The visitors soaked up a sustained onslaught from the confident Irish in the opening 20 minutes, and were all the better for it.
It was Ireland who scored the first try of the match, in the 12th minute: a dashing breakaway try from halfway allowing their fly-half to touch down under the posts for a simple conversion. They doubled their score approaching the half-hour after an equally impressive try by their fleet-footed openside flanker.
Slowly but surely, Wales found a way back, and when a penalty to the visitors saw fly-half Elinor Snowsill kick to the corner, the foundation had been laid for a Shona Powell-Hughes try – the blindside barging over from the 5m line. A good kick from the tee by Snowsill made it 14-7.
Twice in the first half, fullback Dyddgu Hywel made an astonishing break; first with her elusive stepping game, then with brute force as she went agonisingly close to the Irish line. Six minutes from half-time, with Wales having worked their way into the opposition 22, Snowsill offloaded to Adi Taviner for the left wing to round her opponent for a second Welsh try. 14-12.
Wales, confidence now unmistakably rising, began to force the penalties out of Ireland in the second half. Snowsill kicked to the corner for a lineout approaching the 60th minute, and Wales were soon mauling their way near the home posts. Number eight Sioned Harries emerged from the pile of bodies having dotted down over the line, and Snowsill converted for a 14-19 lead.
Such was Wales’ fighting attitude, that wingers (Elen Evans, in one instance) as well as props (Caryl Thomas, in another) were securing penalties at the breakdown to give the team a feel-good boost. Then, with seven minutes to go came the coup de grâce for Wales, as an Irish high tackle led to a simple penalty kick for Snowsill in front of the posts to make certain of the 14-22 victory.
Wales Women will now head into next month’s Women’s Six Nations full of confidence, in particular with home matches against Ireland and England to come at the BT Sport Cardiff Arms Park. Tickets for those matches are available here.
