Leinster v Munster
Energia Park, Saturday, 4.45pm
NEW IRELAND WOMEN’S head coach Scott Bemand could not have hoped for a better fixture to come at the end of his first week based at the IRFU High Performance Centre.
Old rivals Leinster and Munster clash at Energia Park tomorrow in the third round of the Vodafone Women’s Interprovincial Championship, with the pressure on Tania Rosser’s Blues to end Munster’s nine-match unbeaten run which stretches back to 2019.
Having got back to winning ways last week against Ulster, Leinster sit second in the table on six points. Munster’s 10-point tally has them safely through to next Saturday’s final, but Rosser’s side will be acutely aware that Connacht (four points) could yet pip them as they host Ulster in a 2.30pm kick-off.
Second row Eimear Corri has been one of Leinster’s most impressive performers, touching down in both of their games so far, and the pack is boosted by the addition of Ireland powerhouse Linda Djougang at loosehead prop.
“I think the team are very aware of the performances that Munster have put in to be top of the table,” admitted Corri. “But at the end of the day, this weekend is a weekend that all players live for.
“To have the reigning champions at home is a massive test, one that we’re definitely ready to rise to. We’ve focused on ourselves this week, done our analysis, just focused on our own game-plan and how we want to play.”
Recent Ireland Sevens international Anna Doyle returns on the right wing in Leinster’s only other change. There are four alterations to the Munster team that swept Connacht aside on a 46-7 scoreline.
Niamh Briggs’ side will be back on home turf for next week’s final following confirmation from the IRFU that the 3rd-4th place play-off and the title decider will both be held at Musgrave Park in Cork.
Notably, Jane Clohessy, the 24-year-old daughter of former Munster and Ireland prop Peter, will make her first start for the Reds in Donnybrook. She is a strong ball carrier and assistant coach Fiona Hayes has marked her out as one to watch.
“We saw Jane kind of come into the squad last year,” explained Hayes. “She actually came in because she had just started rugby again, coming in to help out with an internal trial game. The coaching staff, everyone was just like, ‘Wow! Oh my God!’ She just threw her body around.
An out-and-out flanker. There were arguments, I wanted her in at hooker. There’s different areas when you have such raw talent.
“I think Briggs could have been looking to get her in the back-line as well! She has such great ability.”
Aoife Corey and Ellen Boylan feature in Munster’s back-three for the Dublin duel, with minor knocks ruling out both Eimear Considine and Aoife Doyle. Claire Bennett also makes her first start of the campaign, joining captain Dorothy Wall in the second row.
While Nicole Cronin is fit for bench duty after recovering from a leg injury, Hayes added: “Every week we’re growing. The buzz is good, but there’s also a sense of disappointment after every game with ‘what can I do better?’. They always want to do better.
“Obviously Leinster, it’s a huge game for us. It’s each game at a time, we’re respecting every team, analysing them and looking at where we can attack. I suppose the main thing we’re taking is that we’ve such talent in the squad that we’re focusing on ourselves.
“Their talent is what will get them over the line. It’s starting to click, we’re seeing glimpses of it. It’s a huge game for us, but it’s kind of internal. We’re focusing on ourselves and what we can do to move on to the next game and get that win.
“It’s very important for us to get that win. We’d never sit back and say, ‘okay, we’ll just go out and throw the ball around against Leinster’. No, we’re going there to win and then we can kick on to the final. We know we’re there already but each game is so important to us.”
LEINSTER: Natasja Behan; Aimee Clarke, Aoife Dalton, Leah Tarpey, Anna Doyle; Nikki Caughey, Katie Whelan; Linda Djougang, Lisa Callan, Christy Haney, Ruth Campbell, Eimear Corri, Aoife Wafer, Molly Boyne, Hannah O’Connor (capt).
Replacements: Caoimhe Molloy, Aoife Moore, Sarah Delaney, Katelynn Doran, Sene Taiti-Fanene, Ailsa Hughes, Dannah O’Brien, Elise O’Byrne-White.
MUNSTER: Aoife Corey; Ellen Boylan, Alana McInerney, Stephanie Nunan, Stephanie Carroll; Kate Flannery, Muirne Wall; Róisín Ormond, Ciara Farrell, Fiona Reidy, Dorothy Wall (capt), Claire Bennett, Jane Clohessy, Maeve Óg O’Leary, Deirbhile Nic a Bháird.
Replacements: Beth Buttimer, Eilís Cahill, Gillian Coombes, Clodagh O’Halloran, Chloe Pearse, Abbie Salter-Townshend, Nicole Cronin, Aoibhe O’Flynn.
Connacht v Ulster
The Sportsground, Saturday, 2.30pm
Connacht played in the most recent Women’s Interpro final in September 2019 – the last two editions of the Championship saw a return to the round robin format – and they are determined to reach that stage again courtesy of a home victory over bottom side Ulster.
If Lyndon Jones’ westerners can emerge victorious at the Sportsground and Munster also do them a favour by beating Leinster, then they will finish second in the table and ensure that next week’s trip to Musgrave Park will have silverware on the line for them.
In a rejigging of their starting XV, Shannon Touhey reverts to inside centre and influential prop Shannon Heapes switches across to the loosehead side. Galwegians’ Dearbhla Canty comes in for her first interprovincial start at tighthead.
Centre Orla Dixon and forwards Eva McCormack and Beibhinn Gleeson, who only turned 18 in April, bring the total number of personnel changes to four, as Connacht aim for a repeat of last January’s 25-19 bonus point triumph over Ulster when teenage winger Clara Barrett bagged a brace of tries.
Speaking about their approach to such a crucial match, Jones said: “We need to win, preferably with a bonus point, and that’s all we can control. That’s all we have to focus on.
“Even first of all, regardless of points difference and everything else, we need to bounce back from last week (losing by a big margin to Munster) and we need to perform closer to we know we can perform.
“That’s what our focus is for the weekend, to get a better performance. I’ve massive belief in this team, we’re a good team. We’ve beaten one of the best teams in the country (Leinster) when we’ve performed close to our level, and I think there’s more in us even beyond that.”
Meanwhile, Ulster remain without injured forwards Sadhbh McGrath and Fiona Tuite for the game in Galway. McGrath’s absence is covered by Ava Fannin who slots in at loosehead as one of two changes to the side that lost 57-5 away to Leinster.
Emma Jordan joins Kelly McCormill in the centre of a back-line led again by Meath teenager Abby Moyles. Rachel McIlroy’s lively cameo off the bench against Leinster was not enough to earn a start, but she will provide impact as a replacement, along with Ireland dual international Brittany Hogan.
Armagh native Niamh Marley, her province’s lone try scorer at Energia Park, will hope to add to her tally on the wing. She also crossed the whitewash in that 25-19 loss to Connacht in Belfast, when Ulster outscored their opponents by 19 points to five in the second half.
Looking for a solid performance to take into next week’s play-off, head coach Murray Houston commented: “There was a really good energy on Monday. The team were not satisfied with the overall performance against Leinster and have been determined to work hard to fix that for this weekend.
“After Leinster were so dominant in the first half, it was good to see the team rally in the second half. We created some good opportunities and we’ve been looking at how we can capitalise on them.
“Connacht like to move the ball and kick well. We had a great contest with them in Enniskillen before the Interprovincial Championship, so we know plenty about each other.”
CONNACHT: Méabh Deely; Ava Ryder, Orla Dixon, Shannon Touhey, Clara Barrett; Nicole Fowley (capt), Olivia Haverty; Shannon Heapes, Lily Brady, Dearbhla Canty, Sonia McDermott, Eva McCormack, Orla Fenton, Beibhinn Gleeson, Karly Tierney.
Replacements: Stacy Hanley, Grainne O’Loughlin, Niamh O’Grady, Faith Oviawe, Mollie Starr, Kayla Waldron, Cliodhna O’Sullivan, Laoise McGonagle.
ULSTER: Ella Durkan; Maeve Liston, Kelly McCormill, Emma Jordan, Niamh Marley; Abby Moyles, Laura Cairns; Ava Fannin, Beth Cregan (capt), Ashling O’Connell, Keelin Brady, Taryn Schutzler, Sophie Barrett, Maebh Clenaghan, India Daley.
Replacements: Bronach Cassidy, Megan Brodie, Brittany Hogan, Stacey Sloan, Brenda Barr, Rachael McIlroy, Toni Macartney, Megan Edwards.
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