Women Setup Patrick’s Day Grand-Slam Showdown

After the Munster Pro12 side’s victory at the same venue a few weeks ago, last Saturday it was the turn of the women to score a huge win at Cardiff Arms Park in the green of Ireland, as they set up a St Patrick’s Day grand-slam showdown with England in Donnybrook with a hard-fought 12-7 win over Wales.

Prop Lindsay Peat’s second try of the Championship, converted with aplomb by player-of-the-match Nora Stapleton, broke the deadlock towards the end of an evenly-contested first half at the Arms Park.

Shona Powell-Hughes’ seven-pointer then saw Wales capitalise on a Peat yellow card, but Ireland did likewise when a sin-binning preceded winger Hannah Tyrrell’s decisive try – her second in as many games – with 17 minutes remaining.

Munster players Leah Lyons and Ciara Griffin, who have been key players for Tom Tierney’s side in this campaign, once again started as the Irish look to emulate the team of 2013 in capturing a perfect 6 Nations season.

A special pre-match commemoration, including a minute’s applause, was held in honour of 20-year-old Wales international Elli Norkett who tragically died in a car accident last Saturday. Captain Paula Fitzpatrick also presented a signed Ireland jersey to Elli’s sister Lowri.

Ireland: Kim Flood (Railway Union/Leinster); Hannah Tyrrell (Old Belvedere/Leinster), Jenny Murphy (Old Belvedere/Leinster), Sene Naoupu (Aylesford Bulls), Alison Miller (Old Belvedere/Connacht); Nora Stapleton (Old Belvedere/Leinster), Mary Healy (Galwegians/Connacht); Lindsay Peat (Railway Union/Leinster), Leah Lyons (Highfield/Munster), Ailis Egan (Old Belvedere/Leinster), Sophie Spence (Old Belvedere/Leinster), Marie Louise Reilly (Old Belvedere/Leinster), Ciara Griffin (UL Bohemians/Munster), Claire Molloy (Bristol/Connacht), Paula Fitzpatrick (St. Mary’s/Leinster) (capt).

Replacements: Ilse van Staden (Cooke/Ulster) for Fitzpatrick (43-51 mins, temp sub), Larissa Muldoon (Railway Union) for Healy (43), Ruth O’Reilly (Galwegians/Connacht) for Egan (68), Nikki Caughey (Railway Union/Ulster) for Murphy, Ciara Cooney (Railway Union/Leinster) for Reilly (both (73). Not used: Ciara O’Connor (Galwegians/Connacht), Nichola Fryday (Tullamore/Connacht), Mairead Coyne (Galwegians/Connacht).