Ireland (22) 43 defeated Japan (7) 19 at Virgin Media Park in Cork on Saturday, with Beibhinn Parsons scoring her second international try to extend her all-time record to 25. The hosts crossed the try line seven times, with Dannah O'Brien adding two conversions and Enya Breen another two. Ireland recovered from conceding an early try to lead 22-7 at halftime, maintaining dominance throughout despite Japan's second-half rally featuring tries from Nami Asari and Nijiho Nagata.
The victory follows last week's 31-24 win in Galway and sets up a two-match WXV series against South Africa. Ireland bounced back from a 40-36 loss to USA in Tallaght, with debutants Alana Mc Inerney and Sophie Barrett both scoring late tries. Key disciplinary issues saw Japan reduced to 14 players through yellow cards, allowing Ireland to capitalize on numerical advantages.
Source: BBC Sport · Summarized by HeadlinesBriefing