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Ireland secure Rugby World Cup quarter-final place after win against Spain

Updated / Sunday, 31 Aug 2025 16:50

It's job done for Ireland as they secured their qualification for the quarter-finals of the Women’s Rugby World Cup with a game to spare. Now the real fun starts.

Scott Bemand’s side set another record in Northampton as they hit their highest points total in a World Cup game, bettering their previous effort against Japan by a single point.

But while it’s two bonus-point wins from two for Ireland, they will need to improve considerably if they’re to stand a chance of beating the Black Ferns in Brighton next week to top the pool.

In terms of attack, it was about as fluid as Ireland have looked in 2025. Dannah O’Brien’s kicking game kept them playing in the right areas of the pitch, while the scrum was dominant.

They were ruthless with their opportunities to score points, with seven tries in total and the bonus-point secured by half time. O’Brien, Amee-Leigh Costigan, Eve Higgins and Anna McGann all crossed in the opening half, but it was defensively where Ireland looked fragile.

Spain scored five tries in total, and crossed the line on almost every venture to the Irish 22, with their big carrying forwards getting them over the line at will.

Grace Moore’s two tries in the third quarter settled the Irish nerves, with McGann also capping off the win with her second of the day and ruling out a shock result.

But the performance, plus a potential injury to co-captain Sam Monaghan (below), will have given Bemand plenty to think about ahead of facing the defending champions next week.

31 August 2025; Sam Monaghan of Ireland awaits medical attention during the Women's Rugby World Cup 2025 Pool C match between Ireland and Spain at Franklin's Gardens in Northampton, England. Photo by Harry Murphy/Sportsfile

The tone of last week's win against Japan was set with a fast start, and once again Ireland hit the ground running in Northampton.

O’Brien had already been sharp with her kicking out of hand in the early stages, and on six minutes she landed one into a dangerous spot of no man's land in the Spanish 22, which Zahia Perez failed to deal with before Costigan recovered to put Ireland on the attack.

Quick hands from Sam Monaghan to Linda Djougang gave them front-foot ball, before another hard carry from Ellena Perry opened up space out wide, with sharp passing sending O’Brien in for the try, which she converted to make it 7-0.

Spain responded impressively, and it took a covering tackle from Molly Scuffil-McCabe and a jackal penalty from Higgins to prevent them from potentially scoring on 14 minutes, before a huge double-hit on Monaghan left the Ireland captain winded.

Djougang was dominant at the scrum, however, and after she won a second penalty at the setpiece on 16 minutes, Ireland kicked to the corner. The maul got them moving forward before another hard Higgins carry, and then it was simple hands to the left wing for Costigan to touch down.

It looked like Ireland were in complete control with a quarter of an hour played, before a perfect 50:22 from Zahia Perez launched Spain on the attack, and after a series of pick-and-go attempts under the Irish posts, they whipped the ball wide for Claudio Perez to dive over and score.

To make matters worse, Monaghan was forced off injured, still feeling the effects of that huge earlier tackle, and when Eimear Corri-Fallon gave away a penalty for a high tackle off the restart, it invited Spain back into the Irish 22, ending with a second Spanish try when Marieta Roman broke to the blind side from a maul to touch down, which Amalia Argudo converted to level the game at 12-12.

All of a sudden it was edgy in Northampton. O’Brien tried to settle things down with a penalty kick in front of the sticks, only to rattle the post, and when she kicked another penalty to the corner on 31 minutes, a miscommunication saw nobody go up in the air.

They had a lucky break with a Spanish knock-on, and with their scrum dominance, Brittany Hogan brought them close to the line, before a series of close phases saw Higgins barge over to settle the nerves, O’Brien converting to make it 19-12.

With momentum back on their side they hammered home the advantage.

Dalton and Perry combined for another midfield penalty, and they kept their attack simple, putting forwards through the phases before moving wide, Dalton’s decoy run opening up the space for McGann to dive over for the bonus-point try, extending the lead to 24-12 at half time.

In a mirror image of last week, Ireland started the second half poorly, Corri-Fallon missing the ball off the restart, as Spain worked their way bit by bit through the Irish 22, Claudia Pena cutting the score to 24-17 with her side's third try.

Within two minutes, the 12-point gap was back in Ireland's favour.

O’Brien’s kicking continued to pin Spain back, and when Zahia Perez’s clearance failed to leave the 22, Ireland struck back with a first-phase try, Moore slicing through a gap near the lineout to score Ireland’s fifth try, although O’Brien’s poor conversion struck the posts to leave it at 29-17.

There was a brief scare when Zahia Perez broke a midfield line for Spain, only for Clíodhna Moloney-MacDonald to recover an intercept, and with 56 minutes played Moore scored her second try of the game, showing strength to scramble in from close range, after Hogan has been stopped short with an earlier effort.

The try gave Ireland some insurance with a three-score advantage, and O’Brien’s conversion made it 36-17.

As good as Ireland were looking in attack, they looked incapable of holding Spain on once they got into the 22.

Penalties were their only currency to get there, but when Ireland were penaliesd for offside just before the hour mark, the Spanish forwards once again got to work with a series of pick and go efforts, Ana Peralta’s score eventually cleared after a lengthy TMO check.

Any slight chances of a Spain comeback were halted with McGann’s second try of the game in the 70th minute, the wing cruising over in the corner after a sustained and patient Irish attack, Breen slotting the extras to make it 43-22.

There was still time for one more Spanish try as replacement hooker Cristina Blanco forced her way over in the final minute, the twelfth of a gunslinging contest.

Ireland scorers: Tries: Dannah O’Brien, Amee-Leigh Costigan, Eve Higgins, Anna McGann (2), Grace Moore (2)

Cons: Dannah O’Brien (3), Enya Breen (1)

Spain scorers: Tries: Claudia Perez, Marieta Roman, Claudia Pena, Ana Peralta, Cristina Blanco

Cons: Amalia Argudo

Ireland: Stacey Flood; Anna McGann, Aoife Dalton, Eve Higgins, Amee-Leigh Costigan; Dannah O'Brien, Molly Scuffil-McCabe; Ellena Perry, Clíodhna Moloney-MacDonald, Linda Djougang; Eimear Corri-Fallon, Sam Monaghan (co-captain); Fiona Tuite, Claire Boles, Grace Moore.

Replacements: Neve Jones (for Moloney-MacDonald, 60), Siobhán McCarthy (for Perry, 60), Sadhbh McGrath (for Djougang, 60), Ruth Campbell (for Tuite, 70), Brittany Hogan (for Monaghan, 23), Emily Lane (for Scuffil-McCabe, 51), Enya Breen (for O'Brien, 60), Nancy McGillivray (for Dalton, 60).

Spain: Amalia Argudo; Claudia Perez, Claudia Pena, Claudia Cano, Clara Piquero; Zahia Perez, Anne Fernandez de Corres; Gemma Silva, Marieta Roman, Eider Garcia; Lourdes Alameda (capt), Elena Martinez; Lia Pineiro, Ana Peralta, Valentina Perez.

Replacements: Cristina Blanco (for Roman, 55), Laura Delgado (for Silva, 58), Mireia de Andres (for Garcia, 44), Anna Puig (for Alameda, 70), Monica Castelo (for Martinez, 51), Nerea Garcia (for Peralta, 68), Bingbing Vergara (for Fernandez de Corres, 70), Lea Ducher (for Argudo, 66).

Referee: Kat Roche (USA)

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Neil Treacy

RTÉ Sport Journalist