Seanson update on Balbriggan Women’s 1st XV v Tullamore 27/10 (home), Wicklow 10/11 (home), New Ross 17/11 (away).
Balbriggan women’s first XV have completed a successful block of three games with a hard-fought
win on the road to New Ross. Having secured their first home win of the season with an emphatic
victory over Tullamore they backed their form up with another big win at home to Wicklow before
the long trip to the south-east.
The Tullamore match was another that was weather affected with the visitors electing to play with
the elements in the opening half. However, a really positive start by Balbriggan off the back of a
strong scrum platform paved the way for a dominant performance. Strong carries by the forwards
sucked the Tullamore defence in which allowed the backs to strike out wide. Tullamore were shell
shocked after a barrage of tries from Logan, Dearbhla, Logan again, Rachel and Dearbhla again saw
us open up a 29-point lead approaching the break. Then, in a hammer blow for the visitors, the
forwards earned their reward when Alma burst through a weary defence to score her first try in
senior rugby to leave the score 36-0 at the half.
Tullamore to their credit dug in the second half and despite playing into the strong wind dominated
territory and possession for the opening 15 minutes of the half. Strong defence from Balbriggan kept
them out before eventually a missed tackle in midfield saw the visitors break through to score under
the posts. This score seemed to galvanise Balbriggan who hit back immediately with Dearbhla
completing her hat trick and Rachel getting her second. The scoring was rounded out with the try of
the match when Dearbhla was on hand to finish off a sweeping move that saw backs and forwards
make light of the conditions with brilliant handling to go from just outside their own 22 to score.
Shannon’s sixth conversion completed the scoring. Balbriggan 57 Tullamore 7. Player of the match
Logan Flanagan for a brilliant display of running and distribution.
Next up was a home game against Wicklow. In a carbon copy of the Tullamore game, Balbriggan
blitzed the visitors with an early flurry of scores. Alma, who has really grown into senior rugby in this
her first season at this level, started the scoring with 2 tries in the opening 10 minutes both resulting
from strong carries through the defence. Wicklow had no answer to this opening onslaught and soon
Logan and Shannon had added further 5-pointers to stretch the lead out to 24. A penalty to
Balbriggan saw them opt to kick to the corner where a strong line out maul saw Sydney dot the ball
down for another try. There was still time before the break for Laura Mc to finish off another great
attack to leave the half time score at 36-0 for the second week in a row.
Balbriggan resumed where they left off at the start of the second half when Shannon got her second
of the match within 2 minutes of the restart. Wicklow didn’t lie down and came back into the game
with a couple of tries of their own either side of a score by Louise McCleery. Balbriggan’s bench then
helped see the side home as further scores by Rachel, Logan and a hat trick try for Alma saw the
game finish Balbriggan 61 Wicklow 10. Player of the match was Lauren Bryce for a dominant display
in the scrum and strong ball carrying in the loose.
The final leg of this trilogy of games was the long road trip to New Ross. Always a tough place to go,
this was a real dog fight of a match in wet conditions on a heavy pitch. Both teams cancelled each
other out with some ferocious hits in defence before Logan broke the deadlock, darting over to
score in the corner. New Ross then camped in the Balbriggan half for the next 10 minutes before
forcing their way over for the equalising score. The hosts were unfortunate to see the conversion
effort rebound off the post. New Ross then tried to capitalise on their dominance, but resolute
defence kept them at bay. Then, against the run of play and right on the stroke of half time, Logan sliced through the home defence before a fantastic sidestep took her around the full back to score
under the posts. Shannon’s conversion saw the half time score 5-12 to the visitors.
The second half resumed where the first had left off as both teams’ defences dominated and the
game became a battle of attrition. Eventually Balbriggan established territorial dominance and
pinned New Ross in their 22. This pressure paid off when Shannon dotted down in the corner to
extend the visitor’s lead. New Ross hit back though to bring the game back to a one score difference
as we entered the final minutes. Balbriggan seemed to have put the game beyond doubt when
Dearbhla crossed for the bonus point try, converted by Shannon. There was still time for a restart
and New Ross battled their way down to field to have the final say with the last act of the game.
Final score New Ross 15 Balbriggan 24. Player of the match was Alma Atagamen for some massive
hits in defence and tireless ball carrying all match.
Balbriggan now sit second in the table as we approach the half-way mark in the season. A
tremendous effort in their first season at this level. Next up for the D1 side is a trip to Clondalkin on
1 December.
Before that, the D5 team have their first home match of the season on 24 November also against
Clondalkin. The team has had a couple of tough away games where the team battled hard and
showed glimpses of what they can do. It is blend of new and experienced players led by Gemma
Kerrigan who scored the team’s first try of the season against Athy. In a tough away fixture to MU
Barnhall the team again displayed great spirit and no little skill to battle to the end against a strong
home team. Balbriggan were rewarded with a try in her first ever game of rugby by Kacey Caldwell
and another for the evergreen Lisa Kelly. The D5 team need your support so it would be great for
them to get a big crowd for this game.
