Ireland Crowned WXV3 Champions In Dubai

Ireland squeezed past Spain in a tight final game to win the inaugural WXV3 tournament in Dubai. Second half tries from Grace Moore and Neve Jones proved crucial in a memorable 15-13 comeback victory.

Las Leonas took the lead through Claudia Peña Hidalgo’s intercept try, while Ireland co-captain Edel McMahon was in the sin bin for a high tackle.

Amalia Argudo converted and kicked two penalties, which sandwiched a long penalty from Mastercard player-of-the-match Dannah O’Brien. Ireland ended the first half 13-3 down and with Linda Djougang in the sin bin.

However, with the WXV3 silverware on the line, Scott Bemand’s side roared back on the hour mark with Moore’s maul try, converted by O’Brien. Suddenly the gap was down to three points.

The Irish pack, bolstered by the impact of the replacements, continued to put Spain under pressure and after a couple of maul attempts, hooker Jones claimed the all-important score with eight minutes remaining.