Energia All-Ireland Women’s Cup Finals Preview

Coolmine Rugby Club will host this afternoon’s All-Ireland Women’s Cup and Plate finals, which will see Railway Union and Galwegians try to retain their respective titles, as UL Bohs and Cooke provide the opposition.

Galwegians v Cooke, 12:30pm

The first of the double headers will see Galwegians defending their title against Cooke who have defeated the Bluebelles twice in succession in recent contests. 

A curtain raiser that has plenty on the line for both teams, Wegians looking for back to back success and Cooke looking for silverware for the first time since 2019. Last weekend Cooke were 21-17 winners over Wegians in Belfast and just over a month ago they took a 34-10 win out west in the Women’s Division.

With how much development Cooke are putting into their Women’s game, to win the Plate would be a massive moment for them, having had a string of defeats, they could well land silverware this weekend.

Despite losing the last two occasions between these two, Galwegians are not surrendering the title without a fight. Cooke came close in the 2022 decider but lost to Blackrock and Wegians were at their sparkling best to defeat Rock last year to be crowned current holders.

With a short turn around since last weekend’s tie with Cooke, Galwegians have been forced into changes ahead of this final.

Gemma Faulkner will remain at full-back and will captain the team, Maria Hernandez Sanchez drops out of the back three with Sarah O’Connell coming in, Zorya Surgent keeps her spot in the side but switches to the wing as Sarah O’Brien has had to get surgery on her hand following an injury.

With Surgent moving from the Centre, Evanna Finn comes into the starters to partner Mairead Coyne in the midfield. Change too in the half backs with Emma O’Leary replacing Aoife Williams at scrum-half, Emma Keane keeps her spot at out half.

One change in the front row will see Nolween Dubois replaced by Ava Kavanagh at hooker, Ellen Connolly and Róisín Maher continue to remain in that front row. An ankle injury has ruled Dearbhla Canty out of the contest, Mollie Starr replaces her in the engine room. Dubois moves to the back row as Starr has switched to the second row, Sarah McCormack will be a fresh change in the side coming into the back row, with Jane Neil moving to 8, as Grace Brown Moran who captained the side last weekend is currently completing return to play protocol following a concussion.

“We are reigning champions of this plate and will be out to bring it back to Galway”, is the words coming from the Wegians camp ahead of this contest, they are hungry to take the win in this one.

Cooke going off these last results will be favoured to make it three wins in a row and lift the plate, they will have to go without their three Celtic Challenge stars, Sadhbh McGrath, Kelly McCormill and Niamh Marley who have been strong assets for them in the past. 

Last celebrating a success for silverware in 2019 they have been dormant and will want to land a massive honour this weekend, as Cooke have mentioned to us ahead of this final.

“Great opportunity for the players and the group to take another step forward on the path of development that they are on, Galwegians are a very strong team and the matches between the two are always exciting and have good rugby. 

Our championship team in Ulster have been unbeaten this year so the trajectory for this group is on an upward curve.”

Cooke will be forced also into change, showing just one to their pack that started last weekend, Ella Garland, Megan Simpson and the veteran Ilse van Staden make up their powerful front row, Cara O’Kane and captain Aishling O’Connell continue their role as the second row partnership. Kirsty Jackson and Nicola Sloane come in on the flanks, Stacey Sloan moves position wise to the backs, while Emily Martin drops out of the team, Gemma McCamley remains at 8.

Amanda Morton and Georgia Boyce keep their roles at 10 and 9 respectively, Sloan moves to 12 to replace Kelly McCormill in the lineup, their remaining backs all go unchanged, Tara O’Neill partners Sloan in the midfield. Tamzin Boyce and Katie Gilmour are on the wings, Laura Cairns starts at full-back.

Railway Union v UL Bohemian, 2:45pm

If the first game does not wet the appetite the second very much will, a hotly contested cup rematch from last year as both teams have a host of changes from the sides that lined out in the AIL Women’s Division back in November in Annacotty.

Railway Union and UL Bohemian will meet in the Cup final for the third straight year, as the Dubliners, who finished top of the Cup Series table after the round robin stage, look to claim a famous three-in-a-row.

Railway were comprehensive 51-12 winners when the teams met in the 2022 decider and last year performed again to claim a 28-12 final win. It would be a strong start to 2024 for Stephen Costello’s charges who have had to perform with a squad short of numbers.

UL while also missing a host of their stars have an ace up their sleeve as Ciara Griffin will come out of retirement to feature for the Robins once again. Well over two years since she last played for the Robins, having announced a shock retirement in 2021 at the age of just 27.

The Robins have yet to play a competitive game since they overcame Blackrock in early January and have had quite some time to prepare having not faced Suttonians last weekend as the Dubliners conceded the fixture.

For Railway it was a last run out in Ashtown Lane on the 13th of January, a game in which they ran out 43-10 winners booking a final place as their score difference at the time was very healthy for other sides to catch.

Ahead of the final Railway were able to welcome back a cohort of players since that Wicklow game and will have a full strength side available. Aoife Doyle makes her return at full-back having departed the Clovers to participate in this fixture, Katie O’Dwyer makes her 100th cap for the Dubliners, while it’s a final appearance for the meantime for Dee Roberts as she heads back to New Zealand.

Doyle will make up part of a new look back three with Rhiann Heery keeping her place on the wing, while Alais Diebold comes in to replace Michaela O’Neill Johnson from that line up in round 2 of this campaign. Niamh Byrne once again skippers this side from the midfield with Maddy Aberg another change in their back line, coming in to partner Byrne. Claire Keohane moves from out-half to scrum-half this weekend as Dani Franada is a return to the team as Sarah Browne drops to the bench.

Gráinne O’Loughlin returns to the front row as Kirstie Stevenston moves to loosehead and Meabh Keegan will continue to pack down at hooker. Salome Trauth retains a spot in the second row as Patrica Doyle will move to the second row. Katie O’Dwyer who was in the front row last time out switches to the back row, as Dee Roberts moves from centre to join O’Dwyer in a back row finished off by the free scoring veteran Lindsay Peat. 

Speaking ahead of this weekend’s final, Railway Head Coach Stephen Costello said:

“The players that are in the Celtic cup are a big loss and we wish them every success this weekend but what’s great is that the players in the squad as a whole and in this weekend are an incredibly exciting group. 

We are looking forward to this game and to win it would be a fantastic achievement, especially with the club winning the last two seasons also  and that experience will stand to this brilliant group going forward”

UL Bohs are currently top of the All-Ireland League standings and unbeaten in both League and Cup action this season. Fiona Hayes’ side have been the pace setters this season and will look to add one piece of silverware before they gear up for the second part of the season which gets underway in a short while.

Since that lasting league outing in December against Old Belvo, the Robins have seen ten of those who started that tie and three from the bench depart for the Celtic Challenge with the Clovers. 

Aoife Corey, Alana McInerney, Chisom Ugwueru, Kate Flannery, Abbie Salter-Townshend, Beth Buttimer, Eilís Cahill, Claire Bennett, Brianna Heylmann and Lily Brady all started that day and are unavailable. Clara Barrett does return however from the Clovers, while vice-captain Stephanie Nunan has recovered from a broken hand to rejoin the group and will start in the midfield. Ciara Griffin’s return is also a noted one and will take up the number 8 role.

Barrett will line out at full-back in a back three joined by Aoibhe O’Flynn and Éabha Nic Dhonncha, Nunan will link up with Rachel Allen in the midfield, Aoife O’Shuaghnessy continues to hold 10 in Flannery’s absence while Muirne Wall is back from the Clovers to hold the role at scrum-half.

Captain Chloe Pearse moves to the front row, an experienced front row joined by Ciara O’Dwyer and Fiona Reidy. Ciara Monohan and Sarah Garrett make up the second row, while Eve McCormack, Clodagh O’Halloran and Griffin complete the line up.