The third round was completed with two closely fought battles.
The key words on every. coach’s lips are “young” and “youth”. You don’t often find two 18-year-olds facing each other in the front row at elite level.
Brython Thunder v Clovers
But for Brython things changed. They added three eminent internationals to their starting Fifteen, Lisa Neumann, Courtney Keight and especially Gwen Crabb, returning after a lengthy injury absence and appointed captain. She celebrated with a try. More on her decision below.
It was desperately close at Cardiff Arms Park on Sunday.
At the start it seemed as though Jess Kavanagh, the Welsh referee, could find fault exclusively with the hosts. They suffered a barrage of penalties. Even their straight throw-ins were deemed crooked. But they survived.
In the end it came down to a penalty scored by Caitriona Finn, the young Irish No 10, and pretender to Dannah O’Brien’s shirt. She, another left-footer, is not quite there yet, but that opening kick proved the margin of difference. One tip: No 10s never reveal an emotion! Faces of stone.
For the rest it was two tries each. Time and again promising moves came to a sudden halt through misplaced passes or wrong options. That must be expected with players lacking yards of experience, but it tests the coaches’ patience to the full.
A fine pass from Aoibheann McGrath to Emily Foley saw the winger extend the lead.
But an excellent cross-kick by Hannah Marshall (10) to Amy Williams (15) narrowed the gap.
Crabb’s try left a 3-point margin. It stayed like that for the last half-hour, agonising for players, staff and spectators.
Clovers clung on. So not even the presence of those three Welsh stars could make the difference; and Brython remain stuck at the bottom of the pile.
Result: Brython 12 Clovers 15
Player of the Match: Aoibheann McGrath
Glasgow Warriors v Gwalia Lightning
The previous day brought a clash between the two sides most hopeful of dislodging Wolfhounds from their pinnacle.
It turned into a stunning away win for the East Walians. Bearing in mind all the travails Cymru rugby is passing through, we may term this a triumph.
The Glaswegians were on top at the start. Poppy Mellanby produced an excellent 50:22, but Alaw Pyrs, ever prominent, managed to rip the ball clear as her line was threatened.
Excellent handling by the Scottish backs gave Sky Phimister all the room she needed to fly over on the right.
From there the only score till the break came from Tilly Vucaj, forcing her way over.
The game was in the balance at 19-19, but it was Warriors who finished the stronger, Courtney Greenway excelling with a hat-trick.
For Welsh fans it was a result to savour, not least since, for once, one of their sides outlasted the opposition.
Result: Glasgow 19 Gwalia 31
Player of the Match: Courtney Greenway
Simplified table
1. Wolfhounds 15 pts
2. Gwalia 11
3. Clovers 9
4. Warriors 7
5. Edinburgh 5
6. Brython 0
Afterthoughts
For once the two Irish sides do not occupy the two top places.
Colours: across the weekend we have had a red strip versus a red-green strip, and a blue versus a blue-white strip. How many colours in a rainbow?
Gwen Crabb’s departure from Gloucester-Hartpury is significant. So strong is their line-up that she hardly had a look-in. Other players may come to a similar decision, though the CC programme is much shorter than the PWR.
Those three Brython test players are/were attached to PWR clubs. Who needs a 5-week break?
It would be fascinating to take a snoop at national head coaches’ notebooks; so many promising youngsters, but who can survive the leap into the big time? We’ll have to wait till the first training squads are announced.
