Having lost to Wanderers FC earlier in the year, Trinity’s women’s rugby team knew it would be a major challenge to take home the Division four league cup. Conditions were not ideal and after several changes of venue, the match had to be played on the all-weather pitch in St Michael’s College. Steadily worsening drizzle plagued the teams for the duration of the match.
Trinity started well and were clearly up for the game. Trinity’s scrum was a major asset and provided a solid platform for their attack. Meanwhile, Wanderers struggled to secure possession from their own scrums throughout the game.
That did not deter them for long, though, and Wanderers were the first to score through some quick thinking. After Trinity were penalised for not rolling away, Wanderers found themselves with numbers out wide and broke quickly. Trinity were defending for their lives but couldn’t keep Wanderers from crossing the whitewash. The conversion was deftly tapped over by the Wanderers out half.
Trinity reacted well, managing to win a line out at the Wanderers’ five yard line. Wanderers were desperately trying to keep Trinity out, giving away multiple penalties. Eventually Trinity opted for the posts. Wanderers were let off the hook as the penalty sailed wide, their scramble defence having done just enough.
Wanderers caused a lot of trouble on the right wing. After winning a scrum in the Trinity 22 they again managed to get the ball across the backline quickly and added a second try to their tally.
Trinity responded with a try of their own, coming from a great effort courtesy of forward Louise Catinot, who broke a tackle and then handed off the Wanderers full back to bring Trinity back into the game.
However, Trinity failed to capitalise on this momentum and Wanderers scored another try in the right corner just before the end of the first half to secure a significant psychological boost.
Wanderers came out of the blocks fastest in the second half putting a lot of pressure on the Trinity defence with Niamh O’Kelly Lynch forced to spend much of the first 10 minutes of the half clearing the ball downfield.
Trinity fought gallantly to regain control of the game as the second half developed. A sustained period of pressure battered the Wanderers defence as Trinity looked for gaps. Catinot was immense throughout the game, making numerous breaks until she was forced off with a fractured ankle – a massive blow for the team. Molly Boyne carried well for Trinity in the face of some crunching challenges.
But the crucial breaks fell to Wanderers. They crashed over for the first try of the half and it looked like the game was over until, after a period of sustained pressure in the Wanderers 22, Trinity were awarded a penalty try due to a high tackle on Beibheann Ni Dhonnacha. O’Kelly Lynch fired over the conversion.
This try came too late for Trinity and with five minutes to go the rain worsened. Trinity’s work rate was outstanding up until the final whistle, with very few missed tackles. Despite this, Wanderers managed to snatch a final try in the last couple of minutes to seal Trinity’s fate.
Speaking to The University Times in person about the loss, Captain, Niamh Byrne, remarked: “Obviously a very disappointing day today. However, comparing the score line and performances put in by the team today with past matches against Wanderers there was a huge difference. The team left everything on the pitch and played with so much passion, I couldn’t be more proud of each and every one of them.”
Forward Maura Ford echoed those sentiments immediately after the game to The University Times: “I think we played with more intensity than we ever have in the first 15 minutes and gave them a major shock. And I definitely think the score doesn’t reflect the effort we put in. With the lack of subs and the amount of injuries we had, we were still able to put in a massive effort.”
That workrate and strength in depth will stand Trinity in good stead as they face into Colours in April – when the Trinity rugby teams take on their University College Dublin (UCD) counterparts – and after that the Cup.
