ANALYSIS – The Rugby Canada team’s defence was stellar as they only allowed one try in the entire game against Ireland. Other factors helped Canada win the game, including capitalizing on Ireland’s two yellow cards.
Rugby Canada Defence and First-Half Tries Helped Canada Win Against Ireland
Rugby Canada Took Advantage of the Irish Rugby’s Yellow Cards
Before the yellow cards, it was a deadlock 0-0 game until mid-way through the first half, with Canada being forced to defend against Ireland. However, the game started to change when Ireland’s Linda Djougang got a yellow card. It started to unravel from there as Canada’s first try was a penalty try (Emily Tuttosi played a big role in that try), which meant that Ireland had another player get a yellow card.
As a result, Canada took advantage and scored most or all their points when the Irish Rugby team was at a disadvantage. These tries included:
- A great try that likely came from the training grounds as Canada passed across the field, where it found Claire Gallegher, who made no mistake and converted the try.
- A great pass from Rugby Canada’s Justine Pelletier to Julia Omokhuale, who was able to make a great run for the try.
One thing that needs to be pointed out was that Canada’s set-pieces also played a role in the win, as it went together with Ireland’s yellow cards. Also, Paige Farries was sharp with her kicks, as one of her two kicks converted came from a difficult angle.
Rugby Canada’s Defence Was Solid
One can say Ireland made a lot of turnovers throughout the game. However, this should not discredit Canada’s ability to play well defensively. So many times, in this game, they were forced to defend with all their might and only allowed Ireland to score one try. That is a remarkable achievement and one that Canada can use as their strength when they face England next week.
Some examples of great defence included:
- Fancy Bermudez was able to steal the ball in the 15th minute of play in Canada’s favour.
- Ashley Corrigan was able to get to stop Ireland’s attack with a great defensive play.
Canada bent, but did not break throughout the game. When one looks at the first half, when Ireland looked like the better team, Canada did not give them any points. In terms of defence, Canada played a perfect game.
This is what Rugby Canada head coach, Kévin Rouet, said about the win over Ireland:
“Our defence, compared to last week was, was improving also. So, offensive game was not the best day, but, like, defensive was well better, for sure.”
Rugby Canada Did Not Get the Bonus Point Try
To get a bonus point, a team must score four tries in one game. Canada unfortunately only scored three tries, all in the first half.
The problem was that Canada’s ball handling was not great, with a lot of turnovers being committed such as:
- The pass to Fancy Bermudez ended up being a turnover in Ireland’s favour.
- The Canadians fumbled with the ball in the 51st minute.
Saying that, one also to factor in that Ireland’s defence was solid against Canada. It was a big reason why they beat New Zealand aka the Black Ferns and it was a big reason why the Canadian women’s team did not get a bonus point try. Some examples of this solid defence were:
- Erin King made a great defensive play in the sixth minute of play to prevent, Canada from scoring an early try.
- Ireland withstood Canada’s pressure many times, and made sure that Canada stayed away from the try line for many parts of the game. With a play in the 64th minute being another example of that.
READ MORE: Rugby Canada’s Speed and Lineout Were Elite
Ireland has been very impressive this tournament, being able to beat the world number third ranked team, New Zealand, and being competitive against the second-best ranked team, Canada.
READ MORE: 2024 Rugby Canada WXV 1: Momentum Is High Heading Into BC
Ireland On Their Performance
Ireland is a team to be reckoned with in this WXV 1 competition, and they will be seen as heavy favourites when they face the U.S. next Saturday at BC Place. Their mentality is also committed to winning against any opponent as Ireland’s captain, Enya Breen, said this about being part of the WXV 1 competition (asked by Michael Glennon, an RTÉ journalist):
“Yeah, I suppose as a group, we never, we never really talked about it being too much too soon. We want to test ourselves against the best. And yes, we’re getting valuable experiences,” Ireland’s captain said. “We’re out here to have a crack at the end. And I think the last two weeks have shown that yesterday didn’t go our way, but a lot of good things, a lot of good things happened as well. And we’ll build that into next week.”
It is important to note that Ireland outscored Canada in the first half thanks to a try scored by Eimear Considine, with Dannah O’Brien providing the drop-kick. A special mention should also be given to Aoife Wafer, whose fantastic run set up the try scored by Considine.
READ MORE: Rugby Canada v Irish Rugby: Two Teams with Confidence
Games Coming Up for Both Teams
READ MORE: Kévin Rouet: The Women’s 15’s Rugby Canada Head Coach
By not getting the bonus point, Rugby Canada will need to win against England, who defeated New Zealand on Sunday, to win the WXV 1 championship. This is while Ireland can finish in the top half of the WXV 1 competition as they face the U.S., who lost a hard-fought game to France.
Both games for Ireland and Canada will take place at BC Place. Ireland’s game will take place at 2:30pm PT (5:30pm ET) against the U.S., while Canada will face England at 7:00pm PT (10:00pm ET). Both games will be shown on TSN+ with Canada’s game against England also being televised live on TSN.
Note: The other game in the WXV 1 competition will be France vs. New Zealand, shown at BC Place. The game will be shown at 3:45pm PT (6:45pm ET).
Photo Credit: Rugby Canada Facebook Page on October 6, 2024.
