Late Cahill try secures back-to-back Women's AIL titles for UL Bohemians

Irish Examiner

27-04-2025

Energia Women's All Ireland League final: Railway Union 24 UL Bohemian 29
UL Bohemian retained their Energia Women's All Ireland League title in dramatic fashion with a late, late try from Eilis Cahill to edge out Railway Union for the second year in a row in Dublin on Sunday.
In a repeat of the previous year's final, the Limerick club coached by Fiona Hayes came up with the big plays when they mattered most and having trailed 24-22 with the clock past 80 minutes, they won a scrum penalty 10 metres from their own tryline and worked the ball upfield for Cahill to score the winner from close range to break the Dubliner's hearts yet again.
Bohs had won the 2024 clash 48-38 and just as last year's final had been on a knife-edge with Bohs leading 22-21, the Limerick side edged the opening period as the 2025 decider followed a similar pattern.
Railway, though, will be regretting not making the most of some relentless early pressure inside the champions' 22 until the 17th minute, when right wing Laura Sheehan finally broke through to open the scoring.
After so much possession to earn their first five points, their hard-earned lead was coughed up all too quickly for their liking, as UL Bohs eked a scrum from their first incursion into the opposition 22. That was converted to a penalty at the set-piece and laid the foundation for a reply, though not before Railway try-scorer Sheehan had rescued her side with an intercept five metres from her own line, denying Chisom Ugwuero a first opportunity to add to her hat-trick of 12 months earlier.
UL Bohs would not be denied though, Laoise McGonagle levelling ]on 25 minutes after Railway failed to break out of their own half, with Kate Flannery's conversion pushing the defending champions into 7-5 lead.
Back came Railway, former Ireland international Lindsay Peat claiming a try for the second year in a row from No.8, finishing from short-range to give her club a 10-7 lead.
Yet UL Bohs finished the first 40 minutes on top as Ugwuero finally made it onto the scoresheet four minutes before the break. Flanker Rachel Allen had made a strong break towards the posts and when her fellow forwards were thwarted there, the ball was moved left, finding Ugwuero on the edge with the wing needing to beat three RU defenders to score in the corner. It was a fine finish and enough to send UL Bohs into the break with a 12-10 lead.
The half-time leaders maintained their momentum into th second half, McMonagle finding a gap in midfield to send full-back Abby Moyle on her way with a big carry to the Railway Union line, though from there the ball was recycled and lost forward short of the tryline.
Bohs had lost McMonagle to a serious leg injury in the move, the wing leaving the field on a stretcher cart following lengthy treatment. Yet her team-mates did not miss a beat, mauling from a close-range lineout soon after with captain Chloe Pearse grounding the ball to open up a 17-10 lead after 43 minutes.
The advantage was short-lived, though, as Railway Union met fire with fire and used their own driving maul to earn a penalty try just three minutes later, leaving the scores level at 17 apiece, with UL Bohs centre Eabha Nic Donnacha earning a yellow card for the collapsed drive.
Bohs survived the 10-minute sin-bin without concession but their resistance to another long period of pressure from Railway eventually wilted on 63 minutes when replacement front-rower Katie O'Dwyer touched down, full-back Caoimhe McCormack's conversion hading her side a 24-17 lead with just over a quarter of an hour to play.
Last year's final suggested this would not be the end of the contest and so it proved as Bohs promptly went up the other end and scored through replacement Grainne Burke, though Flannery's conversion was missed, leaving Railway with a two-point lead at 24-22.
Bohs were running out of time and Railway managed the endgame exceptionally well to camp in their opponents half but a scrum penalty won inside their own 22 gave hope with two minutes remaining, the Limerick side getting the ball from edge to edge where Ugwuero carried over halfway. A trademark Flannery Crossfield kick to the right wing found replacement Clara Bennett and Bohs worked the ball back across the width once more with Ugwuero tackled 15 minutes out and earning a penalty at the subsequent ruck. Bohs tapped it and reached the try line with the clock past 81 minutes and after two one-out carries, prop Eilis Cahill grabbed the winning try. Flannery's conversion with the last kick of the game sealed a distraught Railway Union side's fate as UL Bohemian celebrated back-to-back final victories.
RAILWAY UNION: C McCormack; L Sheehan (A Clarke, 64), N Byrne (C), L Tarpey, R Heery; H Scanlan (C Keohane, 64), A Hughes; K Stevenson (P Doyle, 45), M Keegan, M Collis (K O'Dwyer, 37); P Garvey (S McCarthy, 45), A McDermott; M Broeks (F Oviawe, 75), M Boyne, L Peat.
Replacements not used: K Brady, M Healy.
UL BOHEMIAN: A Moyles; L McGonagle (C Barrett, 43), E Nic Donnacha (M Kushner, 76), S Nunan (C Finn, 64), C Ugwueru; K Flannery, A Salter-Townshend (M Wall, 51); C McLoughlin (G Burke, 51), L Brady, E Cahill; C Bennett, S Garrett (C O'Dwyer, 51); R Allen, A O'Flynn, C Pearse (C).
Replacements not used: A Hahessy, N Brodie.
Referee: Jonathan Erskine (IRFU).