Cahill ends the 2025 Six Nations U/18 Women’s festival as Ireland’s top try scorer
Rebecca Cahill in action for Ireland
IT has been quite a week for Portlaoise teenager Rebecca Cahill. The Portlaoise RFC player played a huge part in Ireland’s their 2025 Six Nations U/18 Women’s festival exploits.
While her overall play from the wing caught the eye of everyone, she was to end the tournament as Ireland’s tip try scorer. And to think that only a few weeks ago, at the beginning of March, she was part of the Scoil Chríost Rí team that captured the Leinster Junior Cup in the school’s first ever competitive season.
Ireland kicked off the festival with an eight try, two win Day 1 performance that saw them beat Italy and England in style.
Ireland proved too strong for Italy in their opening match with a five try win. Rebecca Cahill opened and closed for Ireland with the first and last tries of the game.
Against England, Ireland had weather some early pressure who after ten minutes scored the opening try of the match.
A fine break from Caitlin Crowe set Ireland up forcing a penalty. A clever tap and switch allowed Merisa Kiripati to power over. Siofra Hession added the conversion.
Ireland quickly followed up with their second of the match and a third on the day for Rebecca Cahill who finished off an excellent run of play as the girls in green worked their way up the pitch. Hession duly added the extras.
Despite some brave play from England won comfortably on a 21-0 scoreline.
In the next pair of games Ireland beat Scotland but lost to Frane, who would finish the tournament unbeaten.
Ireland finished the festival with a 24-24 draw against Wales in an exciting match that saw the lead change hands several times.
The scoring was going tit for tat as Ireland came out firing in the second half and scored on 42 minutes.
Wales hit back again and to give Wales a 19-14 lead. Soon after Diana Izekor drove over the line to levelled things at 19-19.
On 61 minutes Wales hit back to go five points ahead.
Ireland were not done yet and another set of tap penalties paid off as the ball was moved to Rebecca Cahill who stepped out of one tackle and held off another to level the match. And that was how it finished 24-24.
