Peter Burke – Tallaght Stadium
I said to my colleague at half time – ‘The USA 1-8 are a big threat’.
Ireland women’s long-awaited homecoming to Tallaght Stadium produced a Test match that had everything except the ending the home crowd wanted.
For almost an hour, Ireland looked to be cruising towards a memorable victory. They played with attacking freedom, scored tries with confidence and built a commanding 19-point advantage.
But the USA refused to surrender.
What followed was a remarkable late fightback, as the visitors turned a seemingly lost cause into a dramatic 40–36 victory, leaving Ireland and a stunned Tallaght crowd to contemplate one of the most painful collapses of the season.
Vicky Elmes Kinlan, Aoife Wafer and Eve Higgins all crossed as Ireland established a commanding 17–0 lead.
The crowd responded to every Irish surge, and for long periods the USA simply couldn’t cope with the intensity of the home side.
Ireland weren’t merely ahead — they were dictating the contest.
The second half began in much the same fashion.
Ireland continued to threaten, and when Dorothy Wall crossed, the home side appeared to have delivered the decisive blow.
Ireland were five tries to the good and sitting on a substantial lead.
The turning point came when the USA began to find space and, more importantly, belief.
Suddenly the Irish defence was under sustained pressure.
One American try became another.
Then another.
With every score, the visitors grew in confidence. Ireland, meanwhile, appeared increasingly unable to regain control of territory and possession.
The mood inside Tallaght changed.
What had looked impossible became inevitable.
The USA kept coming, and Ireland couldn’t stop the momentum.
The visitors completed their extraordinary comeback to move ahead and eventually secure a 40–36 victory.
The final whistle brought celebration from the American camp and disbelief from the Irish supporters.
Ireland had scored 36 points.
They had led by 19.
And they had still lost.
The result will dominate the headlines, but Ireland’s performance cannot simply be dismissed as a failure.
Their attacking rugby during the first hour was impressive, and there were long periods when they looked the stronger side.
There was also a significant occasion for Jemima Adams Verling, who made her Test debut.
The problem was that Ireland couldn’t maintain their standards when the match entered its decisive phase.
Against a side with the USA’s athleticism and attacking power, a lead is never enough on its own. Ireland needed to manage the game, slow the momentum and regain territory.
They couldn’t.
Ireland will eventually take plenty of positives from their first appearance at Tallaght Stadium.
The crowd was engaged, the attacking rugby was exciting and there were glimpses of a team capable of causing serious problems for international opposition.
But this was also a match that Ireland should have won from the position they created.
That is what will sting.
For 60 minutes, Ireland looked like a team ready to announce itself in its new home.
For the final 20, the USA turned the entire afternoon upside down.
The challenge now is to make sure this extraordinary collapse becomes a lesson rather than a defining moment.
Because Ireland showed today that they can score against the USA.
What they must now learn is how to finish the job.