#EnergiaAIL Women’s Division: Round 18 Results Round-Up
Railway Union's try-scoring replacement Sarah Munnelly tries to break away from Old Belvedere's Brooke Gilroy and Katie Corrigan ©Henry Simpson
In the final round of the regular season, Tullow’s second successive win was not enough to avoid a promotion/relegation play-off, as Cooke secured their Energia All-Ireland League status thanks to an impressive victory over Wicklow.
At the top end of the Women’s Division, the semi-final match-ups have been confirmed. Defending champions UL Bohemian will host Old Belvedere, the fourth place finishers, on Saturday, April 11, with Blackrock College earning home advantage for their last-four clash with Railway Union.
The teams in the 5th to 8th bracket will battle it out for the Conference crown. The Conference semi-finals on April 11 will see Ballincollig travel to Galwegians, who claimed a fifth place finish, while Ennis, buoyed by six wins in an excellent debut AIL campaign, will be on the road to Wicklow.
Following the IRFU’s announcement of a move to a 12-team league for the 2026/27 season, bottom side Tullow are poised for a play-off in the coming weeks. The two promotion play-off semi-final losers will meet, with the winning team taking on the Carlow outfit for a place in the league, but crucially, the 5-3-2-2 provincial split for the new format must be achieved.
The updated Women’s Division structure will see the competition move to 12 teams from next season – the clubs will play each other once before splitting into a top six playing for the All-Ireland League title, and the bottom six battling it out for the Conference trophy.
The split league format has to transition over a number of seasons while the recommended provincial distribution – five teams from Leinster, three from Munster, two from Connacht, and two from Ulster – is being prioritised, with the goal being the All-Ireland League operating in a full season of a Division 1A and Division 1B format.
ENERGIA ALL-IRELAND LEAGUE WOMEN’S DIVISION – ROUND 18:
Saturday, March 28 –
COOKE 31 WICKLOW 22, Shaw’s Bridge
Scorers: Cooke: Tries: Ilse van Staden, Grace Simati, Megan Simpson, Freya Boyce, Sorcha Mac Laimhin; Cons: Amanda Morton 3
Wicklow: Tries: Laura Griffin, Jamie Church 2, Róisín Stone; Con: Beth Roberts
HT: Cooke 7 Wicklow 12
COOKE: Molly Boyd; Elise McDermott, Codie McCloskey, Teah Morton, Luighseach Murnaghan; Amanda Morton, Georgia Boyce; Grace Simati, Bronach Cassidy, Ilse van staden, Izzy Harris, Sorcha Mac Laimhin, Emily Kingston, Hannah Lee, Megan Simpson (capt).
Replacements: Alanagh van Staden, Shola Iluyemi, Emily Martin, Freya Boyce.
WICKLOW: Faye O’Neill; Jennifer Madden, Clara Dunne, Robyn Johnston, Laura Griffin; Beth Roberts, Erin McConnell (capt); Dannii Masters, Sarah Fitzpatrick, Kathy Byrne, Emily Roberts, Laura Newsome, Jamie Church, Róisín Stone, Rebecca Brennan.
Replacements: Faye Bolger, Sophie Murphy, Eva Phelan, Naoise O’Reilly.
ENNIS 10 TULLOW 28, Drumbiggle Road
Scorers: Ennis: Tries: Aoibheann Hahessy 2
Tullow: Tries: Grace Kelly 2, Lauryn Faulkner, Chloe Farrell; Cons: Hilary Fitzgerald 4
HT: Ennis 5 Tullow 21
ENNIS: Patricia Coote; Clodagh McMahon, Orna Moynihan, Emma Byrne, Emily Murphy; Lyndsay Clarke, Megan O’Connor; Ciara Coughlan, Annie Lynch, Alana Foudy, Micaela Glynn (capt), Aoibheann Hahessy, Róisín Dillon, Aisling Heapes, Caoilfhionn Conway Morrissey.
Replacements: Amy Flavin, Emily Anglim, Caoilinn Cahill, Emily Kelly, Sally Kelly, Niamh McManus, Saoirse Reidy.
TULLOW: Sara Rennick; Leanne Savage, Emma Carroll, Chloe Farrell, Leah Browne; Hilary Fitzgerald, Catherine Dempsey; Grace Kelly (capt), Katie Ann O’Neill, Anna O’Neill, Orla Hanlon, Nicola Kilcoyne, Lauryn Faulkner, Lana Brennan, Alex O’Brien.
Replacements: Emma Byrne, Alannah O’Donovan, Emma Lackey, Courtney Kelly, Angela Viciano, Lisa O’Toole, Jane O’Neill, Michelle Faulkner.
GALWEGIANS 43 BALLINCOLLIG 5, Crowley Park
Scorers: Galwegians: Tries: Grace Browne Moran 3, Saoirse Lawley, Mollie Starr, Gemma Faulkner, Orla Dixon; Cons: Jemma Lees 4
Ballincollig: Try: Kelly Griffin
HT: Galwegians 22 Ballincollig 0
GALWEGIANS: Sophie Cullen; Saoirse Lawley, Gemma Faulkner, Rebecca Farrell, Orla Dixon; Jemma Lees, Aisling Whyte; Elizabeth McNicholas, Stacy Hanley (capt), Hannah Coen, Orla Fenton, Grace Browne Moran, Catherine Fleming, Mollie Starr, Beibhinn Gleeson.
Replacements: Claudia Arranz, Laura Scuffil, Máire Beth Kirby, Aisling Hahessy, Megan Connolly, Dolores Hughes, Evanna Finn.
BALLINCOLLIG: Kate O’Sullivan; Vivienne O’Donovan, Brighid Twohig, Awatere McLean-Wanoa, Niamh Crotty; Emma Connolly, Kelly Griffin; Ciara Fleming, Sinéad O’Donnell, Olivia Hay Mulvihill, Anna Kavanagh, Aoife Madigan (capt), Ellie Cournane, Clodagh O’Dowd, Orlaith Morrissy.
Replacements: Ciara Falvey, Eva O’Sullivan, Alex Good, Caolainn Healy, Emelia Deane, Eimear Finn.
Old Belvedere winger Laura Carty gets her pass away under pressure from Railway Union replacement Keelin Brady ©Ronan Ryan
OLD BELVEDERE 0 RAILWAY UNION 39, Ollie Campbell Park
Scorers: Old Belvedere: –
Railway Union: Tries: Leah Tarpey, Méabh Keegan, Heidi Lyons, Hannah Scanlan, Sarah Munnelly, Evelyn Donnelly, Sarah O’Donnell; Cons: Heidi Lyons 2
HT: Old Belvedere 0 Railway Union 15
OLD BELVEDERE: Emma Tilly; Katie Corrigan, Kerry Browne, Brooke Gilroy, Laura Carty; Hazel Simmons, Georgia Foley; Hannah Rapley, Jess Keating, Eilis Doyle, Grace Tutty, Kara Mulcahy, Emma Kelly, Emily Byrne, Éadaoin Murtagh (capt).
Replacements: Áine Rutley, Orlaith McAuliffe, Shana Murphy, Amy Bond, Juliet Condron, Amy McGuire, Julie Nolan.
RAILWAY UNION: Leah Tarpey; Rhiann Heery, Aimee Clarke, Heidi Lyons, Sarah O’Donnell; Nikki Caughey, Chloé Ponthus; Evelyn Donnelly, Méabh Keegan, Alanna Fusciardi Wallace, Grace Jackson, Emma Fabby, Aoife McDermott (capt), Hannah Johnston, Mira Broeks.
Replacements: Caoimhe O’Sullivan Roche, Megan Collis, Keelin Brady, Miyu Kojima, Hannah Scanlan, Ailsa Hughes, Sarah Munnelly, Caoimhe McCormack.
UL BOHEMIAN 7 BLACKROCK COLLEGE 17, Annacotty
Scorers: UL Bohemian: Try: Clara Barrett; Con: Rachel Allen
Blackrock College: Tries: Maggie Boylan, Andi Murphy, Catherine Martin; Con: Ella Durkan
HT: UL Bohemian 7 Blackrock College 12
UL BOHEMIAN: Clara Barrett; Aisling Stock, Éabha Nic Dhonnacha, Stephanie Nunan (capt), Nina Mathastein; Rachel Allen, Abbie Salter-Townshend; Ciara O’Dwyer, Lily Brady, Ciara McLoughlin, Clodagh O’Halloran, Claire Bennett, Anaïs Jubin, Ava O’Malley, Caoimhe Murphy.
Replacements: Niamh Corless, Marea Walshe-Heke, Mary Maher, Chloe Pearse, Saoirse Kelly, Becca O’Shea, Abaigael Connon.
BLACKROCK COLLEGE: Méabh Deely; Andi Murphy, Ella Durkan, Catherine Martin, Maggie Boylan; Lisa Mullen, Lauren Farrell McCabe; Aoife Moore, Sam Brackett, Ava Fannin, Molly Fitzpatrick, Nikki Gibson, Sarah Moody, Carrie O’Keeffe, Hannah O’Connor (capt).
Replacements: Niamh Tester, Megan Brodie, Christy Haney, Ciara Scanlan, Cara Martin, Sarah Farley, Ava Ryder.
– Photos captured by Ronan Ryan and Henry Simpson
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