Tallaght 14
Tries: Aisling Pyke, Roisin Ni Uileagoid
Conversions: Grainne Flood 2
Edenderry 22
Women’s Leinster Division 4
Blackrock College
07/01/2024
The Tallaght women’s team were back in action after the Christmas break with a tough match against Edenderry. The game was moved to the all-weather pitch in Blackrock College.
Edenderry’s big forwards dominated the first half an hour. They were camped in the Tallaght 22 for long periods but the Tallaght defence stood firm and kept them out, holding them up over the line on three occasions. On the rare occasion Tallaght got some ball, they looked dangerous when they got the ball wide and wing Ellen Crotty made a couple of decent breaks.
After 32 minutes Tallaght made the breakthrough. Aisling Pyke took a great line off a sharp Grainne Flood pass and raced away from halfway to score under the posts. Flood added the conversion to make it 7-0 to Tallaght. From the restart, Tallaght tried to run the ball out of their own twenty two instead of engineering an exit. A loose pass was thrown to the ground and Edenderry gathered it and scored a try after a few phases to make it 7-5 at halftime.
In the second half Tallaght started tackling too high and the big Edenderry forwards were able to make ground easier, leading to a try which they converted to take a 12-7 lead. Then Edenderry had a player yellow carded after one high tackle too many. Tallaght hit back when replacement winger Roisin Ni Uileagoid broke away down the left wing and outpaced the Edenderry defence to score a fine individual try. Grainne Flood converted to reclaim the lead at 14-12.
Edenderry made a break and though Tallaght had tackled them into touch, the referee penalised Tallaght for dissent. From the penalty Edenderry forced their way over the line to take a 17-12 lead. Tallaght tried to hit back but their passing and kicking skills continually let them down as they couldn’t string together a consistent attack. Edenderry scored another try to make the final score 22-14 (the exact same result as earlier in the season) and deny Tallaght a losing bonus point.
Head coach Hayley Whyte was happy with her side’s effort. ”The team gave everything and I couldn’t ask for more. Our discipline let us down though, especially in dealing with the referee. Winning the league is probably gone now but we’ll keep battling for second place and a play-off place. There’s still lots of rugby to be played this season. I want to thank my assistant coaches Shane Martens and Andy Grace for all their hard work so far this season.”
Player of the match: Aisling Pyke
Tallaght RFC
- Lorraine McManus
- Orlaith Plunkett
- Martina Fitzpatrick
- Samantha Ledden
- Abbie Keeley
- Kim Littlefield
- Lisa O’Connell
- Louise Leonard
- Eileen Shanahan (Captain)
- Grainne Flood
- Niamh Moore
- Nicole Fanning
- Aisling Pyke
- Ellen Crotty
- Sorcha Burns
- Shauna Fitzgerald
- Karen Corrigan
- Lisa Kennedy
- Noe Garcia Fernandez
- Doireann O’Byrne
- Jensen Byrne
- Roisin Ni Uileagoid
- Laura Dalton
Photos Mark Luttrell