WXV1 – Round Two
Langley, Vancouver
USA v France
The two warm-ups were worth 5 points each, but sadly the Laws of the Game haven’t caught up. The Eagles had to overcome a 2-11 record.
France’s failure to secure the kick-off left them defending for their lives, but a holding-on decision under the posts saved them. As soon as they got their hands on the ball, their determination to open out was apparent. So was the risk involved.
They opened their account with a simple penalty in front by Lina Queyroi. 0-3
The game became a frustrating mix of utter brilliance and unforced error. Brilliance came from Queyroi who chipped, collected and threw a back-hand pass to her support.
Inside twenty minutes the Eagles had offended seven times. Pauline Bourdon Sansus made one of her dangerous breaks; as she was hauled down just short, her off-load didn’t quite find its target.
On the half-hour it all worked; a tap penalty by PBS, a few thumps at the line, then fast left to Marine Ménager and over. 0-8
The Eagles got their reward just at the clock struck 40. Kathryn Treder was on the business end of a big line-out drive. Ah, but we were forgetting, Ian Tempest was the TMO. He’s taken a liking to obstruction in the line-out. Indeed the Americans were guilty of blocking.
This is one of the flavours of the month for the law-makers. The other is off-side at the kick ahead. Has any team escaped both thus far?
Half-time: USA 0 France 8 (the other score: USA 12 penalties)
France got on top straight away. The Eagles offended again, and Romane Ménager slipped through to cross easily. 0-15 (or Ménager 1, Ménager 1, No household squabbles).
Lost possession at a line-out proved very costly for the Eagles. PBS made a half-break, then Téani Feleu showed why she was given the 8 shirt by driving through a series of attempted tackles. 0-22
Things grew worse. Two slow rucks let France sort their defences. Agathe Sochat intercepted a pass, Emeline Gros supported and the immediate result was a yellow for Hallie Taufoou as the USA scrambled back.
At last they put seven phases together. France offended under the posts and Rachel Johnson went over from her own tap. 7-22
As the subs came on, the game grew more helter-skelter, promising moves breaking down all too rapidly.
Johnson and Kelter made a combined break, but Keia Mae Sagapolu lost the ball before reaching the line. To their huge credit the Eagles went on attacking; they built an eight-phase attack and les Bleues had to tackle their hearts out.
As the 80 minutes passed, Emeline Gros offended and McKenzie Hawkins kicked to the corner. A clean line-out allowed Hallie Taufoou to complete the scoring with a strong thrust.
Result: USA 14 France 22
Player of the Match: Gaby Vernier
Teams
USA
1 Hope Rogers 2 Kathryn Treder 3 Charli Jacoby 4 Erica Jarrell 5 Hallie Taufoou 6 Tahlia Brody 7 Kate Zackary (captain) 8 Rachel Johnson 9 Taina Tukuafu 10 McKenzie Hawkins 11 Lotte Sharp (née Clapp) 12 Gabriella Cantorna 13 Alev Kelter 14 Cheta Emba 15 Bulou Mataitoga 16 Paige Stathopoulos 17 Maya Learned 18 Keia Mae Sagapolu 19 Rachel Ehrecke 20 Tessa Hann 21 Cassidy Bargell 22 Joanne Fa’avesi 23 Tess Feury
France
1 Yllana Brosseau 2 Agathe Sochat 3 Assia Khalfaoui 4 Manae Feleu (captain) 5 Madoussou Fall
6 Romane Ménager 7 Emeline Gros 8 Téani Feleu 9 Pauline Bourdon Sansus (her 60th cap) 10 Lina Queyroi 11 Marine Ménager 12 Gaby Vernier 13 Nassira Konde 14 Cyrielle Banet 15 Chloé Jacquet
16 Elisa Riffonneau 17 Ambre Mwayembe 18 Rose Bernadou 19 Axelle Berthoumieu 20 Séraphine Okemba 21 *Océane Bordes 22 Lina Tuy 23 Emilie Boulard
*uncapped (till the 66th minute)
Referee: Julianne Zussmann (RC)
Afterthought
Once more, a French side proved unable to put an opposition away. This meant another bonus-point went unclaimed, and they couldn’t prove they deserved better.
Canada v Ireland
A fascinating match-up: two sides on a vertical lift. It was only their fourth meeting; parts of the first half verged on the impossible.
Aimee Barrett-Theron again picked up on players leaving the line-out before the throw. Other WXV referees have missed this detail consistently.
Canada showed their class with a sharp line-out and break by Julia Omokhuale deep into Irish lands. They threatened the line, but good defence brought a penalty. Canada conceded two more, and Dannah O’Brien picked out a 50/22 in open play.
On the quarter-hour ABT was already giving Tyson Beukeboom an official team-warning; the penalties were piling high. All the recent play had been in the hosts’ half.
What looked like a perfect line-out and drive to the line was whistled because Brittany Hogan joined it early. Now the balance shifted. Cliodhna Moloney was penalised for collapsing; ABT marched the Irish back 10 metres – I wonder why!
Now it was the green shirts that triumphed as they held a Canadian attack just short of the line, but it’s doubtful either head coach felt buoyant.
Straight after a fine long touch-finder by O’Brien, Tessier answered with an even better 50/22 – oh, no, it was a 50/23. Another long kick by O’Brien, but now it was that off-side ruling again. So two highly competitive teams coudn’t shake off errors that halted progress.
Example: Linda Djougang saw yellow for a deliberate knock-on. The white shirts drove again, bodies wheeled around and ABT ran under the posts, then showed Niamh O’Dowd yellow.
A new world record?
That might well be a new world record: two props dismissed in separate incidents well within one minute! (7-0) 15 v 13
The pattern was repeated. Canada ran the ball wide to exploit their advantage, but Tessier dropped the ball. We’re used to seeing two props come on together, but not in these circumstances. One was Andrea Stock, making her debut – she wasn’t called upon last week. Fione Tuite and Eimear Considine were sacrificed.
Ireland managed to win the ball, then gained a penalty, and ABT told Canada they were back on their warning! Strange times. They found themselves without a 9 at a breakdown, then were penalised for holding on.
Yet more extraordinary, Wafer made about her 100th big break of the series, found Enya Breen in support, and the Irish seemed to have 20 players flooding the Canadian defences. Now it was Alex Ellis’ turn to see yellow for lying all over the ball. 14 v 13.
Breen wisely opted for a kick at goal, a legal way of eating time. O’Brien struck true. 7-3
The next moment she dropped a catchable kick, and on came Rori Wood as a second prop to make her debut in enforced circumstances.
At last Canada made Ireland pay for their misdemeanours. Despite a bounce pass Claire Gallagher was left spare to go over on the left edge. Two big points from Tessier. (14-3) One mishap brought another: Justine Pelletier fed the blind-side and Omokhuale raced over. 21-3
On 37 minutes Ireland were restored to 15, but the damage had been done. 14 v 15. As the tea was brewing, the ball was running the hosts’ way. But a final action, a line-out, saw the ball stolen, and O’Brien hoofed it safe.
One of the more extraordinary halves.
Half-time 21-3
Ireland were full of fight. Wafer made her longest charge yet, right up to the 5-metre line. O’Brien popped a cross-kick deep into the right corner which Eimear Considine, accepted. 21-8
ABT needed to warn both captains (Tessier now for Canada) about incidents off the ball. Canada were still accident-prone.
On the 3/4 mark Nicole Fowley stabbed a telling kick into the right corner, but the forwards couldn’t exploit.
Among the many changes – NB the reappearance of Karen Paquin after two years – Stacey Flood was removed for an HIA. But Sophie de Goede was still confined to the staff box. All the players drove themselves into the ground in an untidy finish.
Result: Canada 21 Ireland 8
Player of the Match: Claire Gallagher
Teams
Canada
15 Taylor Perry, 14 Fancy Bermudez, 13 Shoshanah Seumanutafa, 12 Alex Tessier, 11 Alysha Corrigan, 10 Claire Gallagher, 9 Justine Pelletier, 1 Brittany Kassil, 2 Emily Tuttosi, 3 Alex Ellis, 4 Tyson Beukeboom (captain), 5 Courtney Holtkamp, 6 Julia Omokhuale, 7 Caroline Crossley, 8 Gabrielle Senft
16 Sara Cline, 17 McKinley Hunt, 18 *Rori Wood, 19 Laetitia Royer, 20 Fabiola Forteza 21 Karen Paquin, 22 Olivia Apps, 23 Julia Schell
*uncapped
Ireland
15 Stacey Flood, 14 Eimear Considine,13 Eve Higgins, 12 Enya Breen (captain), 11 Amee-Leigh Murphy Crowe, 10 Dannah O’Brien, 9 Emily Lane, 1 Niamh O’Dowd, 2 Cliodhna Moloney, 3 Linda Djougang, 4 Dorothy Wall, 5 Fiona Tuite, 6 Erin King, 7 Aoife Wafer, 8 Brittany Hogan
16 Neve Jones, 17 Siobhán McCarthy, 18 *Andrea Stock, 19 Grace Moore, 20 Deirbhile Nic A Bhaird, 21 Molly Scuffil-McCabe, 22 Nicole Fowley, 23 Aoife Dalton
*uncapped
Referee: Aimee Barrett-Theron (SARU)