The United States women’s rugby squad just pulled off an absolutely wild 40-36 victory over Ireland in their WXV Global Series opener at Tallaght Stadium on September 20, fighting back from a staggering 19-point deficit in a stunner. Talk about refusing to quit, seriously!
Ireland Looked Unstoppable, Then Hit The Wall
Ireland came out absolutely firing, man. Vicky Elmes Kinlan, Cliodhna Moloney-MacDonald, and Aoife Wafer were tearing it up, punching in tries left and right. They looked unstoppable, bagging three scores in just 20 minutes and going into halftime with a huge 24-12 lead after Eve Higgins also crossed the line. You’re watching that, and thinking, “Okay, this one’s over.” Erin King even piled on another try early in the second half, pushing Ireland’s lead to a ridiculous 31-12. Dublin was buzzing, no doubt, thinking they had this in the bag.
The Eagles, who were without Ilona Maher, did manage to get on the board in that first half. Co-captain Georgie Perris-Redding muscled over for a try, with teenager Bella Vogue nailing the conversion to make it 24-12. Then Hope Rogers crashed over after some patient play to narrow the gap before the break. Still, at 31-12 early in the second half, things looked bleak for the USA.
The Yellow Card That Flipped Everything Upside Down
But then, Ireland lost control. Their discipline just fell apart, and the USA capitalized hard. The real turning point? Vicky Elmes Kinlan got sent to the sin-bin for not rolling away quickly enough from a tackle. That numerical advantage was all the USA needed to ignite a firestorm. They scored **four successive tries**, flipping the script completely. Kathryn Treder grabbed two carbon-copy tries after peeling off a driving maul, showing incredible power. Then, with just 69 minutes on the clock, Hallie Taufoou forced her way over, and with a clean conversion from Vogel, the USA took their first lead of the entire match, making it a two-point game.
With that momentum now fully on their side, the Eagles pressed home their advantage. Freda Tafuna scored what had to be the pick of their tries, holding off multiple Irish players before diving over. Ireland did manage a late try from Dorothy Wall, but it wasn’t enough. The USA had completed the comeback, racking up 40 points to Ireland’s 36, including five conversions from Vogel.
What a statement win for the USA in their WXV Global Series opener! This kind of grit, clawing back from a 19-point hole, sets a serious tone. You gotta believe this momentum carries into the rest of their series, letting everyone know they ain’t backing down from anything. Big things are ahead for this squad, no doubt.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Yahoo Sports.
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