Ireland secure bonus-point 33-12 victory over Wales in Women’s Six Nations
Ireland bounced back from their recent defeat to France by securing a hard-fought 33-12 bonus-point victory over Wales in the Women’s Six Nations at Belfast’s Affidea Stadium.
Head coach Scott Bemand had targeted two consecutive home wins to finish the tournament strongly.
The hosts duly delivered, crossing the try line five times to register their second victory of the campaign.
Aoife Wafer, Beibhinn Parsons and Brittany Hogan all scored to give the home side a 19-7 advantage following a frantic first half.
Wafer shines as hosts overcome early Welsh pressure
Despite entering the contest on an eight-game losing streak in the competition, the visitors arrived with confidence after pushing world champions England hard in their previous outing.
However, player-of-the-match Wafer broke the deadlock against the run of play, using incredible persistence to force her way over the line.
Dannah O’Brien converted the challenging kick to establish an early cushion.
The Welsh response was swift, with Georgia Evans diving over from close range to level the match after a sustained period of pressure.
Cards and disallowed tries dominate fractured second half
A television match official review early in the second period saw Cliodhna Moloney-MacDonald yellow-carded for kicking out at an opponent.
The numerical advantage was short-lived, as Jasmine Joyce was also sent to the sin-bin moments later for a cynical defensive infringement.
As the match became increasingly disjointed, Aoife Dalton and Linda Djougang combined brilliantly to set up the lightning-fast Wafer for her second score.
This crucial finish just before the hour mark secured the vital attacking bonus point for the Irish squad.
Momentum builds ahead of historic Aviva Stadium finale
Hogan powered over for her second try in the dying seconds to add an exclamation point to the result.
This triumph represents a third win in four matches at their Belfast fortress.
The result provides a timely confidence boost ahead of next weekend’s highly anticipated tournament finale.
A record-breaking crowd is expected when they face Scotland at the Aviva Stadium in Dublin to close out their campaign.