The Irish Wolfhounds are the side their five Celtic Challenge rivals long to be.
The weather in Edinburgh stayed cold but bearable. The hosts knew they were up against it; the Wolfhounds seem likely to remain top dog for the foreseeable future, thanks to a phalanx of international stars.
All the same Neill Alcorn will have a few concerns, not least the set scrum, where Edinburgh were in charge most of the time.
The trouble was, they couldn’t exploit that advantage. Neither the pack nor the No 9 Emily Love could ensure Hannah Ramsay at out-half had enough time to clear her lines or get her backs moving regularly.
When they did receive promising possession, their running lines were often too lateral; the touchline kept rushing infield to hamper them.
Erin King, a welcome sight for all Irish fans, opened the scoring, following heavy pressure on the home line. Dannah O’Brien was her usual assured self. The pick of her tactical kicks were masterpieces.
Gemma Bell restored Edinburgh confidence with a fine try, but the game ran away from them in the second quarter. A rush of tries brought the bonus up.
At least the hosts finished well. They thumped at the line for Talei Tawake, the young prop, to cross.
Half-time: 12-33
The home crowd will be bitterly disappointed to see their side unable to add another point. They held Wolfhounds to a single try till the last quarter, when two late tries brought up the half century.
A delightful cross-kick by O’Brien gave Maggie Boylan her chance on the extreme left. Then some lovely handling brought Stacey Flood a final score on the other flank.
Result: Edinburgh 12 Wolfhounds 50
Player of the Match: Dannah O’Brien
Teams
Edinburgh: 1. TAWAKE 2. RONALD 3. POOLMAN 4. FERRIE 5. LOGAN 6. RUSSELL 7. STEWART 8. GUNDERSON 9. LOVE 10. RAMSAY 11. WALKER (captain) 12. PHILIPPS 13. BROWN 14. BELL 15. MARLOW
16. WHITEHOUSE 17. BROWN 18. SUTHERLAND 19. HOWAT 20. MOODY 21. ROSIE 22 MACRAE 23. HADDOW
Wolfhounds: 1. MOLLOY 2. DALEY 3. BARRETT 4. JORDAN 5. SMYTH 6. GARVEY 7. OG O’LEARY 8. KING 9. REILLY 10. O’BRIEN 11. BOYLAN 12. HIGGINS 13. DALTON (captain) 14. MARLEY 15. FLOOD
16. GLENAGHAN 17. MCLEAN 18. FLYNN 19. TUITE 20. CORCORAN 21. WHELAN 22. BURNS 23. MOYLES
Afterthoughts
The team colours were interesting: blue versus blue and white.
How much bigger would the crowds be if the tournament was held in July-August? Today’s was well wrapped up.
It was encouraging to see players on the field from the (far) north of Scotland.
Wolfhounds stay top with a full 15 points.
There is no doubt that the CC is doing its job, widening the selectors’ player choice and raising standards.
It remains to be seen which of the younger generation can transform themselves from promising to undroppable or even unstoppable.
