Women’s Six Nations, round two: Ireland 57 Italy 20
A landmark day for this Ireland team on their first Six Nations visit to Galway and, for the most part, a performance to match.
On a glorious day in the west, the home side cut loose from the outset, scoring nine tries in front of a record home international crowd of 9,306.
There will be some disappointment that Ireland didn’t maintain the quality of their first-half display for the remainder of the game but as annoying as it might be, it was hard to begrudge Italy their late bonus-point.
This was still something of a statement win, the first in Erin King’s captaincy. When the game was at its most competitive there was no doubting the variety and quality of Ireland’s attacking play.
Save for a couple of misfiring lineouts, Ireland’s set pieces provided a strong base, as did some of their lightening quick ruck ball. Cliodhna Moloney-MacDonald, Brittany Hogan an Erin King got through a mountain of work, and having dusted off the cobwebs last week against England, Aoife Wafer was back to her usual barnstorming self, making a dozen carries for 84 metres, scoring one try and assisting another.
Emily Lane maintained a good tempo, Danah O’Brien pulled the strings and kicked superbly, Aoife Dalton remains one of the standard bearers, and Stacey Flood added her customary passing range as an auxiliary playmaker.
Scott Bemand’s selections were all justified – Robyn O’Connor scoring on debut, while it was further evidence of the width and shape to Ireland’s attack that the hometown girl, Béibhinn Parsons, completed a red letter day with a hat-trick.
Ireland’s Béibhinn Parsons on her way to scoring her third try against Italy. Photograph: Dan Sheridan/Inpho
Ireland secured the bonus point so efficiently that Bemand could make a half-dozen replacements with one eye on next Saturday’s game against France in Clermont.
Ireland had scored seven tries and led 45-10 by the break, granted with the wind in their favour.
Befitting the conditions and fast-paced 4G pitch, both teams set about trying to play at a quick tempo. But the Italians’ skills didn’t match their ambition, and an awry offload by Sara Mannini was their third handling error in the opening five minutes.
O’Brien’s ensuing punt earned a huge territorial gain and after Flood gathered a high kick and offloaded for Nancy McGillivray
to launch Wafer, Lane daringly tapped and charged through the tackles of Valeria Fedrighi and Elisa Giordano to score.
A stream of Italian penalties culminated in hooker Vittoria Vecchini scoring off the blindside drive, but Ireland responded swiftly.
A trademark carry by Wafer off a scrum led to a penalty and an explosive drive off King’s tap down was cleverly set up for Wafer to score.
Moloney-MacDonald ripped the ball in a tackle and Brittany Hogan hoofed it downfield for another big gain. A power play followed off a jackal by Ellena Perry before O’Brien pulled the trigger and Flood’s long bridge pass led to Parsons’ first finish and O’Brien’s third conversion, this time from the touchline.
Another Italian handling error, another attacking Irish scrum, and after going wide right the home side then went wide left for Aoife Dalton to float a long pass for O’Connor to complete an old-school corner flag finish.
Ireland’s Emily Lane is tackled by Italy’s Elisa Giordano. Photograph: Dan Sheridan/Inpho
Four visits to the 22 and 26 points. Although Ireland didn’t make the fifth tell, soon Parsons emulated O’Connor from Lane’s pass to fend Gaia Buso and score by the right flag.
There was a superb, 60-metre counter-attacking try by Italian fullback by Vittoria Ostuni Minuzzi before Moloney-MacDonald had a big contribution to the next try, as did Wafer, before Perry finished from close-range.
The most loudly acclaimed try came when Lane passed blind to O’Brien on halfway. The outhalf shaped to kick but instead fed Flood, who hit O’Connor on the edge with a swift skip pass. The winger passed inside to Parsons, who linked with Wafer and then took the offload to score on her opposite wing. O’Brien again slotted the extras from the left touchline.
On the resumption, Ireland went to the corner and Wafer again put them on the front foot before Moloney-MacDonald scored to bring up the half-century. One for the forwards.
But to Italy’s credit, they stayed in the fight, and a power play created space on the edge and though Minuzzi was well tackled by O’Connor, she offloaded for replacement outhalf Veronica Madia to score out wide. Although Hogan deservedly burrowed over for a ninth try, Italy were worth the bonus-point, achieved through Alyssa D’Incà’s 79th-minute finish.
SCORING SEQUENCE – 6 mins: Lane try, O’Brien con 7-0; 11: Vecchini try 7-5; 14: Wafer try, O’Brien con 14-5; 19: Parsons try, O’Brien con 21-5; 23: O’Connor try 26-5; 30: Parsons try 31-5; 32: Minuzzi try 31-10; 35: Perry try, O’Brien con 38-10; 40: Parson try, O’Brien 45-10; Half-time 45-10, 43: Moloney-MacDonald 50-10; 50: Madia try 50-15; 72: Hogan try, O’Brien con 57-15; 79: D’Incà try 57-20
IRELAND: S Flood; B Parsons, A Dalton, N McGillivray, R O’Connor; D O’Brien, E Lane; E Perry, C Moloney-MacDonald, L Djougang, R Campbell, F Tuite, B Hogan, E King (capt), A Wafer. Replacements: N Jones for Moloney-MacDonald, N O’Dowd for Perry, S McGrath for Djougang, D Wall for Wafer, S Monaghan for Campbell, E Higgins for Dalton (all 53 mins), A McGann for O’Connor (56), K Whelan for Lane (68).
ITALY: V Ostuni Minuzzi; G Buso, A D’Incà, S Mannini, A Muzzo; E Stevanin, S Stefan; G Maris, V Vecchini, A Pilani, V Fedrighi, E Costantini, F Sgorbini, A Ranuccini, E Giordano (capt). Replacements: S Turani for Maris, V Zanette for Pilani, G Duca for Constantini (all h-t), V Madia for Stevanin, M Sillari for Buso (both 44 mins), A Bitonci for Stefan, M Sillari for Muzzo, C Cheli for Vecchini (all 56), B Veronese for Ranuccini (59).
Referee: E Goldsmith (AUS).
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