklow a 5-meter scrum. Wicklow identified the space on the blindside and good link-up play saw Leanne Sullivan score in the corner.
Wicklow received a straight yellow card for a high tackle, a big blow for the side. However, they regrouped and it was now that Wicklow stood up to be counted.
They were tackling relentlessly, Leah Coffey made an outstanding hit out on the wing.
Clondalkin forwards continued to persist and eventually they sent the ball wide, looking sure to score.
Numerous grasping tackles were made to unravel Clondalkin’s momentum and when one of their forwards picked the ball and drove towards the line with determination a cluster of Wicklow players enveloped her in a tackle to hold her up over the line. The referee blew the final whistle.
This game was won with skill, great heart and an immense squad effort. The heads never went down on either side. To win a match as tough as this is priceless in the lessons learned. Wicklow will be working hard again this week to prepare to meet Gorey next Sunday at 1pm in Ashtown lane.
Wicklow tries: Ciara Patrick (2), Leanne Sullivan (1), Hannah-Rose Buckley (1), Megan McConnell (1)
Wicklow conversion: Ciara Patrick (2)
Wicklow Squad: Leah Fisher, Megann Dover Evans, Niamh O’Leary, Caitlin Griffey, Ciara Reilly, Amy O’Neill, Jessica Schmidt, Rachel Griffey, Meagan Parkinson, Ciara Patrick, Megan McConnell, Victoria Rice, Sarah Gleeson, Alana Sheridan, Kayleigh Sullivan, Katie Power, Leah Coffey, Leanne Sullivan, Deborah Higgins, Rachel Devlin, Hannah-Rose Buckley, Aoise Killeen.