The IRFU’s decision to play the women’s Energia All-Ireland League final at the Aviva Stadium for the first time last April as part of a double header was thoroughly vindicated as UL Bohemians and Railway Union served up an entertaining 13-try feast.
Rejuvenated under new head coach Fiona Hayes, the Limerick club’s 48-38 win secured their 14th title and capped off a brilliant season by completing the double, having also beaten Railway 34-12 in the All-Ireland Cup final.
No team will be more determined to dethrone UL Bohs than Railway, who finished a point behind the Limerick club in the 16-game regular season after avenging a 10-7 defeat at Annacotty in November with a 43-22 win in Park Avenue a fortnight before the final.
“Bohs deserved to win on the day,” said Railway captain and outside entre Niamh Byrne, a try scorer on league final day, who also saw the bigger picture.
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“But it was a high-scoring game which went down to the last few minutes so it was a good advertisement. It was actually very exciting to be a part of, if disappointing on our side. There’s always a loser but a great day. Everything aligned perfectly. We’ll look to go again but we’ll remember that one.”
Railway have shaken up their coaching ticket, with Mike South promoted to head coach, while Irish internationals Ailsa Hughes and Lindsay Peat will take on key player/coach roles with the backs and forwards. A well-run and closely knit club, Byrne believes the shake-up should be fairly seamless.
Railway have a tough start on Saturday at home to Old Belvedere, the only other team to beat them last season when finishing third in the final standings. Tullow make their competitive debut in Division One at home to Wicklow while UL Bohs begin the defence of their title away to Blackrock, the second most successful side in the tournament’s history. ‘Rock won their sixth title two years ago by beating Railway in the final and finished fourth last season.
Hot on the heels of those opening day contests, UL Bohs and Railway meet in a reprise of last season’s final on the UL 4G pitch in round two on Saturday week, so meaning the return fixture is again in the penultimate round next March.
“We have a very competitive but good rivalry,” says Byrne of last season’s final pairing. “It’s the first fixture we look for in the calendar. It’s always a competitive match but, outside of it, we all get on very well and there’s good friendships there.”
The improvement in the Under-18 interpros means there is more scope for changes in personnel and, for example, Galwegians, who host Ballincollig at Crowley Park on Saturday, will take encouragement from an infusion of young players who helped make Connacht very competitive in the senior interpros.
“It’s getting more competitive each year and now we’ll see who comes quickly out of the blocks,” says Byrne.
A relatively new force in the women’s club game, Railway were champions either side of the pandemic in 2019 and 2022 before losing the last two finals.
“Obviously our main goal would be to get into that Aviva final and hopefully make it our day there. But equally, we have a lot of new people this season and hopefully [we can] lay the foundations for the next few years.”
With the upturn in the fortunes of the Ireland women’s team, who play their first WXV1 game against world champions New Zealand in Vancouver on Sunday (3am Monday Irish time), Byrne says: “There’s more people aware of women’s rugby. With every year it’s growing and there’s more people backing us; supporters, the IRFU, sponsors and I think women’s rugby in Ireland is building to be something.”
Women’s Division One (All matches Saturday at 5pm): Blackrock College v UL Bohemian, Stradbrook; Galwegians v Ballincollig, Crowley Park; Railway Union v Old Belvedere, Willow Lodge; Suttonians v Cooke, JJ McDowell Memorial Ground; Tullow v Wicklow, The Black Gates.
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