MUNSTER LIFTED THE Vodafone Women’s Interprovincial Championship trophy for the first time since January 2023, delivering a dominant performance to beat Leinster 50-15 at Energia Park.
It was a disappointingly one-sided final, but that should not take away from Munster’s sizzling seven-try display as they cruised past the three-in-a-row hopefuls Leinster, even without injured top try scorer Chisom Ugwueru and vice-captain Stephanie Nunan.
A barnstorming first-half performance from Matt Brown’s side had them leading 31-0 at the break, with Chloe Pearse, in her final appearance in red, Deirbhile Nic a Bháird (2), and Aoife Corey sharing out the tries.
Centre Caitríona Finn, the Player of the Match for the third time in the Championship, tallied up 20 points in all, really stamping her mark on the game after only making her first senior start for Munster three weeks ago.
Tries from Munster captain Maeve Óg O’Leary, Finn, and Eilís Cahill made it 50 unanswered points, before Leinster, whose new head coach Ben Martin handed out 20 debuts across the four-match series, gained some late consolation.
Harder hit by their Rugby World Cup representation, and perhaps also by last week’s tough encounter with Connacht, the defending champions rallied with tries from replacement Katie Whelan (63 and 73 minutes), and Vicky Elmes Kinlan (80).
Munster, who had already won 33-22 in Donnybrook in round two, lost both O’Leary and Gráinne Burke to the sin bin during the final quarter, but their efforts over the opening hour had made certain of a clean sweep of victories, and their 16th Interprovincial crown overall.
The title winners’ tight nucleus of senior players, led by inspirational back rower O’Leary, who had a fantastic return to the Interprovincial stage after two knee surgeries, combined very effectively with their emerging young talent this summer.
Munster's Lucia Linn and Caitriona Finn. James Crombie / INPHO
James Crombie / INPHO / INPHO
Munster scorers
Tries: Chloe Pearse, Deirbhile Nic a Bháird 2, Aoife Corey, Maeve Óg O’Leary, Caitríona Finn, Eilís Cahill
Cons: Caitríona Finn 6
Pen: Caitríona Finn
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Leinster scorers
Tries: Katie Whelan 2, Vicky Elmes Kinlan
MUNSTER: Aoife Corey (UL Bohemian RFC); Alana McInerney (UL Bohemian RFC), Lucia Linn (UL Bohemian RFC), Caitríona Finn (UL Bohemian RFC), Lyndsay Clarke (Ennis RFC); Kate Flannery (UL Bohemian RFC), Eve Prendergast (Ballincollig RFC); Ciara McLoughlin (UL Bohemian RFC), Deirbhile Nic a Bháird (Old Belvedere RFC), Eilís Cahill (UL Bohemian RFC), Clodagh O’Halloran (UL Bohemian RFC), Claire Bennett (UL Bohemian RFC), Jane Clohessy (UL Bohemian RFC), Maeve Óg O’Leary (Blackrock College RFC) (capt), Chloe Pearse (UL Bohemian RFC).
LEINSTER: Emma Brogan (MU Barnhall RFC); Vicky Elmes Kinlan (Wicklow RFC), Kathy Baker (Blackrock College RFC), Cara Martin (Blackrock College RFC), Maggie Boylan (Blackrock College RFC); Nikki Caughey (Railway Union RFC), Jade Gaffney (Old Belvedere RFC); Aoife Moore (Blackrock College RFC), Kelly Burke (MU Barnhall RFC), Katie Layde (Old Belvedere RFC), Clíodhna Ní Chonchobhair (Blackrock College RFC), Ciara Short (Wicklow RFC), Katelynn Doran (MU Barnhall RFC), Molly Boyne (Railway Union RFC) (capt), Rosie Searle (Navan RFC).
Replacements: Kara Mulcahy (Old Belvedere RFC), Hannah Wilson (Old Belvedere RFC), Clodagh Dunne (Old Belvedere RFC), Méabh Keegan (Railway Union RFC), Katie Whelan (Old Belvedere), Heidi Lyons (Naas RFC), Clara Dunne (Wicklow RFC), Katie Corrigan (Old Belvedere RFC).
Referee: Daniel Carson (IRFU)
**********
Connacht 37-30 Ulster
Connacht came from behind twice, initially from 17 points down, as Hannah Clarke’s superb 76th-minute try was the defining moment in their 37-30 play-off win over Ulster at Energia Park.
Connacht’s Hannah Clarke scores a try. James Crombie / INPHO
James Crombie / INPHO / INPHO
Ulster did almost everything they could to record their first Vodafone Women’s Interprovincial Championship victory in two years, yet Connacht showed their mettle to finish the stronger thanks to Clarke’s second score of the day, and an Éabha Nic Dhonnacha penalty.
Ulster’s out-half and Player of the Match Abby Moyles starred with 15 points, including a snappily-taken 22nd-minute try, and they were good value for a 22-10 half-time lead.
Tara O’Neill and Sophie Barrett also touched down for Murray Houston’s side, who had lost 12-7 in Galway a fortnight ago. They looked on course to avenge that result until the westerners mounted a stirring comeback.
Ireland Sevens speedster Clarke had given Connacht a seventh-minute lead, and captain Nic Dhonnacha’s late first-half try was a timely boost. Ava Ryder did likewise just 69 seconds after the restart.
Despite Grace Browne Moran and Jemima Adams Verling crossing to leave Ulster 29-22 behind, their skipper India Daley replied during Faith Oviawe’s sin-binning. Moyles then had them leading 30-29, thanks to a further penalty.
Clarke’s individual brilliance was their undoing, though, as the 20-year-old broke Ulster’s hearts at the Bective end. The impressive Nic Dhonnacha tagged on a late penalty to seal a real rollercoaster of a result.
The 3rd-4th place play-off was the definition of a 10-try thriller, and a real sign of the progress made by both young squads under the tutelage of their respective coaches, Emer O’Dowd and Houston.
Connacht scorers
Tries: Hannah Clarke 2, Éabha Nic Dhonnacha, Ava Ryder, Grace Browne Moran, Jemima Adams Verling
Cons: Éabha Nic Dhonnacha 2
Pen: Éabha Nic Dhonnacha
Ulster scorers
Tries: Tara O’Neill, Abby Moyles, Sophie Barrett, India Daley
Cons: Abby Moyles 2
Pens: Abby Moyles 2
Connacht's Jemima Adams Verling and Hannah Coen celebrates. James Crombie / INPHO
James Crombie / INPHO / INPHO
CONNACHT: Clara Barrett (UL Bohemian RFC); Ava Ryder (Blackrock College RFC), Orla Dixon (Galwegians RFC), Fódhla Ní Bhraonáin (Tuam/Oughterard RFC), Hannah Clarke (Old Belvedere RFC); Éabha Nic Dhonnacha (UL Bohemian RFC) (capt), Gráinne Moran (Galwegians RFC); Hannah Coen (Creggs RFC), Stacy Hanley (Galwegians RFC), Roisin Maher (Galwegians RFC), Poppy Garvey (Railway Union RFC), Grace Browne Moran (Galwegians RFC), Faith Oviawe (Railway Union RFC), Lesley Ring (Old Belvedere RFC), Jemima Adams Verling (Creggs RFC).
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Munster crowned interpro champions after dominant win over three in a row chasing Leinster
Munster 50-15 Leinster
MUNSTER LIFTED THE Vodafone Women’s Interprovincial Championship trophy for the first time since January 2023, delivering a dominant performance to beat Leinster 50-15 at Energia Park.
It was a disappointingly one-sided final, but that should not take away from Munster’s sizzling seven-try display as they cruised past the three-in-a-row hopefuls Leinster, even without injured top try scorer Chisom Ugwueru and vice-captain Stephanie Nunan.
A barnstorming first-half performance from Matt Brown’s side had them leading 31-0 at the break, with Chloe Pearse, in her final appearance in red, Deirbhile Nic a Bháird (2), and Aoife Corey sharing out the tries.
Centre Caitríona Finn, the Player of the Match for the third time in the Championship, tallied up 20 points in all, really stamping her mark on the game after only making her first senior start for Munster three weeks ago.
Tries from Munster captain Maeve Óg O’Leary, Finn, and Eilís Cahill made it 50 unanswered points, before Leinster, whose new head coach Ben Martin handed out 20 debuts across the four-match series, gained some late consolation.
Harder hit by their Rugby World Cup representation, and perhaps also by last week’s tough encounter with Connacht, the defending champions rallied with tries from replacement Katie Whelan (63 and 73 minutes), and Vicky Elmes Kinlan (80).
Munster, who had already won 33-22 in Donnybrook in round two, lost both O’Leary and Gráinne Burke to the sin bin during the final quarter, but their efforts over the opening hour had made certain of a clean sweep of victories, and their 16th Interprovincial crown overall.
The title winners’ tight nucleus of senior players, led by inspirational back rower O’Leary, who had a fantastic return to the Interprovincial stage after two knee surgeries, combined very effectively with their emerging young talent this summer.
Munster scorers
Tries: Chloe Pearse, Deirbhile Nic a Bháird 2, Aoife Corey, Maeve Óg O’Leary, Caitríona Finn, Eilís Cahill
Cons: Caitríona Finn 6
Pen: Caitríona Finn
Leinster scorers
Tries: Katie Whelan 2, Vicky Elmes Kinlan
MUNSTER: Aoife Corey (UL Bohemian RFC); Alana McInerney (UL Bohemian RFC), Lucia Linn (UL Bohemian RFC), Caitríona Finn (UL Bohemian RFC), Lyndsay Clarke (Ennis RFC); Kate Flannery (UL Bohemian RFC), Eve Prendergast (Ballincollig RFC); Ciara McLoughlin (UL Bohemian RFC), Deirbhile Nic a Bháird (Old Belvedere RFC), Eilís Cahill (UL Bohemian RFC), Clodagh O’Halloran (UL Bohemian RFC), Claire Bennett (UL Bohemian RFC), Jane Clohessy (UL Bohemian RFC), Maeve Óg O’Leary (Blackrock College RFC) (capt), Chloe Pearse (UL Bohemian RFC).
Replacements: Gráinne Burke (UL Bohemian RFC), Emma Dunican (Tralee RFC), Brianna Heylmann (UL Bohemian RFC), Lily Morris (Ballincollig RFC), Sally Kelly (Ennis RFC), Meghan Crilly (Loughborough University), Abbie Salter-Townshend (UL Bohemian RFC), Annakate Cournane (Shannon RFC).
LEINSTER: Emma Brogan (MU Barnhall RFC); Vicky Elmes Kinlan (Wicklow RFC), Kathy Baker (Blackrock College RFC), Cara Martin (Blackrock College RFC), Maggie Boylan (Blackrock College RFC); Nikki Caughey (Railway Union RFC), Jade Gaffney (Old Belvedere RFC); Aoife Moore (Blackrock College RFC), Kelly Burke (MU Barnhall RFC), Katie Layde (Old Belvedere RFC), Clíodhna Ní Chonchobhair (Blackrock College RFC), Ciara Short (Wicklow RFC), Katelynn Doran (MU Barnhall RFC), Molly Boyne (Railway Union RFC) (capt), Rosie Searle (Navan RFC).
Replacements: Kara Mulcahy (Old Belvedere RFC), Hannah Wilson (Old Belvedere RFC), Clodagh Dunne (Old Belvedere RFC), Méabh Keegan (Railway Union RFC), Katie Whelan (Old Belvedere), Heidi Lyons (Naas RFC), Clara Dunne (Wicklow RFC), Katie Corrigan (Old Belvedere RFC).
Referee: Daniel Carson (IRFU)
**********
Connacht 37-30 Ulster
Connacht came from behind twice, initially from 17 points down, as Hannah Clarke’s superb 76th-minute try was the defining moment in their 37-30 play-off win over Ulster at Energia Park.
Ulster did almost everything they could to record their first Vodafone Women’s Interprovincial Championship victory in two years, yet Connacht showed their mettle to finish the stronger thanks to Clarke’s second score of the day, and an Éabha Nic Dhonnacha penalty.
Ulster’s out-half and Player of the Match Abby Moyles starred with 15 points, including a snappily-taken 22nd-minute try, and they were good value for a 22-10 half-time lead.
Tara O’Neill and Sophie Barrett also touched down for Murray Houston’s side, who had lost 12-7 in Galway a fortnight ago. They looked on course to avenge that result until the westerners mounted a stirring comeback.
Ireland Sevens speedster Clarke had given Connacht a seventh-minute lead, and captain Nic Dhonnacha’s late first-half try was a timely boost. Ava Ryder did likewise just 69 seconds after the restart.
Despite Grace Browne Moran and Jemima Adams Verling crossing to leave Ulster 29-22 behind, their skipper India Daley replied during Faith Oviawe’s sin-binning. Moyles then had them leading 30-29, thanks to a further penalty.
Clarke’s individual brilliance was their undoing, though, as the 20-year-old broke Ulster’s hearts at the Bective end. The impressive Nic Dhonnacha tagged on a late penalty to seal a real rollercoaster of a result.
The 3rd-4th place play-off was the definition of a 10-try thriller, and a real sign of the progress made by both young squads under the tutelage of their respective coaches, Emer O’Dowd and Houston.
Connacht scorers
Tries: Hannah Clarke 2, Éabha Nic Dhonnacha, Ava Ryder, Grace Browne Moran, Jemima Adams Verling
Cons: Éabha Nic Dhonnacha 2
Pen: Éabha Nic Dhonnacha
Ulster scorers
Tries: Tara O’Neill, Abby Moyles, Sophie Barrett, India Daley
Cons: Abby Moyles 2
Pens: Abby Moyles 2
CONNACHT: Clara Barrett (UL Bohemian RFC); Ava Ryder (Blackrock College RFC), Orla Dixon (Galwegians RFC), Fódhla Ní Bhraonáin (Tuam/Oughterard RFC), Hannah Clarke (Old Belvedere RFC); Éabha Nic Dhonnacha (UL Bohemian RFC) (capt), Gráinne Moran (Galwegians RFC); Hannah Coen (Creggs RFC), Stacy Hanley (Galwegians RFC), Roisin Maher (Galwegians RFC), Poppy Garvey (Railway Union RFC), Grace Browne Moran (Galwegians RFC), Faith Oviawe (Railway Union RFC), Lesley Ring (Old Belvedere RFC), Jemima Adams Verling (Creggs RFC).
Replacements: Lily Brady (UL Bohemian RFC), Ellen Connolly (Galwegians RFC), Hope Lowney (MU Barnhall RFC), Beibhinn Gleeson (Tuam/Oughterard RFC), Caoilfhionn Conway Morrissey (Ennis RFC), Karly Tierney (Tuam/Oughterard RFC), Sinead O’Brien (Galwegians RFC), Aisling Whyte (South East Galway Warriors RFC).
ULSTER: Lauren Farrell McCabe (Suttonians RFC); Ciara Fitzsimons (Queen’s University Belfast RFC), Siobhán Sheerin (Clogher Valley RFC), Tara O’Neill (Cooke RFC), Niamh Marley (Cooke RFC); Abby Moyles (UL Bohemian RFC), Georgia Boyce (Enniskillen RFC/Cooke RFC); Cara McLean (Larne RFC), India Daley (Enniskillen RFC/Blackrock College RFC) (capt), Sophie Barrett (Enniskillen RFC), Lauren Darley (Queen’s University Belfast RFC), Brenda Barr (Suttonians RFC), Moya Hill (Enniskillen RFC), Ruby Starrett (Queen’s University Belfast RFC), Stacey Sloan (Cooke RFC).
Replacements: Maebh Clenaghan (Queen’s University Belfast RFC), Aishling O’Connell (Monaghan RFC/Cooke RFC), Sarah Roberts (Queen’s University Befast RFC), Emily Whittle (Queen’s University Belfast RFC), Rebecca Beacom (Enniskillen RFC), Sophie Meeke (Enniskillen RFC), Kate Farrell McCabe (Suttonians RFC), Lucy Thompson (Enniskillen RFC/Cooke RFC).
Referee: Andrew Cole (IRFU).
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