Irish Canadian Rugby Club 22 - Aurora Barbarians 3
ICRC Dev. XV 12 - Aurora Barbarians 5
19 / 06 / 04
League

An outstanding defensive effort was the cornerstone of the Irish Women’s game this Saturday and as a result came away with a 22-3 victory against a very game Aurora Barbarians side.  The Irish Women 2^nd XV made it a sweep by also defeating Aurora 12-5.  The Irish Women’s fourth victory of the season allows them to stay undefeated and in the lead in the OWL standings.

With the kicking game all but eliminated from their repertoire by a very strong wind, the Irish looked to keep the ball in hand and absorb the pressure from the Barbs and hoped to keep the score close by the time they turned around for the second half.  The Irish opened the scoring as a great back line move allowed Lisa Wilkinson to touchdown uncontested in the 16^th minute.  The Irish kept the pressure on and after stretching the Aurora defensive line over several phases Meagan Haney sold a dummy in the mid-field and ran under the posts.  Jane Segal converted and the Irish led 12-0 despite playing into the gale force wind.  Aurora pressure was finally rewarded with a PK in the 32nd minute.  With halftime looming Aurora made one last push to break the Irish defence with the wind at their backs.  Aurora threw everything they had at the Irish as they launched a 15-phase assault that lasted almost 3 minutes without a stoppage in play.  The Irish held strong and every attack was repelled until a turnover was forced and the half ended with the Irish up 12-3 despite playing into the wind.

With the wind now in their favour, the Irish began to exert their dominance in the second half.  With a large percentage of the possession and territory in the Irish’s favour, the back line began moving the ball around the field and the Aurora defence was stretched to its limit.  Wilkinson added her second try of the day with a blazing run down the touchline in the 61st minute and Kylie James finished the scoring in the 74th minute with a jinking run through the mid-field.  Final score 22-3 for the Irish Women.  “We played the conditions perfectly and executed the game plan to perfection today,” commented Head Coach Koko Lozada.  “We never doubted our ability to defend against the pressure they were going to throw at us and knew that they would have trouble with our attack once we got the wind at our backs.”

The Irish Women 2^nd XV completed the sweep with another sterling defensive effort as the beat Aurora 12-5.  Jen Cufino scored a try on her club debut and Laura Steele added the game winner in the second half playing into the wind.  Cheryl Morris capped a fantastic performance with a conversion as the Irish improved their record to 2 wins and 2 losses.  “Having so many past Irish players cheering the girls on was extremely special and we are glad that the Women’s program could help contribute to the perfect 5 for 5 sweep on Alumni Day,” said Lozada.

Both Irish teams travel to Brampton next weekend to take on the struggling Beavers before taking a well-deserved break the week after.