O’Flynn And Corey Impress As UL Bohs Remain Unbeaten

ENERGIA ALL-IRELAND LEAGUE WOMEN’S DIVISION:

Saturday, November 8 –

UL BOHEMIAN 98 COOKE 0, UL 4G pitch
Scorers: UL Bohemian: Tries: Aoibhe O’Flynn 3, Anaïs Jubin, Aoife Corey 3, Kate Flannery 2, Lucia Linn, Chloe Pearse 3, Alana McInerney 2, Caitríona Finn; Cons: Caitríona Finn 9
Cooke: –
HT: UL Bohemian 55 Cooke 0

Pacy second row O’Flynn scored after 2, 19, and 33 minutes, with six of her team-mates also touching down during the opening half. Sarah Quin’s charges looked unstoppable, leading 55-0 at half-time.

Elusive full-back Aoife Corey and playmaker Kate Flannery showed their class in attack, having a hand in a number of scores and finishing with five tries between them.

Caitríona Finn claimed the 16th and final try, taking her own haul to 23 points which included nine conversions. UL will be back at home next week to host fellow unbeaten side Galwegians in a mouth-watering top of the table clash.

Cooke looked confident with ball in hand early on, until Ciara McLoughlin’s turnover penalty saw the reigning Energia All-Ireland League champions go quickly. Their carrying was incisive and O’Flynn crashed over for a second-minute opener.

The visitors misfired at a lineout just past halfway, and UL built for their second try with some crisp passing and powerful running. Flannery’s skip pass allowed Lucia Linn to put Anaïs Jubin over in the left corner to make it 10-0.

The strong-running Corey skilfully beat three defenders to claim try number three, and almost straight from the restart, the hosts flooded out to the right where Corey fed Flannery on her inside for a 35-metre run-in. Finn split the posts with the conversion.

Ireland international Corey was in rampaging form, making another line break with Finn following up to send O’Flynn in under the posts. Popping up on the opposite wing, Linn evaded two tackles for a slick 24th-minute score.

Cooke, who had ex-Ireland prop Ilse van Staden making her first start of the season, were working hard collectively but struggled to plug those defensive gaps.

Bohs captain Chloe Pearse knifed her way over to take her team past the 40-point mark, immediately capitalising on a well-won McLoughlin turnover. Paige Smyth collected Amanda Morton’s clever grubber kick, offering a glimpse of Cooke’s ability in attack.

However, when that move broke down, UL countered brilliantly to release O’Flynn on a 50-metre charge to the try-line. Having made it up past halfway, Pearse timed her pass to perfection and there was no stopping the 22-year-old Youghal RFC product.

Morton’s right boot had the Belfast outfit threatening, this time with Smyth and Elise McDermott chasing down her kick. Flannery covered well for Bohs, though, and Alana McInerney made the most of some missed tackles for a long-range score, converted by Finn.

It was almost a quick-fire double for McInerney, who went agonisingly close to gathering a Flannery cross-field kick. It was the lively Corey who started the second half’s scoring, getting over out wide after Emma Dunican’s initial break.

Losing Bronach Cassidy to injury was another setback for Cooke, but there were encouraging signs with a Georgia Boyce half-break, and a Smyth run that drew a penalty. They enjoyed a decent spell inside UL’s 22 until Lily Brady ripped possession back.

60-0 became 72-0 by the hour mark as Pearse picked from a close-in ruck to double her tally, before a superb attack from deep was started and finished at pace by McInerney for her 11th try of the current campaign.

Despite the terrier-like Boyce getting back to make a try-saving tackle on McInerney, UL replacement Gráinne Burke’s penalty win at the breakdown paved the way for Pearse to complete her hat-trick from a lineout maul.

Finn converted with aplomb and also added the extras to further scores from Flannery and Corey in increasingly wet conditions. The influential out-half cruised in behind the posts following good work again from Corey on the counter.

A lung-busting run from replacement Maddy Kushner eventually led to Corey crossing in the 73rd minute, with the build-up also seeing Clodagh O’Halloran carry smartly when cutting in from the left wing.

Cooke battled right to the end, retaining the ball through multiple phases but lacking the field position to profit from it. An excellent individual effort from Finn, who darted clear from inside her own half, was the icing on the cake for Bohs.

TIME LINE: 2 minutes – UL Bohemian try: Aoibhe O’Flynn – 5-0; conversion: missed by Caitríona Finn – 5-0; 9 mins – UL Bohemian try: Anaïs Jubin – 10-0; conversion: missed by Caitríona Finn – 10-0; 14 mins – UL Bohemian try: Aoife Corey – 15-0; conversion: missed by Caitríona Finn – 15-0; 17 mins – UL Bohemian try: Kate Flannery – 20-0; conversion: Caitríona Finn – 22-0; 19 mins – UL Bohemian try: Aoibhe O’Flynn – 27-0; conversion: Caitríona Finn – 29-0; 24 mins – UL Bohemian try: Lucia Linn – 34-0; conversion: Caitríona Finn – 36-0; 27 mins – UL Bohemian try: Chloe Pearse – 41-0; conversion: Caitríona Finn – 43-0; 33 mins – UL Bohemian try: Aoibhe O’Flynn – 48-0; conversion: missed by Caitríona Finn – 48-0; 37 mins – UL Bohemian try: Alana McInerney – 53-0; conversion: Caitríona Finn – 55-0; Half-time – UL Bohemian 55 Cooke 0; 43 mins – UL Bohemian try: Aoife Corey – 60-0; conversion: missed by Caitríona Finn – 60-0; 55 mins – UL Bohemian try: Chloe Pearse – 65-0; conversion: Caitríona Finn – 67-0; 59 mins – UL Bohemian try: Alana McInerney – 72-0; conversion: missed by Caitríona Finn – 72-0; 63 mins – UL Bohemian try: Chloe Pearse – 77-0; conversion: Caitríona Finn – 79-0; 68 mins – UL Bohemian try: Kate Flannery – 84-0; conversion: Caitríona Finn – 86-0; 73 mins – UL Bohemian try: Aoife Corey – 91-0; conversion: Caitríona Finn – 93-0; 79 mins – UL Bohemian try: Caitríona Finn – 98-0; conversion: missed by Caitríona Finn – 98-0; Full-time – UL Bohemian 98 Cooke 0

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

Replacements: Gráinne Burke, Ciara O’Dwyer, Marea Walshe, Mary Maher, Maddy Kushner, Aisling Stock, Sinead Hogg.

COOKE: Molly Boyd; Emily Kingston, Codie McCloskey, Paige Smyth, Elise McDermott; Amanda Morton, Georgia Boyce; Bronach Cassidy, Emilee Jalosuo, Ilse van Staden, Izzy Harris, Alanagh van Staden, Laura Scott, Katie Gilmour, Megan Simpson (capt).

Replacements: Angelique Corry, Teah Morton.

Referee: Michael Reidy (IRFU)