Wolfhounds defeat Thunder to set up Clovers final

Celtic Challenge semi-final

Wolfhounds (31) 36

Tries: Smyth, Flood 2, Higgins, Kinlan, O'Connor Cons: O'Brien3

Brython Thunder (0) 10

Tries: Metcalfe, Aiono

Wolfhounds will join fellow Irish side Clovers in the Celtic Challenge final after easing to a 36-10 victory over Brython Thunder.

The reigning champions produced a statement performance at Dexcom Stadium, running in six tries, including a first-half double for full-back Stacey Flood.

Lock Naoise Smyth, centre Eve Higgins and wing Vicky Elmes Kinlan also crossed in a dominant first-half display.

Wing Robyn O'Connor added her named to the scoresheet in a more competitive second half, with Thunder flanker Branwen Metcalfe and number eight Jorja Aiono crossing in a late rally.

Wolfhounds will meet Clovers in the final at Edinburgh's Hive Stadium on Saturday, 28 March (15:00 GMT), looking to claim a third consecutive title.

Thunder headed to sunny Galway full of confidence having won their past five games, including a 14-0 victory over Wolfhounds in Llanelli.

But the Irish outfit wasted no time in asserting their dominance, with Smyth rolling out of a tackle to score after just three minutes.

Flood's effort soon followed, with Wolfhounds finding numbers on the blindside to give an easy run-in.

Flood then popped up on the opposite wing to score as Thunder struggled to live with Wolfhounds' ruck speed.

Higgins secured the bonus-point inside half an hour, the sevens star spotting a gap in the ruck, throwing a dummy before charging to the line.

Thunder eventually enjoyed a spell of pressure, with the likes of Stella Orrin, Natalia John and Aiono all carrying well, but they left Wolfhounds' 22 with nothing to show.

Instead, the hosts gave a lesson in how to be clinical when Flood charged down Hannah Marshall's kick before popping the ball out to Kinlan to score a fifth try.

Thunder put up more resistance after the break, but even with Wolfhounds prop Sophie Barrett in the sin-bin, they could not find a way to score.

They defended narrowly at times, which gifted O'Connor plenty of space out wide to score the opening try of the second half.

Thunder kept plugging away and eventually got some reward 10 minutes from time when Metcalfe crashed over from close range.

Wolfhounds lost Regan Casey to the sin-bin as their discipline suffered in the dying minutes, and Thunder had the final say when impressive teenager Aiono picked up from the base of the scrum and made a bust to the line.

It was an industrious performance from the champions, but Thunder can be encouraged after losing 69-0 on their last visit to Wolfhounds.

Wolfhounds: Flood; O'Connor, Dalton (capt), Higgins, Kinlan; O'Brien, Connor; Djougang, Daley, Barrett, Jordan, Smyth, Tuite, Moore, King

Replacements: Delaney, Wilson, Molloy, Ni Choncobhair, Casey, Gaffney, Moyles, Larn

Sin bin: Barrett (39), Casey (77)

Brython Thunder: Neumann; Singleton, Keight, Picton-Powell, J Joyce; Marshall, Lockwood;Orrin, S Williams, Jones, Crabb (capt), John, Metcalfe, Isaac, Aiono

Replacements: Bowden, L Williams, Lewis, Davies, A Joyce, Wilkinson, Bluck, Evans