Cooke Women secured their place in the All-Ireland Cup Final after defeating UL Bohemians by 21 points to 13 at University of Limerick on Saturday.
After an impressive victory over local rivals Queen's in the Rosie Stewart Ulster Cup final, Cooke entered the All Ireland Cup semi final stages buoyed by their recent successes. A tough away draw to UL Bohemians was handed to the Cooke Women with Galwegians and Blackrock battling it out in the other semi-final.
The game started at an extremely fast pace and that was to be the story of the entire first half. ULB kicked off and early indiscipline from Cooke allowed UL to take a 3-0 advantage only minutes into the game. This however seemed to spark the away team into action and two minutes later, centre Eliza Downey crossed the whitewash after a dominate Cooke pack made their mark at scrum-time, driving UL backwards at a surprising rate. The Cooke girls dominated at set piece throughout the entire first half with lineout steals from Hannah Kilgore and Shirelle Wilson whilst continuing to pressurise and overturn the scrums. Just over the 20 minute mark experienced outhalf Grace Davitt kicked a loose ball from the halfway line right to the try line only to be awarded a penalty try after a UL player deliberately pulled her back in an attempt to deny the away team the imminent try. Hannah Kilgore added both conversions taking the score line to 14-3 with 25 minutes on the clock.
UL then began to apply the pressure on the Cooke team however their efforts were in vain as the Ulster-side's defensive line remained strong. A UL lineout on their 10m mark was taken against the head which allowed Cooke to apply their own pressure. Scrumhalf Shannon Davidson provided quick ball and strong running from both the forwards and backs allowed a number of line breaks. Captain Ilse Van Staden ran through the defensive line and scored Cooke's third try of the afternoon. Kilgore once again added the extras. Minutes before the half time whistle UL were awarded a kickable penalty, it drifted wide and the score remained at 21-3.
A different second half saw UL add some tries of their own. Miscommunication at the Cooke lineout gifted UL easy ball in the away teams 22’. They made no mistake transferring the ball out wide and a missed tackle opened the game up with the UL number 13 crossing the line, a missed conversion left the score at 21-8. Roars from the large gathering of home supporters did not deter the Cooke girls who were camped on the UL try line for a long period of time. Credit must be given to the determination of the UL women who held strong ensuring an exciting finish was ahead. Cooke’s Laura Johnston who had just taken to the field as a backrow replacement for Beth Cregan was shown a yellow card for a tripping incident, minutes before Johnston returned to the field, Davitt was shown a dubious yellow for a late tackle. The Cooke women had to dig deep in the final few minutes and strong running from UL’s Anna Ni Chaiplis saw her score the final points of the game. A restart with only moments to go allowed full back Teah Maguire to clear the ball leaving the final score 21-13. Jubilant celebrations followed for a Cooke team who progress to the All-Ireland Cup final on Saturday 2nd April at Old Belvedere Rugby Club. Their opponents will be Galwegians who secured a 7-0 win against Dublin-based Blackrock.
Huge congratulations go to the entire squad for their effort and commitment throughout the season and special mention goes to coaches Grace Davitt and Noel Brown.
Match Squad:
Ilse Van Staden (Captain), Lesley Megarity, Alannagh Chipperfield, Nikita Armstrong, Sorcha Mac Laimhin, Hannah Kilgore, Beth Cregan, Shirelle Wilson, Shannon Davidson, Grace Davitt, Rachel Totten, Eliza Downey, Helen McGhee, Rachael Beattie, Teah Maguire, Nikki Andrews, Natalie Watson, Claire Johnston, Caoimhe Rooney, Laura Johnston
After an impressive victory over local rivals Queen's in the Rosie Stewart Ulster Cup final, Cooke entered the All Ireland Cup semi final stages buoyed by their recent successes. A tough away draw to UL Bohemians was handed to the Cooke Women with Galwegians and Blackrock battling it out in the other semi-final.
The game started at an extremely fast pace and that was to be the story of the entire first half. ULB kicked off and early indiscipline from Cooke allowed UL to take a 3-0 advantage only minutes into the game. This however seemed to spark the away team into action and two minutes later, centre Eliza Downey crossed the whitewash after a dominate Cooke pack made their mark at scrum-time, driving UL backwards at a surprising rate. The Cooke girls dominated at set piece throughout the entire first half with lineout steals from Hannah Kilgore and Shirelle Wilson whilst continuing to pressurise and overturn the scrums. Just over the 20 minute mark experienced outhalf Grace Davitt kicked a loose ball from the halfway line right to the try line only to be awarded a penalty try after a UL player deliberately pulled her back in an attempt to deny the away team the imminent try. Hannah Kilgore added both conversions taking the score line to 14-3 with 25 minutes on the clock.
UL then began to apply the pressure on the Cooke team however their efforts were in vain as the Ulster-side's defensive line remained strong. A UL lineout on their 10m mark was taken against the head which allowed Cooke to apply their own pressure. Scrumhalf Shannon Davidson provided quick ball and strong running from both the forwards and backs allowed a number of line breaks. Captain Ilse Van Staden ran through the defensive line and scored Cooke's third try of the afternoon. Kilgore once again added the extras. Minutes before the half time whistle UL were awarded a kickable penalty, it drifted wide and the score remained at 21-3.
A different second half saw UL add some tries of their own. Miscommunication at the Cooke lineout gifted UL easy ball in the away teams 22’. They made no mistake transferring the ball out wide and a missed tackle opened the game up with the UL number 13 crossing the line, a missed conversion left the score at 21-8. Roars from the large gathering of home supporters did not deter the Cooke girls who were camped on the UL try line for a long period of time. Credit must be given to the determination of the UL women who held strong ensuring an exciting finish was ahead. Cooke’s Laura Johnston who had just taken to the field as a backrow replacement for Beth Cregan was shown a yellow card for a tripping incident, minutes before Johnston returned to the field, Davitt was shown a dubious yellow for a late tackle. The Cooke women had to dig deep in the final few minutes and strong running from UL’s Anna Ni Chaiplis saw her score the final points of the game. A restart with only moments to go allowed full back Teah Maguire to clear the ball leaving the final score 21-13. Jubilant celebrations followed for a Cooke team who progress to the All-Ireland Cup final on Saturday 2nd April at Old Belvedere Rugby Club. Their opponents will be Galwegians who secured a 7-0 win against Dublin-based Blackrock.
Huge congratulations go to the entire squad for their effort and commitment throughout the season and special mention goes to coaches Grace Davitt and Noel Brown.
Match Squad:
Ilse Van Staden (Captain), Lesley Megarity, Alannagh Chipperfield, Nikita Armstrong, Sorcha Mac Laimhin, Hannah Kilgore, Beth Cregan, Shirelle Wilson, Shannon Davidson, Grace Davitt, Rachel Totten, Eliza Downey, Helen McGhee, Rachael Beattie, Teah Maguire, Nikki Andrews, Natalie Watson, Claire Johnston, Caoimhe Rooney, Laura Johnston