IRELAND completed the double over Wales in the 6 Nations this weekend – after the national women’s team defeated the Welsh, following the men’s 30-22 victory in Cardiff.
And two Donegal women played their part in their 12-10 victory.
Ballybofey woman Lariss Muldoon started the match, with Nora Stapleton from Fahan on the replacements bench.
A 75th-minute try from Ireland Women’s hooker Gillian Bourke broke Welsh hearts in the last of the RBS 6 Nations matches this weekend as they secured a 12-10 win.
Wales led with ten minutes left on the clock but they succumbed to heavy Irish pressure to go down at the death at Aberavon’s Port Talbot Athletic Ground.
It took 22 minutes for the deadlock to be broken and it was Irish lock Sophie Spence who went over in the corner for the first try of the game. Niamh Briggs slotted the conversion from way out on the touchline to give the visitors a 0-7 lead.
Just before the half-time whistle, Wales got themselves back into the game courtesy of a Rosie Fletcher try after some superb work from the pack. The Welsh were patient in their build-up and even when the chance to score seemed to have been lost, Fletcher found her way through the Ireland defence to score. A conversion from Elinor Snowsill levelled it at the break, 7-7.
It was all Wales at the start of the second half but the home side struggled to convert pressure into points. Two surges over the try-line were judged to have been knocked on by the referee, and the mistakes turned out to be costly.
Wales came close to another score 15 minutes from time when winger Caryl James nearly touched down, only for Ireland’s Alison Miller to hack the ball away in the nick of time.
With 11 minutes left, replacement Laura Prosser edged Wales in front with a penalty. With Ireland reduced to 14 all Wales had to do was see the game out.
But Ireland refused to lie down and heaped pressure on the Welsh defence. Eventually the breakthrough came with Bourke going over in the corner to win the game.