Ireland undone in the Hive

The Hive is always a difficult place to play, and Scotland, despite a tough and often lacklustre campaign so far, are a tough team to face at home.

Going into the game, it was clear that the Scottish side will have been targeting this game as one they fancied, and they showed that on the pitch for a solid 80 minutes.

Ireland went into the game with their tails up after a dominant performance in Newport last week, but the four previous encounters took their toll on us long before kick-off.

With two of the standout players of the series so far, Aoife Wafer and Erin King, both ruled out with knee injuries, the latter after undergoing significant surgery, Ireland were in somewhat of a weakened position. Head coach Scott Bemand certainly seemed more concerned with building for the World Cup later this year with his team selection, as he opted to give first caps UL Bohemian’s star fullback Aoife Corey, and Jane Clohessy off the bench. Bemand appeared to be looking to build experience, rather than going for a rout in the Hive, and that’s certainly what they got.

Ireland started well with 66% possession in the first quarter, and that paid off with an early try through Costigan. However, in a huge loss to Ireland, utility forward Dorothy Wall went down in contact and rolled her ankle. A tough watch, as the Exeter Chiefs player was given pain medication on the field before being removed.

Ireland’s woes would not end there, as Niamh O’Dowd, captain Edel McMahon and Enya Breen all underwent HIAs, with only O’Dowd passing hers. It was very apparent towards the end of the first half that Ireland lacked leadership as a result of these injuries. Ireland often found themselves somewhat frantic in defence, leaving a numerical advantage on the wing, and missing tackles in midfield.

Ireland will look back on this game and wonder what could have been, as Linda Djougang was held up twice in the first half.

Aoife Dalton, arguably one of our best defensive players, saved our blushes at times, but Scotland would get their two tries in the first half, with the second right on the halfway mark to take the lead going into the break, as Emma Orr exploited a gap in the Irish defence after Ireland failed to make touch as they attempted to exit under pressure.

Ireland’s disorganisation would continue in the second half, with the lineout struggling in the absence of Wall and McMahon. Djougang would make up for early lost opportunities by scoring 48 minutes in, and Rhona Lloyd was shown a yellow card for a high tackle on Amee Leigh Costigan, though the winger had already left the field for a HIA from the same incident.

Ireland emptied what remained of their bench and regrouped somewhat, but the game was frantic when we should have been managing the tempo better. In patches Ireland would show their ability, as they found the rare gap in the otherwise solid Scottish defence, and Emily Lane crashed over for Ireland’s third try.

Ireland looked to target the scrum as a platform for attack, as Scotland racked up their penalty count with repeated infringements at the breakdown. Scotland’s front row perhaps should have seen a card in the last quarter as their scrum coughed up four penalties in a short period of time, but it was Helen Nelson that received a card for cynically putting her hands in the ruck on the 69^th minute.

Ireland failed to capitalise as Scotland were reduced to 14. The visitors repeatedly failed to exit again, inviting further pressure on themselves as we failed to get back into the Scotland half. Ireland would give away a penalty as the clock ticked towards red. With Helen Nelson still a minute from returning, they opted for touch. Throwing an audacious ball to the tail of the lineout and absolutely pulling it off, Scotland went wide early and found space for Fran McGhie to score putting the game out of Ireland’s reach.

Oddly, Scott Bemand may be happy with such an arduous game, as Ireland will learn and grow so much, though they will very much rue the injuries. There’s much to be gained from blooding new players and seeing a team battle against adversity. Ireland going into the game were firmly routed in third place, only a win from Italy with a margin of greater than 61 points could budge them from that position, but Ireland picking up a bonus point in their loss today will put paid to any Italian ambitions.

Ailbhe O’Nolan

Irish Women’s Rugby Supporters Club