Old Belvedere top Ireland’s top league

Old Belvedere are top of the All Ireland top league courtesy of a strong win over Dublin rivals Blackrock. Defending champions UL-Bohemians suffered their second loss of the season, this time to Highfield, who took a bonus point win away from Limerick

Published by Alison Donnelly, October 14th, 2013

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Old Belvedere top Ireland’s top league

Image thanks to Andrew Flaus from Galwegians v Tralee

Blackrock 7 Old Belvedere 34

There was everything to play for in this top of the table clash, with the two Dublin rivals going head to head at the weekend.

Both sides cancelled each other out in the opening 20 minutes of play with neither able to make a scoring breakthrough.Old Belvedere dominated the scrum contests with Irish International Ailis Egan making a huge impact in that respect.  However, 'Rock were winning the lineout battle with second rows Dawn Olvera-Smith and Meave Foley winning their own ball and putting the opposition under huge pressure in the air.

The first try was eventually scored after 27 minutes of very competitive play from both teams.

It was Old Belvedere who struck first when a high and long kick from Blackrock's Aoife Tyrell was caught by Nora Stapleton. After a quick ruck, the ball made its way out to Chrissy Doyle who received the pass at the 22 and ran a straight line in and under the Blackrock posts.  The try was converted by Stapleton.

While it took some time for that first score to be put on the board, a second try was scored almost immediately following the Blackrock restart. The kick off was caught well and an early pass sent Stapleton running through the centre. Jenny Murphy then broke through the centre only to be stopped by a try-saving tackle from Rock captain Debbie Clarke-O’Connor 5m out.

The ball moved left and right but eventually the Belvedere pack pushed over the line and Stapleton converted, making the score 0-14 at 28minutes.

Blackrock responded just before half time with a try from Jess Belchos, the score coming from a quickly taken penalty. Michelle Claffey converted for a 7-14 halftime score.

Irish player and new arrival at Old Belvedere Sophie Spence then scored her first try for her new Club with a great break up the right wing to push the lead, and it took a great tackle fromClaffey to stop Murphy adding another try minutes later.

The final try came in the last three minutes of the game. Blackrock conceded a penalty and outhalf  Stapleton kicked for touch. Rock won the lineout on their own 22 but another penalty awarded to Belvo resulted in another line out 5m from the Rock try line. The Old Belvo pack managed to get over the line in the final minute and the try was converted by Stapleton for a fairly convincing win.

UL Bohemians 10 Highfield 27

Highfield secured a rare bonus point win over defending champions UL-Bohemians at the weekend.

This year sees UL Bohs in a re-building phase and already bereft of a number of players through injuries and sevens commitments, their bad luck with injuries continued, losing Captain Dee O’Brien last week, and Olivia Stapleton early in this game. Nonetheless this was a very impressive win from the Cork side.

Highfield took the game to ‘Bohs from the start and were rewarded with an early penalty which Norita Duggan slotted to open the scoring. On 10 minutes, fullback Amy O’Callaghan fielded a kick which was worked to Nicola Scully who broke clear and found Heather O’Brien in support for the opening try. Duggan again added the extras. However 'Bohs fought back, particularly through the tigerish Fiona Hayes and scrumhalf Sarah Jane Cody, and it was Cody who was quickest thinking when she tapped a penalty to score an answering try on 22 minutes. However Highfield rallied again and some good handling saw Nicola Aherne break through to touch down on the left wing. Just before the interval Heather O’Brien broke clear and this time turned provider, finding Dee Lynch in support for a try near the posts. Duggan added the extras to leave the half-time score 5-22.

‘Bohs opened the second half the stronger and early lineout pressure saw Gillian Bourke touch down from the resulting maul for their second try. The ‘Bohs pack worked hard at the breakdown and at the set pieces but the Highfield midfield of Duggan, Scully and Helen Brosnan made it difficult for the new-look Bohs backline to gain ground despite Valerie Mitchell’s best efforts. On 65 minutes an overthrow was seized on by Heather O’Brien who again found Dee Lynch in support and from there the ball was worked to Helen Brosnan for the bonus point try for Highfield.

Heather O’Brien, Nicola Scully, Amy O’Callaghan and Helen Brosnan were all prominent for Highfield while the aforementioned Fiona Hayes and Sarah Jane Cody worked hard for Bohs throughout.

Galwegians 29  Tralee 8

Galwegians earned their second league win in as many weeks with victory over Tralee. The score line, which earned the home side a priceless bonus point, does not truly reflect the day’s battle which saw Galwegians on the back foot for much of the first half.

Galwegians started with purpose with Fiona Malone, Emma Clery, and Claire Raftery in particular running hard and gaining ground from the whistle. Their initial intensity, not a traditional characteristic of the team, was rewarded on the eight minute when backline flyer Mairead Coyne went under the posts for the day’s first and her fifth of the league campaign and Raftery duly converted.

However, this also marked the beginning of Tralee’s dominance and for the rest of the half they subjected their hosts to rampaging waves of attack led by their captain Siobhan Fleming. A score was inevitable and Connacht cap Ciara O’Connor obliged on the quarter hour mark with a well worked try from ten metres out, but failed to convert. The onslaught continued, however, and Tralee took full advantage of Galwegians’ ever-growing penalty count; O’Connor made amends for her earlier conversion miss to kick her team 7-8 ahead with a well taken penalty before the break.

A blunt team-talk from coach George Naoupu at half-time transformed Galwegians and the second half was a more productive, if nonetheless and equally frustrating, half.

An injury to marauding prop Laura Feely five minutes could have been a terrible loss were it not for the performance of newcomer Ann Marie Keane who slotted seamlessly into the front row. In fact, it was Galwegians’ front row which catalysed the team’s recovery with ex-Black Fern international Beth Mallard crossing over twice in the second half and joining prop Ruth O’Reilly in hard defensive graft around the park. The penalties continued unabated, however, which resulted in a sin-bin for both Galwegians’ Emma Clery (57 mins) and Tralee’s Fleming ten minutes later. But by the time Fleming returned to play, Galwegians had guaranteed themselves a bonus point with Coyne again crossing over, a culmination of some excellent work by the entire backline.

With just minutes left, Galwegians finally found that some good attacking form, Clery, O’Reilly, and Raftery making fantastic line breaks only to be undone by bold Tralee defence, in particular by the ubiquitous Ciara Griffin and Michelle Barry. Their persistence was rewarded with a fifth try before the final whistle – a carbon copy of the backline effort from earlier, with Michelle Fitzpatrick the beneficiary this time round.

St Mary's 22 Portloaise 12

Portlaoise are yet to pick up their first point of the season, with another loss at the weekend to Dublin side St Mary's.

This was an important game for both sides aiming to climb the table with very little between the teams early on. In fact it was deadlocked for the opening 20 minutes beforeindiscipline from Portlaoise saw Mary’s open the scoring with a penalty ably slotted over by centre Niamh Fitzgerald. The deadlock continued and at half-time the score stood at 0-3 to the visitors.

It was Portlaoise who got over the whitewash first in the second half, and their efforts were converted to bring the score to a 7-3 lead. But Mary’s quickly responded through the persistence of their strong pack and the ball was touched down by the on-form Paula Fitzpatrick. St Mary’s weren’t done yet, with yet another penalty from infringements at the breakdown. Fitzgearld set up in front of the posts to add to her tally, the ball bounced off the upright straight in to the hands of danger woman Paula Fitzpatrick, she didn’t have to be asked twice and while Portlaoise celebrated the missed penalty shot, the number 8 was touching down yet again.

Niamh Fitzpatrick again added to the scoreline with her conversion. The Mary’s side remained consistently strong in the scrum and lineout with some well worked phases between backs and forwards and came close a couple more times to keep the pressure on.

Captain Orla Fitzsimons was unlucky to be held up over the line, but Lyndsey O Neill didn’t suffer the same fate and, after some hard graft and patience by her team mates, touched down for a second try in as many weeks. Portlaoise made a last gasp effort to put points on the board during a lapse in Mary’s concentration but the gap was too great, it ended 22-12 to the visitors.

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