Women’s Six Nations: Italy 12 Ireland 54
A superb win and a great performance underscored by eight tries, there was plenty to celebrate for Scott Bemand’s team as they bounced back from their opening day defeat to France with an impressive victory in Parma.
Ireland’s Aoife Dalton was a deserved player of the match, not only a try scorer, but also consistently excellent on both sides of the ball, making 15 tackles and nine carries. Although Ireland’s right wing Anna McGann might feel it’s not often that a hat-trick of tries is overlooked in handing out the laurels.
There were others too that stood out. Stacey Flood added value every time she touched the ball, Eve Higgins had an eye for a gap, and outhalf Dannah O’Brien’s kicked brilliantly out of hand and off the tee, from which she landed seven from eight conversions. Up front the pack were excellent to a player, Aoife Wafer, Erin King and Linda Djougang especially prominent.
Italy got off to the worst possible start as they lost their secondrow Valeria Fedrighi to a yellow card for a shoulder to the head of Ireland captain Edel McMahon after less than a minute. The subsequent bunker review adjudicated it should remain a yellow, but by the time she returned the home side had conceded 14 points.
Have the Lions left Ireland in the lurch?
O’Brien kicked the penalty to touch. Ireland mauled the ball and after a couple of carries from the pack, pursued a wider option. Despite the fact that Higgins had her pass deflected, Dalton scooped up the ball and demonstrated speed and strength to force her way over. O’Brien’s conversion was unerring.
It got even better for Ireland on seven minutes when Higgins deceived the defence with a dummy and accelerated through a gap. Both the timing and accuracy of her pass enabled Anna McGann to cross for her first try in Test rugby. The work of the Irish backrow at the breakdown was first class in the opening quarter, Wafer and King especially prominent, so too hooker Neve Jones.
The Italians had served notice with some enterprising back play before scrumhalf Sofia Stefan profited from soft Irish defence to scamper over for a try. Ireland’s determination to drift without closing the space inside was costly.
The visitors then dodged one or two more defensive lapses without conceding further points before Higgins, once again, cut the Italian defence asunder. Amee-Leigh Costigan still had work to do but accomplished it with a lovely in-and-out swerve to cross for Ireland’s third try.
The fourth and bonus-point try was a brilliant team effort. Wafer and Djougang were direct and powerful to guarantee front foot possession, before fullback Stacey Flood glided on to the ball, straightened, and gave McGann the space to squeeze over in the corner for her second try.
O’Brien kicked a superb touchline conversion, her fourth from as many attempts. A gutsy goal-line stand in the final moments of the half enabled Ireland to take a 28-5 interval lead.
Wafer had a try disallowed soon after the restart Niamh O’Dowd pinged for blocking.
Britanny Hogan and Dorothy Wall made an immediate impression off the bench, their energy and power conspicuous in the build-up to a deserved try for the hard-working Djougang. Unfortunately for the Irish tighthead prop her next involvement resulted in a yellow card, which stayed at that level of censure on review.
It meant that Christy Haney had to come on for flanker McMahon. Hogan and Wall collaborated for Ireland’s sixth try on 64-minutes, the latter powering over from close range. O’Brien failed to convert for the first time.
Italian centre Beatrice Rigoni was awarded a try after a TMO review, a strange decision on the basis that she didn’t get to her feet before playing the ball for a second time. Her right knee remained on the ground/back of the Irish player. She maximised her good fortune by adding the conversion, but it was merely window dressing in scoreboard terms.
Given a glut of changes on both sides the contest lost a little of its shape as the teams struggled to maintain cohesion. Replacement scrumhalf Emily Lane might have added to Ireland’s tally, but lost control of the ball just shy of the Italian line following a sharp break.
The visitors did get that seventh try, Hogan barging past a couple of lacklustre tackles, which O’Brien improved upon and with the last play of the match McGann grabbed her hat-trick, outflanking and outpacing the Italian defence. O’Brien’s conversion a fitting epitaph for a stellar placekicking display.
SCORING SEQUENCE – 1 min: Dalton try, O’Brien con 0-7; 7: McGann try, O’Brien con 0-14; 13: Stefan try 5-14; 19: Costigan try, O’Brien con 5-21; 24: McGann try, O’Brien con 5-28; Half-time 5-28; 53: Djougang try O’Brien con 5-35; 64: Wall try 5-40; 66: Rigoni try, con 12-40; 78: Hogan try, O’Brien con 12-47; 80: McGann try, O’Brien con 12-54.
ITALY: F Granzotto; A Muzzo, M Sillari, B Rigoni, A D’Inca; E Stevanin, S Stefan; S Turani, V Vecchini, G Maris; V Fedrighi, G Duca; S Tounesi, F Sgorbini, E Giordano.
Replacements: B Capomaggi for Muzzo (20-29 mins, HIA); S Seye for Maris (42); B Veronese for Sgorbini (56); L Gurioli for Vecchini, V Zanette for Turani (both 58); AA Bitonci for Stefan, S Mannini for Sillari (both 59); A Ranuccini for Fedrighi (62); B Capomaggi for D’Inca (63).
Yellow card: V Fedrighi (1 min).
IRELAND: S Flood (Railway Union); A McGann (Railway Union), A Dalton (Old Belvedere/Leinster), E Higgins (Railway Union), A-L Costigan (Railway Union/Munster); D O’Brien (Old Belvedere/Leinster), A Reilly (Blackrock College/Connacht); N O’Dowd (Old Belvedere/Leinster), N Jones (Gloucester-Hartpury), L Djougang (Old Belvedere/Leinster); R Campbell (Old Belvedere/Leinster), F Tuite (Old Belvedere/Ulster); E McMahon (Exeter Chiefs/Connacht, capt), Erin King (Old Belvedere), A Wafer (Blackrock College/Leinster).
Replacements: B Hogan (Old Belvedere/Ulster) for Wafer, D Wall (Exeter Chiefs/Munster) for Tuite (both 51 mins); S McCarthy (Railway Union/Munster) for O’Dowd, E Lane (Blackrock College) for Reilly, E Breen (Blackrock College/Munster) for Higgins, C Haney (Blackrock College/Leinster) for McMahon, G Moore (Trailfinders Women) for Campbell (all 58); C Moloney (Exeter Chiefs) for Jones (62).
Yellow card: L Djougang (58 mins).
Referee: N Ganley (New Zealand).
