Six-try Ireland upset Wallaroos in 150th anniversary celebration
Aoife Dalton scores her side's first try despite the tackle of Faitala Moleka
Ireland kicked off the IRFU's 150th Anniversary celebrations in style on Saturday with a morale-bosting victory ahead of their WXV1 campaign in Canada later this month.
Playing Australia for the first time since the 2017 World Cup, world number nine ranked Ireland upset the rankings by defeating the fifth-rated Australians by six tries to two at Kingspan Stadium and will now head off to Vancouver to take on New Zealand, Canada and the United States in a challenging step up from last season’s WXV3 status.
Ireland had not played as a unit since the final round of the Six Nations on April 27, when they had edged past Scotland here at the same stadium to book their place for next autumn’s World Cup and seal their promotion to the top tier of WXV. Yet if anything they looked a much more cohesive outfit than the one which beat the Scots 15-12 five months earlier.
First-half tries from centre Aoife Dalton, flanker Aoife Wafer and full-back Eimear Considine got Ireland up and running to give the home side a 17-5 half-time lead before replacement Eve Higgins and Wafer again confirmed the victory before substitute hooker Cliodhna Moloney touched down a powerful rolling maul at the death to underline Irish superiority.
Ireland crossed the line twice more only to have the scores ruled out by the TMO but it was indicative of their dominance throughout this contest,. With captain Edel McMahon leading by example from openside flanker, and her back-row partner Wafer player of the match, Ireland were physical and uncompromising with ball in hand and resolute for the most part in defence.
Their opening score, a try from centre Aoife Dalton on four minutes came after McMahon, skippering alone in the absence of injured co-captain and lock Sam Monaghan, had rescued a lineout overthrow on the deck inside the Wallaroos’ 22. Ireland switched play after a couple of phases from right to left where Dalton punched a hole through a stretched line to claim the first try of the game, fly-half Dannah O’Brien converting for an early 7-0 lead.
Australia hit straight back, winning a scrum penalty and striking off their maul, moving the ball from left to right where they also exposed defensive frailties, right wing Maya Stewart taking advantage of a shoot out of the Irish line to receive a pass and strike from 15 metres out.
The conversion was missed and Ireland stretched their lead to 12-5 three minutes later when Wafer charged over from close range, the home pack having advance with their maul before another strong carry from McMahon.
An entertaining first-half of back and forth saw neither side able to make a further breakthrough until just before half-time and it was Ireland who opened up a 12-point lead. Full-back Eimear Considine, playing her first international since 2022 having become a mother and then rehabilitated an ACL injury, pounced on a stray Australian pass on halfway, kicked ahead and collected on the right wing to score Ireland’s third, the unconverted try leaving Ireland 17-5 ahead at the interval.
Ireland boss Bemand rang the changes early in the second half, deploying seven replacements inside the first seven minutes after the restart and his side did not miss a beat, Eve Higgins coming off the bench to score her team’s fourth try of the afternoon on 59 minutes, with Enya Breen, switched from inside centre to fly-half, adding the conversion to open up a 24-5 lead heading into the final quarter.
Ireland might have had a fifth on 68 minutes when prop Linda Djougang, who had scrummed down on both sides of the front row, crashed over only for the try to be scrubbed out after a knock on at the base of the preceding Irish scrum had been spotted by the TMO. Yet Ireland did score almost immediately after, Wafer finishing an excellent move by taking a pass from Amee-Leigh Murphy Crowe to score from 30 metres out, Breen converting from out wide.
The Wallaroos got their first points of the second half soon after when right wing Stewart scored again but it was a mere consolation try and Ireland had more in the locker, only to be denied a Breen try in the dying minutes for what was deemed a forward pass earlier in the move.
It prompted boos from the home crowd but that it was the only sour note of an uplifting afternoon for this Ireland squad.
E Considine; V Elmes Kinlan (S Flood, 52), A Dalton, E Breen, A-L Murphy Crowe; D O'Brien (E Higgins, 52), M Scuffil-McCabe (E Lane, 52); N O'Dowd (C Haney, 47; S McCarthy, 67), N Jones (C Moloney, 52), L Djougang; D Wall (F Tuite, 52), R Campbell; A Wafer, E McMahon – captain (E King, 52), B Hogan.
L Cramer; M Stewart (B Dawa, 72), G Friedrichs, C Smith (A McKenzie, 51), D Miller; F Moleka, N Wright (L Morgan, 51); B O’Gorman (A Ngauamo, 51), A Marsters (T Molloy, 56), E Karpani (L Kavoa, 69); K Leaney, M Leonard (T Minns, 69); S Palu – captain, L Nathan (L Dinnen, 56), T Tuinakauvadra.
Clara Munarini (Italy)
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