Women's Rugby World Cup: Ireland beat Kazakhstan to reach semis
Last Updated: 09/08/14 10:15pm
Ireland reached the semi-finals of the Women's Rugby World Cup for the first time with a convincing 40-5 victory over Kazakhstan in Marcoussis.
Having shocked four-time defending champions New Zealand 17-14 in midweek, the Irish knew another win on Saturday would see them finish top of Pool B with a 100 per cent record.
And they proved too strong for Kazakhstan, who had lost both their opening group games and trailed 14-5 at the interval with debutant Sharon Lynch and Tania Rosser dotting down either side of a Svetlana Karatygina try.
Philip Doyle's side then ran away with the second half, scoring 26 unanswered points including a penalty try plus scores for Siobhan Fleming, Lynch again and Vikki McGinn.
Wales brought the curtain down on their campaign with an impressive 35-3 victory over South Africa.
Defeats in their opening two fixtures meant the Welsh were unable to advance from Pool C, but they at least avoided finishing bottom of the group with a bonus-point victory which included a hat-trick of tries for Sioned Harries.
The teams exchanged early penalties before Wales took a stranglehold on proceedings, with Harries scoring their opening try shortly before the interval and adding two more in the second half.
Jenny Davies also dotted down for the winners while Robyn Wilkins kicked 12 points to leave Wales above South Africa in the group standings.
In the semi-finals on Wednesday, Ireland will face England while France take on Canada.
