IRELAND V WALES
We have to kick things off with Ireland. The side secured their first win of the tournament, and what a match it was. After a long period of turbulence, it’s nice to see something go right for this team.
There was plenty to talk about in the build-up to this game, with Cliodhna Moloney making her return to the squad after a three-year exile but it was the game that did the talking in the end.
Katie Corrigan was on fire, the young teenager is really something special to watch - you can tell when players enjoy their rugby, because they play with a flare which is hard to replicate and Corrigan is certainly in that camp.
The five-try thriller allowed Ireland to jump up to third place in the Guinness Women’s Six Nations rankings.
How things stand after three round of action 🤩#GuinnessW6N pic.twitter.com/feht0GAqcl
— Guinness Women's Six Nations (@Womens6Nations) April 14, 2024
Considering last year the squad walked away with a wooden spoon, things are looking hopeful.
A big challenge now lies ahead, with the team heading to Twickenham to face England.
As Fiona Hayes said, we are seeing ‘little green shoots’ of progress here.
"It's exciting that after all this talk we're now starting to see it flourish."@fihayes27 on Ireland's impressive performance and win over Wales.#IREvWAL | #GuinnessW6N pic.twitter.com/Bj0hIvNtqJ
— Virgin Media Sport (@VMSportIE) April 14, 2024
SCOTLAND V ENGLAND
A wet and windy Hive Stadium gave way to some pretty miserable conditions on the pitch, but even with a Red card England walked away with a bonus point win. Throughout this tournament Scotland showed huge promise, they were the team everyone was talking about last week but they just didn’t seem to show up against England.
I’ve said it before and I will say it again, even when England play at their worst, they still kind of play at their best. However, they do need to address the discipline issues which are running rife at the moment. It’s not so much of an issue when margins are comfortable, but when put in front of a stronger outfit such as France or the Black Ferns, I do wonder how the Red Roses would cope.
On a more positive note for Scotland, the weekend's match saw a record crowd of 7,774 in Edinburgh.
ITALY V FRANCE
This French side once again showed it’s power and dominance after a solid 38-15 win over Italy. A word must go to Alyssa D'Incà for her efforts late on in the game, running the ball over pretty much half of the pitch was epic to see.
Ed è doppietta! ⚡️
🏉🏉 Alyssa D'Incà 🇮🇹@Womens6Nations #GuinnessW6N #FRAITA pic.twitter.com/2jRV2Zmumq— Guinness Sei Nazioni (@SeiNazioniRugby) April 14, 2024
It would be remis of me to not to mention Joy Neville, who took charge of her last test match on the weekend. Neville will now step away from officiating to take up a role as the new Referee Development Manager in Connacht.
My top picks from this week:
Aoife Wafer | Ireland
She isn’t player of the match for no reason, Wafer’s ability to read the game is next level. Stealing the opening try of the game this week, and it was a thing of beauty. She carries hard and makes herself well known to defenders.
Alyssa D'Incà | Italy
Her show stopping try against the French was brilliant. She backed herself to get across the whitewash from half way across the pitch, things we love to see.
Katie Corrigan | Ireland
Corrigan has got an eye for spotting opportunities and converting them into points. Yet again she has proved herself as a key player in this Irish squad. Her ability to charge down a kick from Wales, scoop up the ball and then dart it right under the posts - the stuff dreams are made of. It’s almost like she looks at the ball and thinks ‘why not, let’s give it a go’.
Ellie Kildunne | England
I don’t know how she does it, but Kildunne is just getting better and better as the tournament progresses. She is currently the tournaments top try scorer, with six under her belt so far. She’s also gained the most metres out of all players so far, claiming 342 metres.
We still have plenty of action left to cover, so join me for next weeks round up!
Stella Mills
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