Ireland’s journey in the World Cup group stage continued with ups and downs, demonstrating their character by defeating Spain with a score of 43-27 at Franklin’s Gardens stadium.
For the second week in a row, Ireland had to work hard to overcome an opponent considered an “underdog” outside the top 10 of the world ranking, with Spain matching the determination and skill shown by Japan. However, Ireland, with their tenacity, achieved victory, thanks to Grace Moore and Anna McGann, who scored two tries each, securing their place in the quarter-finals.
On two occasions, Ireland had to resist Spain’s comeback attempts, which demonstrated its worth on both sides of the field. However, costly errors in concentration prevented the surprise from materializing.
The rivalry between both teams has been marked by hard-fought encounters; five of the last nine matches were decided by less than three points. This Group C match was no exception, although the final result did not reflect the competitiveness of the game.Grace Moore anotó el quinto try de Irlanda mientras Irlanda dominaba a España en Northampton.Dannah O’Brien took advantage of her own launch to open the scoring, and Ireland extended the lead when Amee-Leigh Costigan finished in the left corner after skillful handling and decisive clearances. However, the game took a turn when Spain responded with two tries based on the strength and determination of their forwards, with the imposing Eider Garcia being a force in the close game.
Two great advances by Garcia attracted the green jerseys, and then they executed the play by passing the ball to winger Claudia Perez, who crossed with elegance. Hooker Marieta Roman was next to score after a rolling maul, and suddenly, all the initiative was Spain’s, until a series of defensive errors gave Ireland an opportunity they took advantage of when Eve Higgins scored.
Now, the Irish women regained control and, once they weakened the “underdogs” in the lead, opened the game for McGann to complete a simple run.
Spain came out strong in the second half and achieved an excellent try when Zahia Perez sent Claudia Pena to score, but the reaction was just an illusion.
First, their defense opened up for Moore to score and, approaching the third quarter, number eight used her strength to cross for the second time.
The TMO confirmed a try for Spanish blocker Lourdes Alameda, McGann responded with his second before the afternoon concluded with Cristina Blanco scoring two minutes after regular time.
