Rugby: heroic women nick thrilling semi-final with last minute try
Leinster Women's Plate semi-final: Mullingar 12, Tullow 5
by Finian Coghlan
With a crossfield spoiling howler, and an opposition from two divisions above them, there was a fear on the half hour when Tullow took the lead that this could have been a one score game that they would've just closed off.
Yet through the application of discipline, verve, fitness and a bottomless well of teamwork, Mullingar ladies put together a thrilling display in front of one of the biggest crowds of the season to make it to their second final in their three-year history.
And though they might moan about all the Miller mileage they've had to endure at training over the latter half of the season, to a woman on Sunday they all agreed how it stood so well for them in the all-important closing stages when Tullow were breathing out their eyeballs, and Mullingar were breathing down their necks.
For once Louise Kelly was not the stand-out player - and that's not to say she had a bad game, far from it - but it was an indication of how much her teammates have caught up with her murderous exquisiteness.
Up front Sylvia Rattigan, Alwyn Gibney and young Helena Hayes took an awful lot of go-forward ball, while Claire O'Brien ruled both the line-outs and the right flank.
Out back Gibson and Kelly did more than a passable impersonation of Darce and Drico, burglarising and terrorising at will, while the Lindsay sisters at two and nine have surely now proven that Norma is only the third best footballer in that family.
Though Mullingar started with some pack supremacy, they were soon reminded that this Tullow team beat them by 12 points just a month ago.
The visitors made the first break on 10 minutes, but the imminent danger was snuffled out with some aplomb by the enthusiastic stopping power of Adrienne Andrews.
Mullingar enjoyed their first gallop in space in the 12th minute, when Kelly and Holmes found some empty acres down the right side and set a first platform in the Tullow 22.
With numbers out left, Mullingar should have opened the scoring here, but an unlucky knock on allowed Tullow the sigh of relief.
Still, they were more than capable of striking back at Mullingar, and the impressive Shannon Copeland had to have her full wits about her down the blindside on more than one occasion.
Kerry Lindsay looked like she was beginning to enjoy herself and looked most likely to find the opening hole, whilst her perfectionist sister was growing comfortably into command at scrum half.
Yet Tullow were still capable of frightening, and they looked like they made their breakthrough on 28 minutes when their pacy fullback found herself in a one-on-one at full tilt with Nicola Rowntree. However, belieing the sweetness of her surname, the Mullingar fullback saved a certain score with a textbook takedown.
With very little between the teams, it began to feel like it would be one of those one-score games, and unfortunately on 32 minutes it looked like that it might be the visitors.
After a number of phases camped on the Mullingar line the home support felt the danger was lifted when Andrews and Kelly drove the ball carrier back five metres, but Tullow were just a little cannier and, with numbers out left, a quick recycle found the only chink in the home side's armour, and the visitors took the lead to the sucked citrus.
But Mullingar didn't panic, and whatever magic Miller scattered over his charges at the break, they returned to the fray with a well-focussed vigour. Rattigan went on early rampage and, indeed, could've made it the whole way but for her generosity in wanting to give the score to a teammate.
This enthusiasm was well shared amongst her front fellows, and Mullingar were now regularly making 15 and 20 metres on rumbling mauls.
Yet Tullow could not be written off, and Mullingar were very grateful to the stopping power of Claire O'Brien on more than one occasion.
But they kept cool heads, and frustrated Tullow in all avenues.
Then, with 15 minutes gone the deserved break came.
The hardworking Helena Hayes broke the Tullow line and her teammates poured through the gap. Taking a leaf from Sylvia's book of generosity, she found Jenny Gibson, and the backs were unleashed.
Great hands at pace from her, Kelly, Holmes and Rowntree lit the home crowd as Mullingar got within striking distance.
They had their first two cuts rebuffed, but on the third go Hayes bagged herself a well-deserved O'Driscoll special from a yard and a half out to level the affair.
Mulllingar almost took the lead with the conversion but unfortunately for Niamh Kennedy, she was just one Weetabix short of the crossbar. No matter.
The home dander was now well and truly up, and poor old Tullow were finding Claire O'Brien down every channel of opportunity. With nine minutes remaining Gibson and Kelly almost conspired to break Tullow, only for the latter to be held on the line.
But it was the the catalyst for the rest of her team to stay in the Tullow 22, and see if they could postpone the pesky possibility of extra time.
The crowd began to sense it also and the tension was now ramping up. Bit by bit Mullingar were wearing down their tiring opponents, and with less than two minutes to play the steam valve was popped.
Having worked up the right in from of the voluble support, Jan Lindsay unleashed her outside speedsters.
The ball went through five sets of hands at pace and Adrienne Andrews was the delivery system at the end, only for her to be clotheslined as she crossed for her score.
The ref had no doubt about awarding the penalty try, which Kennedy dutifully converted as the crowd went delirious.
Miller said nothing on the sideline, but tapped the side of his head as he pointed to each player.
They got the message, and closed out the game for the next minute and a half, before filling the skies around Cullion with thoroughly deserved squeals of delight.
Their reward is a place in the Leinster Plate final against Garda, which kicks off at 12.30pm at Seapoint RFC this Saturday.
Team: 1. Aoife Bagnall, 2.Kerry Lindsay, 3. Sylvia Rattigan, 4. Alwyn Gibney, 5. Aine Shanley, 6. Claire O'Brien, 7. Shannon Copeland, 8. Helena Hayes, 9. Jan Lindsay, 10. Niamh Kennedy, 11. Sinead Holmes, 12. Jenny Gibson, 13. Louise Kelly, 14. Adrienne Andrews, 15. Nicola Rowntree. Subs used: Tracy Talbot.
Scorers: Tries: Hayes, Andrews. Con: Kennedy.