Blackrock End Railway’s Run To Set Aviva Stadium Date With Bohs

ENERGIA ALL-IRELAND LEAGUE WOMEN’S DIVISION SEMI-FINAL:

Saturday, April 11 –

BLACKROCK COLLEGE 18 RAILWAY UNION 10, Stradbrook
Scorers: Blackrock College: Tries: Maggie Boylan, Lauren Farrell McCabe; Con: Ella Durkan; Pens: Ella Durkan 2
Railway Union: Tries: Caoimhe O’Sullivan Roche, Sarah O’Donnell
HT: Blackrock College 5 Railway Union 0

In Niall Neville’s first season in charge, Blackrock have won through to the April 26 final at the Aviva Stadium, and fittingly the title decider will be between the top two teams in the league table – reigning champions UL Bohemian and ‘Rock – who both finished on 79 points.

Maggie Boylan’s well-taken 25th-minute try was the only score of a bruising first half at Stradbrook, which was dominated for long spells by Blackrock. Railway Union’s rearguard was thoroughly tested but they took encouragement from keeping it a five-point game.

Lauren Farrell McCabe squeezed over soon after the restart, with Durkan’s conversion extending the lead to 12 points. Railway, who had won their last 15 matches, rallied impressively with tries from Caoimhe O’Sullivan Roche and Sarah O’Donnell, either side of the hour mark.

However, both conversions out wide proved too difficult for Hannah Scanlan and Nikki Caughey, and Blackrock regained control for centre Durkan’s right boot to have the biggest say at the end of this absorbing Dublin derby.

With Railway’s top scorer Heidi Lyons ruled out, Japanese player Miyu Kojima switched to inside centre and Emma Fabby slotted into the back row. Blackrock lined out as selected, welcoming back Ireland prop Christy Haney to the starting XV following her hamstring injury.

Railway, the third place finishers, were the early aggressors, benefiting from Leah Tarpey’s bouncing 50:22 kick with the aid of a strong wind. Chloé Ponthus took a penalty quickly and probed around the fringes, but the Blackrock defence stood firm and won a scrum penalty to gain ground.

They earned another decision at scrum time, before influential half-back Farrell McCabe went quickly from a midfield penalty. Andi Murphy’s kick chase saw them build further momentum in attack, forcing Railway back towards their posts before Nikki Gibson was just held up.

‘Rock remained on the front foot, taking the scrum options from two advanced penalties, only for Aimee Clarke to come up with a crucial steal close to Railway’s try-line. The hosts continued to knock on the door until Farrell McCabe’s accuracy was just off with a low-slung pass.

Railway’s defence finally gave way when Aoife Moore’s short break opened things up, followed by some slick link-up play from Abby Moyles and Clíodhna Ní Chonchobhair out to the left. They found the in-form Boylan who stepped inside Tarpey and fought hard to ground the ball.

Following Durkan’s missed conversion, a rain shower added to the difficulty but Blackrock built up a head of steam past the half-hour mark. O’Leary turned an untidy pass inside a thrilling break, making it up into the opposition 22 before Railway narrowly avoided conceding.

A well-timed Clarke tackle dislodged the ball, but Boylan was a whisker away from a charge-down try after blocking an attempted clearance kick from Ponthus behind the Railway whitewash.

In response, Sana Govender’s charges evened up the penalty count somewhat, with a late surge downfield, yet they emerged scoreless despite promising carries from Mira Broeks and Megan Collis to leave them just a metre or so away. The prolonged attack ended with Scanlan knocking on.

Blackrock made their Dublin rivals pay for missing out on that try with a flying start to the second period. Méabh Deely’s brilliantly-struck kick led to a powerful maul, some forward carries taking them closer before Farrell McCabe reached over from the back a ruck for Durkan to convert.

Railway were guilty of kicking possession away at times, frustrated by Blackrock’s resilient defence. Sam Brackett won a decision at the breakdown, and even when O’Donnell spun out of a tackle, and Ireland international Siobhán McCarthy brought impact off the bench, Ponthus had an uncharacteristic knock-on.

It was Aoife McDermott, her team’s stand-in captain in the injury-enforced absence of Niamh Byrne, who provided the spark for Railway to get them off the mark.

The Sligo native stole a lineout, and then secured set-piece ball again following a penalty tucked away towards the right corner. A well-executed maul landed replacement hooker O’Sullivan Roche over the line, cutting the gap to 12-5.

O’Donnell shut down the threat of Deely out wide, as Blackrock attempted to respond. Railway’s pack then got on top, forcing a maul penalty and getting another drive rolling. O’Sullivan Roche had her jersey ripped off in the process, but played on with a couple of important carries as the pressure built.

The visitors chipped away at the ‘Rock defence before swinging play out to the left. Fiona Scally and Broeks combined in crisp fashion to release O’Donnell. who evaded the clutches of Deely with a smart finish in the corner. Caughey’s conversion attempt fell short of the posts.

Railway were now right in the hunt at just two points down. Having been beaten finalists the last three seasons and gone so close against UL last April, they have shown huge character and class to bounce back from a poor start to the campaign to be challenging again for silveware.

Crucially though, it was Blackrock who showed their mettle by quickly reaching the opposition 22. They forced a penalty in the 74th minute which the Ulster and Leinster-capped Durkan turned into a vital three-pointer.

With injured captain Hannah O’Connor watching on from the touchline, Neville’s side copperfastened the win with a strong finish. Replacement Sarah Farley raced down the left wing, and the excellent O’Leary produced another elusive run before Durkan made sure of the result from the tee.

TIME LINE: 25 minutes – Blackrock College try: Maggie Boylan – 5-0; conversion: missed by Ella Durkan – 5-0; Half-time – Blackrock College 5 Railway Union 0; 42 mins – Blackrock College try: Lauren Farrell McCabe – 10-0; conversion: Ella Durkan – 12-0; 57 mins – Railway Union try: Caoimhe O’Sullivan Roche – 12-5; conversion: missed by Hannah Scanlan – 12-5; 68 mins – Railway Union try: Sarah O’Donnell – 12-10; conversion: missed by Nikki Caughey – 12-10; 74 mins – Blackrock College penalty: Ella Durkan – 15-10; 79 mins – Blackrock College penalty: Ella Durkan – 18-10; Full-time – Blackrock College 18 Railway Union 10

BLACKROCK COLLEGE: Méabh Deely; Andi Murphy, Ella Durkan, Catherine Martin, Maggie Boylan; Abby Moyles, Lauren Farrell McCabe; Aoife Moore, Sam Brackett, Christy Haney, Clíodhna Ní Chonchobhair, Kate Jordan, Nikki Gibson, Carrie O’Keeffe, Maeve Óg O’Leary (capt).

Replacements: Ann-Marie Rooney, Megan Brodie, Ava Fannin, Molly Fitzpatrick, Sarah Moody, Lisa Mullen, Cara Martin, Sarah Farley.

RAILWAY UNION: Leah Tarpey; Rhiann Heery, Aimee Clarke, Miyu Kojima, Sarah O’Donnell; Hannah Scanlan, Chloé Ponthus; Evelyn Donnelly, Méabh Keegan, Megan Collis, Keelin Brady, Aoife McDermott (capt), Emma Fabby, Hannah Johnston, Mira Broeks.

Replacements: Caoimhe O’Sullivan Roche, Siobhán McCarthy, Alanna Fusciardi Wallace, Fiona Scally, Grace Jackson, Ailsa Hughes, Nikki Caughey, Sarah Munnelly.

Referee: Siobhán Daly (IRFU)