DUFC Women’s team came out on the wrong side of an often-feisty Leinster League Division 3 encounter this weekend, with a high-flying Arklow side winning in a game that saw players from both sides dismissed to the sin bin. Trinity’s valiant efforts, led by captain Molly Boyne, were luckless in preventing a 20-12 loss.
Trinity ladies’ failure to pick up increasingly elusive match points leaves them staring down the barrel of relegation to Division 4A, five points adrift of nearest rivals Greystones with four games left to play.
Boyne’s powerful running game proved a constant thorn in Wicklow’s side as she led the line well for the team from Trinity, but it was to no avail, with Arklow retaining a firm grip on the game from start to finish. After a weather-induced postponement last weekend, the Trinity women would have been desperate to get their campaign back on track against their second-placed hosts.
An early unconverted try stalled any DUFC momentum right from the off, immediately putting the Trinity ladies on the back foot. After some scrappy opening exchanges, a reshuffle in the DUFC pack saw Sarah Clarke replaced by Susana Mollen, with Claudia Alonso shifting from the back to the front row, before numerous drives at the Arklow line were repelled by a stubborn defensive unit. Trinity’s consistent possession and attacking endeavour were eventually rewarded, however, when outside centre Niamh O’Kelly Lynch crossed the whitewash to level the game at 5-5.
Unfortunately for DUFC, this parity was short-lived as Arklow soon made their dominance count once again. Successive drives towards the Trinity line were repelled well, with right-wing Grace Quinlivan replacing Aoise Tormey Murphy after an injury-enforced stoppage. An exit kick from fullback Eimear Ryan was returned with force, with Arklow exploiting an overlap and a weary DUFC defence to leave the score at 10-5 at half-time.
A spirited performance out of the blocks after the restart saw Trinity put pressure on the Wicklow side’s resolve and discipline, with numerous penalties for tackling and ruck infringements awarded DUFC’s way and with flanker Kayla Young impressing alongside out-half Charlotte Brown. The tide turned once again, however, after a moment of indiscipline saw Mollen sent to the line for a costly 10 minutes. In her absence, Arklow’s powerful driving maul took full advantage to extend their lead to 15-5, before wrapping up the try-scoring bonus, with a fourth try heading into the last quarter.
Left with a mountain to climb upon Mollen’s return, DUFC battled valiantly into the dying embers of the game, with Young securing a key turnover after a big hit from substitute Romane Lnzi. A high tackle saw Arklow’s tighthead lock given her marching orders with a yellow card, granting left wing Fiona Tuite the space to sneak through the Arklow rearguard and touch down under the posts following a magnificent run to cut the deficit to eight points after a Boyne conversion.
Despite testing the Arklow defence on numerous occasions in the final minutes of the game and a superhuman effort from an inspired Boyne, a late penalty gifted Arklow the chance to kick the ball into the stands and deny DUFC a losing bonus point. The defeat consigns the Trinity women to another week at the bottom of the Division 3 table.
Correction: January 31st, 2018
The print version of this piece incorrectly identified DUFC Women’s captain, Molly Boyne, as Molly Byrne.
