UL Bohs Go Top After Pearse Picks Up Hat-Trick Against ‘Wegians

UL Bohemian captain Chloe Pearse had the biggest say in this top of the table clash as Galwegians’ winning run came to an end with a 36-24 defeat on UL’s 4G pitch.

ENERGIA ALL-IRELAND LEAGUE WOMEN’S DIVISION:

Saturday, November 15 –

UL BOHEMIAN 36 GALWEGIANS 24, UL 4G pitch
Scorers: UL Bohemian: Tries: Chloe Pearse 3, Lucia Linn, Éabha Nic Dhonnacha, Caitríona Finn; Cons: Caitríona Finn 3
Galwegians: Tries: Penalty try, Niamh Murphy, Jemima Adams Verling 2; Cons: Pen try con, Síofra Hession
HT: UL Bohemian 26 Galwegians 14

Both teams contributed handsomely to what was a 10-try thriller, UL Bohs passing their stiffest test of their title defence so far, while Galwegians, who lost this corresponding fixture by 33 points last January, showed the progress they have made.

Pearse pocketed a hat-trick inside the opening 25 minutes, as Bohs calmly dealt with the concession of a penalty try, and yellow cards for Lucia Linn and Emma Dunican, to lead 26-14 at half-time.

Niamh Murphy and Linn were the first-half’s other try scorers, and an equally entertaining closing 40 minutes saw Connacht starlet Jemima Adams Verling cross twice to cancel out efforts from Éabha Nic Dhonnacha and Caitríona Finn.

Number 8 Pearse was excellent for Sarah Quin’s charges, whose sixth straight Energia All-Ireland League win gives them a three-point lead at the summit. ‘Wegians are tucked behind them in second following an impressive sixth try-scoring bonus point of the season.

Adams Verling signalled Galwegians’ intent with an early lineout steal and carry, before Gemma Faulkner also gained ground down the right wing. A turnover penalty won by Nic Dhonnacha briefly got UL Bohs on the march.

It was end-to-end stuff with Emily Foley gobbling up the metres out wide for ‘Wegians, but the hosts hit the front soon after. Rachel Allen’s counter-ruck led to a penalty to touch which Finn got every inch out of.

Pearse was able to power over in the eighth minute, supported by Anaïs Jubin, after hooker Dunican had made headway from the lineout, twelve metres out. Finn left-footed the conversion through the posts for a 7-0 lead.

However, Síofra Hession’s defence-slashing break quickly had the Blue Belles in prime position. Linn saw yellow for blocking a subsequent pass from Hession with an outstretched hand, and the resulting lineout drive delivered a penalty try.

Despite Bohs suffering further setbacks with Dunican sin-binned for collapsing the maul, and tighthead Eilís Cahill going off injured, Pearse restored their lead just minutes later. Her clever dummy got her through a gap to raid in behind the posts.

The Red Robins retained possession from a scrum with Pearse packing down at loosehead and Alana McInerney at blindside flanker. Replacement prop Gráinne Burke came on to good effect as a ball carrier, with Claire Bennett getting over the gainline too.

‘Wegians were punished for a couple of penalties, and a loose kick, when Pearse piled over from close range after Finn and Ciara McLoughlin had been stopped short. Finn clipped over the conversion for a 21-7 scoreline.

The scores kept coming, the visitors enjoying some territory before in-form centre Murphy brilliantly burst onto Hession’s short pass, outside the UL 22, to run in her seventh try of the campaign. Hession’s extras restored the seven-point gap.

Just past the half-hour mark, the Bohs back-line began to make inroads again. Allen and McInerney linked up neatly to breach the 22, and Kate Flannery floated an inviting pass out for Linn to go over in the right corner.

Both sides had attacking platforms approaching the interval, but Nic Dhonnacha was hauled down by Faulkner’s try-saving tackle, and the fast-breaking Murphy was unable to connect with Foley out wide as ‘Wegians threatened late on.

Although Jack Clarke’s young side defended well in the early stages of the second half, UL soon struck for try number five. Nine minutes in, McInerney’s well-timed pass sent Nic Dhonnacha gliding over from 30 metres out, handing off Foley along the way.

Now trailing 31-14, ‘Wegians drew encouragement from dealing with a Bohs maul. They advanced downfield, and Adams Verling snapped up a loose UL lineout in the 56th minute to muscle her way over from 15 metres out.

Pearse, the player-of-the-match, broke up the visitors’ momentum with a penalty at the breakdown, and the title holders were clinical again in their use of the possession.

Eager replacement Jane Clohessy had a thunderous carry through midfield, McInerney evaded a couple of defenders out to the right, and Aoibhe O’Flynn fed Finn to finish off in the corner. The try scorer’s missed conversion left it 36-19.

The ‘Wegians forwards lifted the intensity with a couple of rousing scrum penalties, along with a lineout stolen by Orla Fenton. A strong set of carries ended with Adams Verling reaching over from a ruck for a deserved bonus point try.

In a helter-skelter finish, a Fenton turnover prevented Bohs from building for a late score. They lost replacement Maddy Kushner to the bin following a Murphy break, but defended stoutly to keep ‘Wegians out during the final few minutes.

TIME LINE: 8 minutes – UL Bohemian try: Chloe Pearse – 5-0; conversion: Caitríona Finn – 7-0; 11 mins – UL Bohemian yellow card: Lucia Linn; 12 mins – Galwegians try: Penalty try & conversion – 7-7; UL Bohemian yellow card: Emma Dunican; 15 mins – UL Bohemian try: Chloe Pearse – 12-7; conversion: Caitríona Finn – 14-7; 24 mins – UL Bohemian try: Chloe Pearse – 19-7; conversion: 21-7; 27 mins – Galwegians try: Niamh Murphy – 21-12; conversion: Síofra Hession – 21-14; 32 mins – UL Bohemian try: Lucia Linn – 26-14; conversion: missed by Caitríona Finn – 26-14; Half-time – UL Bohemian 26 Galwegians 14; 49 mins – UL Bohemian try: Éabha Nic Dhonnacha – 31-14; conversion: missed by Caitríona Finn – 31-14; 56 mins – Galwegians try: Jemima Adams Verling – 31-19; conversion: missed by Síofra Hession – 31-19; 61 mins – UL Bohemian try: Caitríona Finn – 36-19; conversion: missed by Caitríona Finn – 36-19; 68 mins – Galwegians try: Jemima Adams Verling – 36-24; conversion: missed by Síofra Hession – 36-24; 77 mins – UL Bohemian yellow card: Maddy Kushner; Full-time – UL Bohemian 36 Galwegians 24

UL BOHEMIAN: Caitríona Finn; Lucia Linn, Éabha Nic Dhonnacha, Rachel Allen, Alana McInerney; Kate Flannery, Abbie Salter-Townshend; Ciara McLoughlin, Emma Dunican, Eilís Cahill, Aoibhe O’Flynn, Claire Bennett, Anaïs Jubin, Clodagh O’Halloran, Chloe Pearse (capt).

Replacements: Ciara O’Dwyer, Gráinne Burke, Jane Clohessy, Caoimhe Murphy, Maddy Kushner, Aisling Stock, Marea Walshe.

GALWEGIANS: Gemma Faulkner; Kila Curran Coleman, Niamh Murphy, Sophie Cullen, Emily Foley; Síofra Hession, Gráinne Moran (co-capt); Ella Burns, Elizabeth McNicholas, Ellen Connolly (co-capt), Orla Fenton, Grace Browne Moran, Stacy Hanley, Mollie Starr, Jemima Adams Verling.

Replacements: Laura Scuffil, Hannah Coen, Dearbhla Canty, Eve Tarpey, Megan Connolly, Saoirse Lawley, Sinéad O’Brien.

Referee: Brian Bennett (IRFU)