Today’s two results (I’ll leave them till the end) allow us to draw some tentative conclusions. To nobody’s surprise Wolfhounds, comprising the best players from Leinster and Ulster, have walked off with a second trophy running. Congratulations to them, but then we must ask if the aims set out by the organisers are really being
The gaps widen. Three unions linking to form a single league were bound to show their national characteristics, making uniformity difficult, if not impossible. The best Scottish and Welsh players are invited to join PWR clubs in England; only a few Irish bother to make the leap. Clovers and Wolfhounds are full of test players,
Celtic Challenge – Replay Scotstoun Background This fixture had fallen foul of the bad weather. A reserve weekend was set aside for just such a purpose. But another match to suffer the same fate, Glasgow Warriors v Clovers, will not be replayed, Glasgow using up this one date available. The teams take two points each,
In a rarer type of double-header, four teams from three nations gathered in Cork. The centrepiece was a match-up between the top two. Once more Wolfhounds bore the closest resemblance to a full test side. Wolfhounds v Gwalia Lightning Teams: Wolfhounds 15. Ella Roberts 14. Vicky Elmes Kinlan 13. Aoife Dalton 12. Eve Higgins 11.
A game to provide a welcome change in fortune. Parc Y Scarlets, Llanelli Teams: Brython Thunder 15. Ellie Tromans, 14. Ffion Davies, 13. Savannah Picton-Powell, 12. Meg Webb, 11. Eleanor Hing, 10. Hanna Marshall, 9. Seren Singleton, 1. Stella Orrin, 2. Chloe Gant, 3. Cadi Lois Davies, 4. Robyn Davies, 5. Natalia John (captain), 6.
Three matches were completed: Brython Thunder v Wolfhounds (Parc Y Scarlets); Clovers v Edinburgh Rugby (Virgin Media Park, Cork) Gwalia Lightning v Glasgow Warriors (Ystrad Mynach) Brython Thunder v Wolfhounds The difference in quality was evident from the start. The Wolfhounds, representing Leinster and Ulster (but essentially the Dublin conurbation plus reinforcements) are likely to
Three matches: Clovers v Gwalia Lightning (Belfast) Edinburgh Rugby v Brython Thunder (Edinburgh) Wolfhounds v Glasgow Warriors (Belfast) The good news is that we are seeing tighter finishes. Clovers v Gwalia Lightning Through the first half you could spot a distinct gap in class. Where was the method in Gwalia’s recycles. That meant more worries
The moment the two Irish squads were announced, you had to wonder: who on earth is going to beat them? The nation is blessed with talent at the moment, headed by Erin King, proclaimed the World Young Player of the Year. Here at Donnybrook the title of top dog was at stake. Wolfhounds were the
Edinburgh, capital of all it surveys Celtic Challenge – First round, The Hive, Edinburgh It proved to be significant that Lindsey Smith, the new Warriors coach, had only two weeks to prepare her side. ER were the favourites, but GW rightly took the lead. They marched forward at the first scrum, then a cross-kick bounced
The excitement is mounting across three nations. The Celtic Challenge starts anew on 20 December. The one big gap as a third campaign gets under way is a national selection committee for the two Welsh franchises, Brython Thunder and Gwalia Lightning. There’ll be two established sets of coaches in place observing, and no doubt other
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