Women’s Six Nations: England 17 Ireland 10.

Now onto defeat No. 3 and probably the hardest one to take as Ireland Women went down 17 – 10 to England Women in a match that immediately followed the men’s game.

Ireland’s points came from a Larissa Muldoon try and a conversion and penalty from the boot of Niamh Briggs but it wasn’t enough in a game where Ireland struggled to cope with the physical English team.

Ireland didn’t get off to the best of starts and I feared the worse when the English No. 8 Sarah Hunter powered over after 8 minutes for a converted try.

Ireland just about held on as England upped the pressure and, after weathering the early storm, they began to turn the game when Briggs slotted over a 25th minute penalty. Things got decidedly better when Muldoon spotted a gap to dart over after a well worked maul took Ireland to the England line.

Briggs added the extras and Ireland looked . . .