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Lynley Mackenzie
Although the Connacht women’s rugby team lost 38-19 to defending champions Leinster in their opening match of the Vodafone Interprovincial Championship at Energy Park on Saturday, they still showed real promise.
Connacht trailed 26-7 at half-time before taking control, dominating possession and scoring two more touchdowns, but the home side inflicted heavy damage on Connacht in the opening 45 minutes as they successfully avenged last season’s defeat at the Dexcombe Stadium.
Connacht head coach Emer O’Dowd was “sad but happy” about his team’s performance.
“It was a tale of two halves. We had a bad first half, we played well and badly, and I told them some truth at halftime.
“I can’t fault their effort in the second half. We scored three times, probably should have had four, even five, but we need to protect the ball more and be more clinical.
Connacht’s young side were not helped by the absence of three key players – injured halves Aoibheann Reilly, Kayla Waldron and Olympian Béibhinn Parsons – but Leinster, who lost to Connacht last season, were in great form in the first half. By the break they had scored four touchdowns, with Connacht’s only fightback coming after Faith Oviawe came on.
It was a testament to Connacht’s perseverance that they finally broke through after three attempts, culminating in a touchdown by Oviawe, who had enough power to break through the defence. It was a much-needed response from Connacht as they began to master the physical nature of the game.
However, Leinster dominated, making the most of the space down the wing, and when defender Emma Till broke through for her fourth try in the 46th minute, Leinster had already secured the win.
The visitors scored a goal through Caoimhe Molloy a few minutes after the restart as Leinster continued to exploit Connacht’s defensive weaknesses. However, Connacht found their footing after this and produced some strong attacks that should have put them on the scoreboard.
Finally, after the team successfully retained possession, Nicole Fowley kicked the ball into the opponent’s goal, Laoise McGonagle scored another point, and the Connacht full-back almost kicked the ball into the corner again, but this time, the Leinster defense prevailed.
However, the hosts took advantage of a rare opportunity to score again in the second half when scrum-half Katie Whelan broke through from the wing, but Connacht’s confidence continued to grow and they got another deserved point before the final whistle, with Oviawe also scoring. Fowley, a regular in the Connacht XV team, kicked another excellent shot from the touchline.
Despite the loss, there were many positives, including the inclusion of Connacht prop Ella Burns.
“Our 18-year-old main player Ella stood out against international players. It’s great that she can perform on a stage like this.”
Connacht now travel to Belfast where they will face Ulster at the Kingspan Stadium on Saturday (2.30pm) before a home final against Munster on August 24.
“We want the stadium to hold 5,000 people and I implore every supporter to come and watch. We want the stadium to be packed and a sea of green.”
Leinster: E Tilley; E Roberts, A Dalton, C Martin, A Clarke; N Cowie, K Whelan; A Moore, S Delaney, L Jugan; R Campbell, E Corey; H O’Connor (captain), M Boyne, C Molloy. Subs: J O’Connor for Delaney (76), K Ryder for Jugan (69), C Harney for Moore (52), C Dunne for Corey (61), J Neal for Molloy (61), J Farrell for Cowie, A Hughes for Clarke (58), L Tarpey for Martin (61).
Connacht team: M Deely; L McGonagle, A Ryder, É Nic Dhonnacha, C Barrett; N Fowley (co-captain), G Moran; E Burns, L Brady, M Collis; O Fenton, R Searle; B Gleeson, L Ring, S Touhey (co-captain). Subs: S Hanley for Brady 61, E Connolly for Burns 61, R Maher for Collis 23-61, F Oviawe for Fenton 30, Karly Tierney for Ring 52, M Goulding for Moran 52, O Dixon for Ryder 52, E Foley for Barrett 52.
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