It’s still very early days in the third version of this tournament, just two rounds completed.
But already we can see a familiar pattern recurring. In the only game played on the first weekend of the new year Wolfhounds beat fellow-countrywomen, Clovers, 24-7.
That makes them the only side to take full points.
A squad containing such luminaries as Stacey Flood, Aoife Dalton, Eve Higgins, Dannah O’Brien, Aoibheann Reilly, Linda Djougang and Erin King (restored at last at No 8) would be a tough task for any opposition.
Clovers could boast quality players like Beibhinn Parsons, Anna McGann and Emily Lane, but not quite the same range of class (see results below).
Prospects
I fear the third season will work out like its predecessors.
The Irish squads have the advantage of far fewer players operating in the English PWR (so tied to their clubs). For the third season running it means (nearly) full international teams facing relative beginners.
The organisers from the three unions were well aware of the disparities, but till now have not effected major alterations to the selection process. The one welcome addition is provision for semi-finals and a final.
Sione Fukofuka (Scotland) and Sean Lynn (Wales) will be watching on closely, hoping to unearth new prospects from a younger generation.
Gwalia did thoroughly well to hold Clovers to a 4-point margin away from home. But Brython, representing the western areas of the principality, reflect the underlying conflicts at war in Welsh rugby as a whole.
Here are results to date:
R1: Clovers 35 Gwalia 31
Brython 17 Glasgow 36
Wolfhound 34 Edinburgh 7
R2: Gwalia 38 Brython 7
Edinburgh Rugby 31 Glasgow Warriors 25
Clovers 7 Wolfhounds 24
Simplified Table:
Wolfhound 10 points
Gwalia 7
Glasgow 7
Clovers 5
Edinburgh 5
Brython 0
The third round looks like this:
10 January
Glasgow Warriors v Gwalia Lightning (Scotstoun)
Edinburgh Rugby v Wolfhounds (The Hive)
11 January
Brython Thunder v Clovers (Cardiff Arms Park)
The organisers took a calculated risk from the start, scheduling the tournament for the coldest period of the year. Let’s hope the weather behaves itself.
