VICKY ELMES KINLAN’S 68th-minute try split the sides at Dexcom Stadium where three-in-a-row hopefuls Leinster beat Connacht 17-12 to qualify for next Saturday’s Vodafone Women’s Interprovincial Championship final.
Connacht were the better team for the opening hour, twice taking the lead in their bid to reach a first Interpro decider since 2019. Despite a terrific player-of-the-match performance from their captain Éabha Nic Dhonnacha, it was not to be.
Skipper Molly Boyne was the only starter from the 2024 final in this Leinster team, but Ben Martin’s charges held their nerve to secure second place and set up a rematch with Munster at Energia Park next weekend.
Beaten 33-22 by their arch rivals last week, the title holders trailed Connacht 12-5 at half-time after two fantastic finishes from Orla Dixon and Faith Oviawe had sandwiched Kelly Burke’s maul score.
The hosts had enough possession to add to their tally, yet a resilient Leinster, with their bench having a big influence, drew level through replacement Katie Layde. Elmes Kinlan then scored for the second week running, giving her side a chance to retain the trophy back at home.
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This was one of Leinster’s hardest fought victories in recent seasons, especially given their absentees due to Ireland’s Rugby World Cup campaign, and an reliance on emerging young talent in Martin’s first season as head coach.
Connacht, who came into the third round just two points behind their opponents in the table, are missing some notable names too, including those on the injury list, and went agonisingly close to defeating Leinster for only the third time at this level.
LEINSTER: Emma Brogan (MU Barnhall RFC); Katie Corrigan (Old Belvedere RFC), Kathy Baker (Blackrock College RFC), Cara Martin (Blackrock College RFC), Vicky Elmes Kinlan (Wicklow RFC); Ellie O’Sullivan Sexton (Old Belvedere RFC), Katie Whelan (Old Belvedere RFC); Hannah Wilson (Old Belvedere RFC), Kelly Burke (MU Barnhall RFC), Clodagh Dunne (Old Belvedere RFC), Clíodhna Ní Chonchobhair (Blackrock College RFC), Alma Atagamen (Balbriggan RFC), Emma Kelly (Old Belvedere RFC), Molly Boyne (Railway Union RFC) (capt), Rosie Searle (Navan RFC).
Replacements: Méabh Keegan (Railway Union RFC), Kara Mulcahy (Old Belvedere RFC), Katie Layde (Old Belvedere RFC), Ciara Short (Wicklow RFC), Aoife Corcoran (MU Barnhall RFC), Jade Gaffney (Old Belvedere RFC), Heidi Lyons (Naas RFC), Maggie Boylan (Blackrock College RFC).
Munster’s Caitríona Finn scores her side’s third try of the game. Ryan Byrne / INPHO
Ryan Byrne / INPHO / INPHO
Already assured of their place in the final, Munster pulled away from Ulster in the second half to complete a clean sweep of bonus point wins in the Vodafone Women’s Interprovincial Championship’s group stage.
Captain Maeve Óg O’Leary scored two tries and delivered a player-of-the-match performance in Belfast, as Munster’s 38-17 triumph tees them up nicely for next Saturday’s decider against defending champions Leinster at Energia Park.
The finals day will see Matt Brown’s side, who were 33-22 winners away to Leinster last week, try to regain the Interpro trophy for the first time since January 2023. Ulster will face Connacht in the 3rd-4th place play-off in Donnybrook.
Ciara Fitzsimons marked her Ulster debut with two tries before half-time, closing the gap to 19-17 after Chloe Pearse, Chisom Ugwueru, and Caitríona Finn had touched down for the unbeaten table toppers.
Clogher Valley’s Siobhán Sheerin also made it over the whitewash, taking her Championship tally to 25 points, but Munster clinically tagged on three more scores through O’Leary (44 and 59 minutes) and Alana McInerney (54).
ULSTER: Kate Farrell McCabe (Suttonians RFC); Ciara Fitzsimons (Queen’s University Belfast RFC), Siobhán Sheerin (Clogher Valley RFC), Kelly McCormill (Monaghan RFC/Cooke RFC), Niamh Marley (Cooke RFC); Abby Moyles (UL Bohemian RFC), Sophie Meeke (Enniskillen RFC); Aishling O’Connell (Monaghan RFC/Cooke RFC), India Daley (Enniskillen RFC/Blackrock College RFC) (capt), Sophie Barrett (Enniskillen RFC), Ellen Patterson (Queen’s University Belfast RFC), Brenda Barr (Suttonians RFC), Moya Hill (Enniskillen RFC), Rebecca Beacom (Enniskillen RFC), Stacey Sloan (Cooke RFC).
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Three-in-a-row hopefuls Leinster book interpro final spot against Munster
Women’s Interprovincial Championship
****
VICKY ELMES KINLAN’S 68th-minute try split the sides at Dexcom Stadium where three-in-a-row hopefuls Leinster beat Connacht 17-12 to qualify for next Saturday’s Vodafone Women’s Interprovincial Championship final.
Connacht were the better team for the opening hour, twice taking the lead in their bid to reach a first Interpro decider since 2019. Despite a terrific player-of-the-match performance from their captain Éabha Nic Dhonnacha, it was not to be.
Skipper Molly Boyne was the only starter from the 2024 final in this Leinster team, but Ben Martin’s charges held their nerve to secure second place and set up a rematch with Munster at Energia Park next weekend.
Beaten 33-22 by their arch rivals last week, the title holders trailed Connacht 12-5 at half-time after two fantastic finishes from Orla Dixon and Faith Oviawe had sandwiched Kelly Burke’s maul score.
The hosts had enough possession to add to their tally, yet a resilient Leinster, with their bench having a big influence, drew level through replacement Katie Layde. Elmes Kinlan then scored for the second week running, giving her side a chance to retain the trophy back at home.
This was one of Leinster’s hardest fought victories in recent seasons, especially given their absentees due to Ireland’s Rugby World Cup campaign, and an reliance on emerging young talent in Martin’s first season as head coach.
Connacht, who came into the third round just two points behind their opponents in the table, are missing some notable names too, including those on the injury list, and went agonisingly close to defeating Leinster for only the third time at this level.
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), Grainne Moran (Galwegians RFC); Hannah Coen (Creggs RFC), Stacy Hanley (Galwegians RFC), Roisin Maher (Galwegians RFC), Poppy Garvey (Railway Union), Grace Browne Moran (Galwegians RFC), Faith Oviawe (Railway Union RFC), Ailish Quinn (Galwegians 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), Lesley Ring (Old Belvedere RFC), Sinead O’Brien (Galwegians RFC), Aisling Whyte (Southeast Galway Warriors RFC).
LEINSTER: Emma Brogan (MU Barnhall RFC); Katie Corrigan (Old Belvedere RFC), Kathy Baker (Blackrock College RFC), Cara Martin (Blackrock College RFC), Vicky Elmes Kinlan (Wicklow RFC); Ellie O’Sullivan Sexton (Old Belvedere RFC), Katie Whelan (Old Belvedere RFC); Hannah Wilson (Old Belvedere RFC), Kelly Burke (MU Barnhall RFC), Clodagh Dunne (Old Belvedere RFC), Clíodhna Ní Chonchobhair (Blackrock College RFC), Alma Atagamen (Balbriggan RFC), Emma Kelly (Old Belvedere RFC), Molly Boyne (Railway Union RFC) (capt), Rosie Searle (Navan RFC).
Replacements: Méabh Keegan (Railway Union RFC), Kara Mulcahy (Old Belvedere RFC), Katie Layde (Old Belvedere RFC), Ciara Short (Wicklow RFC), Aoife Corcoran (MU Barnhall RFC), Jade Gaffney (Old Belvedere RFC), Heidi Lyons (Naas RFC), Maggie Boylan (Blackrock College RFC).
Already assured of their place in the final, Munster pulled away from Ulster in the second half to complete a clean sweep of bonus point wins in the Vodafone Women’s Interprovincial Championship’s group stage.
Captain Maeve Óg O’Leary scored two tries and delivered a player-of-the-match performance in Belfast, as Munster’s 38-17 triumph tees them up nicely for next Saturday’s decider against defending champions Leinster at Energia Park.
The finals day will see Matt Brown’s side, who were 33-22 winners away to Leinster last week, try to regain the Interpro trophy for the first time since January 2023. Ulster will face Connacht in the 3rd-4th place play-off in Donnybrook.
Ciara Fitzsimons marked her Ulster debut with two tries before half-time, closing the gap to 19-17 after Chloe Pearse, Chisom Ugwueru, and Caitríona Finn had touched down for the unbeaten table toppers.
Clogher Valley’s Siobhán Sheerin also made it over the whitewash, taking her Championship tally to 25 points, but Munster clinically tagged on three more scores through O’Leary (44 and 59 minutes) and Alana McInerney (54).
ULSTER: Kate Farrell McCabe (Suttonians RFC); Ciara Fitzsimons (Queen’s University Belfast RFC), Siobhán Sheerin (Clogher Valley RFC), Kelly McCormill (Monaghan RFC/Cooke RFC), Niamh Marley (Cooke RFC); Abby Moyles (UL Bohemian RFC), Sophie Meeke (Enniskillen RFC); Aishling O’Connell (Monaghan RFC/Cooke RFC), India Daley (Enniskillen RFC/Blackrock College RFC) (capt), Sophie Barrett (Enniskillen RFC), Ellen Patterson (Queen’s University Belfast RFC), Brenda Barr (Suttonians RFC), Moya Hill (Enniskillen RFC), Rebecca Beacom (Enniskillen RFC), Stacey Sloan (Cooke RFC).
Replacements: Megan Simpson (Cooke RFC), Bronach Cassidy (Queen’s University Belfast RFC), Sophie McAlister (Ballymena RFC), Lauren Darley (Queen’s University Belfast RFC), Ciara O’Donnell (Enniskillen RFC), Georgia Boyce (Enniskillen RFC), Farrah Cartin McCloskey (Enniskillen RFC), Katie Gilmour (Cooke RFC).
MUNSTER: Aoife Corey (UL Bohemian RFC); Alana McInerney (UL Bohemian RFC), Stephanie Nunan (UL Bohemian RFC), Caitríona Finn (UL Bohemian RFC), Chisom Ugwueru (UL Bohemian RFC); Kate Flannery (UL Bohemian RFC), Abbie Salter-Townshend (UL Bohemian RFC); Gráinne Burke (UL Bohemian RFC), Deirbhile Nic a Bháird (Old Belvedere RFC), Eilís Cahill (UL Bohemian RFC), Clodagh O’Halloran (UL Bohemian RFC), Jane Clohessy (UL Bohemian RFC), Brianna Heylmann (UL Bohemian RFC), Maeve Óg O’Leary (Blackrock College RFC) (capt), Chloe Pearse (UL Bohemian RFC).
Replacements: Alisha Flynn (Ballincollig RFC), Ciara McLoughlin (UL Bohemian RFC), Claire Bennett (UL Bohemian RFC), Emma Dunican (Tralee RFC), Sally Kelly (Ennis RFC), Eve Prendergast (Ballincollig RFC), Lucia Linn (UL Bohemian RFC), Meghan Crilly (Loughborough University).
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Connacht Leinster Munster Rugby Ulster Women's Interprovincial Championship Wrap