WXV1: USA 14-26 Ireland – Four-try Ireland finish campaign with win over Eagles
After that shock victory over the world champions to start their stint in Canada, Scott Bemand’s side came into the game as notional favourites and certainly looked set to justify that tag in the early stages.
Dominating territory and possession through the opening minutes, the only source of frustration for Ireland will have been their failure to make that advantage count.
Predictably, they were made to pay for their profligacy when, after what was her side’s first real period of pressure, USA prop Rogers marked her 50th cap with a try from close range.
Player of the match Erin King responded to level matters but, with the last play of the half, Rogers’ memorable day got even better with her second score.
If there was one note for caution for the Eagles as they celebrated into half-time, it was their eight penalties conceded in the opening 40 minutes.
Ultimately, it was their ill-discipline that would prove their undoing with Tahlia Brody, Rachel Ehrecke and Rachel Johnson all sent to the sin-bin in the space of 12 second-half minutes.
Brody was the first to go with her transgression, catching the ball in an offside position, also bringing about the penalty try that levelled the game just after the hour mark.
Replacement Ehrecke followed soon after and it was against 13 players that Ireland hooker Moloney was able to maul her way across the whitewash to give her side the lead.
In the final minutes, Johnson was shown a yellow for a high tackle to again reduce the Americans to 13 and Amee-Leigh Murphy Crowe made Ireland’s numerical advantage count when rounding off the day’s scoring with a try in the corner.
