Ireland women’s rugby side humiliated by Spanish

Nobody expected this Spanish inquisition. Ireland’s World Cup hopes are teetering on the brink after the Iberian minnows plundered a famous win against a shockingly below-par performance from Adam Griggs’ side. Given Italy’s destruction of Scotland earlier in the Parma sunshine, it will now take a mammoth effort of resuscitation for the Irish side to recover their chances of making it to New Zealand later this year for the rearranged global showpiece. Ireland tackle Italy next Sunday but, on this evidence, the hosts are overwhelming favourites to proceed directly as a winner of this round-robin. The second-placed side of four does qualify for a repechage but even the sorry Scots might fancy their chances against Ireland on this limp evidence. Demoralised And with a cramping Beibhinn Parsons, Ireland’s solitary try-scorer, withdrawn as well as the injured out-half Stacey Flood, it remains to be seen what shape Griggs’ demoralised squad will be in by the weekend. “We didn’t turn up to play,” said the stunned coach, whose side led 7-3 from the eighth minute before being undone by Lea Duchier’s touchdown with seven minutes remaining. Enya Breen also missed a chance to clinch a win with a last-minute penalty but Ireland’s dismal display didn’t warrant success. “We were outplayed in a lot of facets by Spain. We didn’t take our chances. “It’s hugely disappointing. We can’t dwell on it too much, we have to get back on the horse and try to beat Italy with a bonus point and then back that up the following week. It’s out of our hands and we didn’t want that.” Captain Ciara Griffin gathered her desolate troops around her at the final whistle and cajoled her deflated team-mates with a resounding message of hope carved from this despair. “It’s not lost,” the shocked Kerry woman related. “It wasn’t the result we wanted but we still got a losing bonus point. It’s fixable. We can still win this tournament.” Ireland did have a chance to extend their lead to 14-3 90 seconds into the second half but Cliodhna Moloney was held up over the line.