ALL FOUR PROVINCES have confirmed their starting teams for the opening round of the 2023 Women’s Interprovincial Championship.
The tournament kicks-off tomorrow with Ulster hosting Munster at City of Armagh RFC (3pm) and Connacht welcoming Leinster to The Sportsground (5.16pm) – with both games available live on the TG4 YouTube channel.
Hooker Beth Cregan will captain Ulster, with Sadhbh McGrath at loosehead and Gemma McCamley at tighthead. Fiona Tuite and Keeling Brady start in the second row, with Chloe Donnan at blindside flanker, Maebh Clenaghan at openside and Ireland U20 player Sophie Barrett at number 8.
Laura Cairns and Abby Moyles start in the half-backs, with Ella Durkan and Kelly McCormill the starting centre pairing.
The back three sees Megan Edwards and Niamh Marley on the wings, with Maeve Liston starting at full-back. Ulster coach Murray Houston has opted for a 4:4 split amongst the replacements.
Defending champions Munster will be captained by Ireland international Dorothy Wall, as squad captain Nicole Cronin misses out through injury.
Róisín Ormond packs down alongside Ciara Farrell and Fiona Reidy with Gillian Coombes and Clodagh O’Halloran starting in the second-row, as Farrell and Coombes make their first starts for the province.
Wall starts in the backrow alongside Maeve Óg O’Leary and Chloe Pearse. Muirne Wall starts at scrum-half with Kate Flannery at out-half. In midfield, Stephanie Nunan partners Alana McInerney while the back-three is made up of Stephanie Carroll, Aoife Doyle and Aoife Corey.
Nicole Fowley will captain Connacht for the first time, with the Sligo native partnered by Aoibheann Reilly in the half-back line.
The front row sees Lily Brady pack down alongside Grainne O’Loughlin and Shannon Heapes. In the second row Sonia McDermott starts with Eva McCormack while Orla Fenton starts in the back row with Karly Tierney and Ivana Kiripati.
Laoise McGonagle, Ava Ryder and Meabh Deely complete the back three with Shannon Touhey beside Clara Barrett in midfield.
Finally, Leinster head coach Tania Rosser has given four players their first Leinster caps, with a further two set to make their debuts off the bench.
Aoife Moore and Christy Haney pack down either side of debutant Sarah Delaney in the front row. Eimear Corri lines out alongside Ruth Campbell on her first appearance in the second row, while Aoife Wafer debuts in the back-row alongside Molly Boyne and Hannah O’Connor, who captains the side.
There’s a first cap for Naoise O’Reilly at fullback, with Elise O Byrne-White and Clare Gorman starting on the wings. Aoife Dalton and Sene Taiti-Fanene are in the centre, with Katie Whelan and Dannah O’Brien in the half-backs.
Fixtures:
- Ulster v Munster, City of Armagh RFC, 3pm
- Connacht v Leinster, The Sportsground, 5.15pm
Teams:
ULSTER: Maeve Liston; Niamh Marley, Kelly McCormill, Ella Durkan, Megan Edwards; Abby Moyles, Laura Cairns; Sadhbh McGrath, Beth Cregan (captain), Gemma McCamley; Fiona Tuite, Keelin Brady; Chloe Donnan, Maebh Clenaghan, Sophie Barrett.
Replacements: Sarah Roberts, Aishling O’Connell, Taryn Schutzler, Brenda Barr, Amber Redmond, Peita McAlister, Toni MacCartney, Stacey Sloan.
MUNSTER: Aoife Corey; Aoife Doyle, Alana McInerney, Stephanie Nunan, Stephanie Carroll; Kate Flannery, Muirne Wall; Róisín Ormond, Ciara Farrell, Fiona Reidy; Gillian Coombes, Clodagh O’Halloran; Dorothy Wall (captain), Maeve Óg O’Leary, Chloe Pearse.
Replacements: Deirbhile Nic a Bháird, Eilís Cahill, Claire Bennett, Brianna Heylmann, Jane Clohessy, Abbie Salter-Townshend, Aoife O’Shaughnessy, Ellen Boylan.
CONNACHT: Meabh Deely; Ava Ryder, Clara Barrett, Shannon Touhey, Laoise McGonagle; Nicole Fowley (captain), Aoibheann Reilly; Grainne O’Loughlin, Lily Brady, Shannon Heapes; Sonia McDermott, Eva McCormack; Orla Fenton, Karly Tierney, Ivana Kiripati.
Replacements: Stacy Hanley, Niamh O’Grady, Dearbhla Canty, Mollie Starr, Beibhinn Parson, Olivia Haverty, Kayla Waldron, Orla Dixon.
LEINSTER: Naoise O’Reilly; Elise O Byrne-White, Aoife Dalton, Sene Taiti-Fanene, Clare Gorman; Dannah O’Brien, Katie Whelan; Aoife Moore, Sarah Delaney, Christy Haney; Ruth Campbell, Eimear Corri; Aoife Wafer, Molly Boyne, Hannah O’Connor (captain).
Replacements: Lisa Callan, Caoimhe Molloy, Jess Keating, Katelynn Doran, Amy O’Mahony, Ailsa Hughes, Lisa Mullen, Meabh O’Brien.
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