Munster successfully defended their Interpros title in a 50-24 victory over Connacht in the third round of the Vodafone Women's Interprovincial Championship.
CONNACHT 24 MUNSTER 50, the Sportsground
Scorers: Connacht: Tries: Clara Barrett 2, Emily Gavin, Hannah Coen; Cons: Nicole Fowley 2
Munster: Tries: Alana McInerney, Clodagh O'Halloran, Deirbhile Nic a Bháird, Róisín Ormond, Eilís Cahill 2, Rachel Allen, Heather Kennedy; Cons: Nicole Cronin 5
HT: Connacht 5 Munster 19
Munster retained the Vodafone Women's Interprovincial Championship title after Deirbhile Nic a Bháird's rampaging first half try inspired a 50-24 win over Connacht at the Sportsground.
Niamh Briggs' charges completed a clean sweep of bonus point victories — becoming back-to-back champions for the first time since 2015 — and their all-international back row, led by number 8 Nic a Bháird, was again in marauding form.
Clodagh O'Halloran (26 minutes) and Nic a Bháird (28) both touched down to add to Alana McInerney's opening try, with Connacht staying in the fight thanks to Clara Barrett's fine finish from a Nicole Fowley cross-field kick.
Trailing 19-5 at half-time, the westerners cancelled out a Róisín Ormond try with a second effort from Barrett, the teenage winger's fourth of the tournament.
Munster's strength in depth was key, replacements Eilís Cahill (2), Rachel Allen and Heather Kennedy adding four more tries to the champions' haul as they put the contest to bed by the hour mark.
Nonetheless, Connacht's young guns still had a chance to shine, with two tapped penalties propelling replacement front rowers Emily Gavin and Hannah Coen over the line to earn a late try bonus point.
TIME LINE: 9 minutes - Munster try: Alana McInerney - 0-5; conversion: missed by Nicole Cronin - 0-5; 26 mins - Munster try: Clodagh O'Halloran - 0-10; conversion: Nicole Cronin - 0-12; 28 mins - Munster try: Deirbhile Nic a Bháird - 0-17; conversion: Nicole Cronin - 0-19; 35 mins - Connacht try: Clara Barrett - 5-19; conversion: missed by Nicole Fowley - 5-19; Half-time - Connacht 5 Munster 19; 45 mins - Munster try: Róisín Ormond - 5-24; conversion: Nicole Cronin - 5-26; 51 mins - Connacht try: Clara Barrett - 10-26; conversion: Nicole Fowley - 12-26; 55 mins - Munster try: Eilís Cahill - 12-31; conversion: Nicole Cronin - 12-33; 60 mins - Munster try: Rachel Allen - 12-38; conversion: Nicole Cronin - 12-40; 68 mins - Munster try: Eilís Cahill - 12-45; conversion: missed Nicole Cronin - 12-45; 75 mins - Connacht try: Emily Gavin - 17-45; conversion: missed by Nicole Fowley - 17-45; 78 mins - Munster try: Heather Kennedy - 17-50; conversion: missed by Nicole Cronin - 17-50; 80 mins - Connacht try: Hannah Coen - 22-50; conversion: Nicole Fowley - 24-50; Full-time - Connacht 24 Munster 50
CONNACHT: Mairéad Coyne (Galwegians RFC); Ava Ryder (Railway Union RFC), Orla Dixon (Galwegians RFC), Shannon Touhey (Suttonians RFC), Clara Barrett (UL Bohemian RFC); Nicole Fowley (Galwegians RFC), Mary Healy (Galwegians RFC) (capt); Grainne O’Loughlin (Railway Union RFC), Lily Brady (UL Bohemian RFC), Laura Feely (Blackrock College RFC), Fiona Scally (Galwegians RFC), Eva McCormack (UL Bohemian RFC), Karly Tierney (Tuam/Oughterard RFC), Kayla Waldron (Galwegians RFC), Grace Browne Moran (Galwegians RFC).
Replacements used: Niamh O'Grady (Galwegians RFC) for O'Loughlin (48 mins), Sonia McDermott (Railway Union RFC) for McCormack (50), Mollie Starr (Galway Corinthians RFC) for Browne Moran, Éabha Nic Dhonnacha (Tuam/Oughterard RFC) for Ryder (both 58), Emily Gavin (Galwegians RFC) for Brady (59), Olivia Haverty (Galwegians RFC) for Healy (61), Hannah Coen (Galwegians RFC) for Feely, Orla Fenton (Galwegians RFC) for Waldron (both 67).
MUNSTER: Aoife Corey (UL Bohemian RFC); Aoife Doyle (Railway Union RFC), Stephanie Nunan (UL Bohemian RFC), Kate Flannery (UL Bohemian RFC), Alana McInerney (UL Bohemian RFC); Nicole Cronin (UL Bohemian RFC) (capt), Muirne Wall (UL Bohemian RFC); Róisín Ormond (Ballincollig RFC), Kate Sheehan (UL Bohemian RFC), Fiona Reidy (UL Bohemian RFC), Clodagh O’Halloran (UL Bohemian RFC), Claire Bennett (UL Bohemian RFC), Dorothy Wall (Blackrock College RFC), Maeve Óg O’Leary (Blackrock College RFC), Deirbhile Nic a Bháird (Old Belvedere RFC).
Replacements used: Chloe Pearse (UL Bohemian RFC) for Nic a Bháird (half-time), Nic a Bháird for Sheehan (50-69), Eilís Cahill (UL Bohemian RFC) for Reidy (52), Rachel Allen (UL Bohemian RFC) for Flannery, Ciara Farrell (UL Bohemian RFC) for Ormond (both 58), Gillian Coombes (Ballincollig RFC) for Bennett, Heather Kennedy (Ballincollig RFC) for Corey (both 61), Stephanie Carroll (Railway Union RFC) for Nunan, Sarah Garrett (UL Bohemian RFC) for O'Halloran (both 63).
Referee: Paul O'Connor (IRFU)
ULSTER 0 LEINSTER 43, Queen's University Upper Malone
Scorers: Ulster: -
Leinster: Tries: Emma Hooban, Hannah O'Connor 3, Molly Scuffil-McCabe, Ella Roberts, Niamh Byrne; Cons: Dannah O'Brien 4
HT: Ulster 0 Leinster 26
Co-captain Hannah O'Connor helped herself to a hat-trick of tries during Leinster's 43-0 final round triumph against Ulster in the Vodafone Women's Interprovincial Championship.
Tania Rosser's side had their bonus point wrapped up by the half-hour mark at Queen's Upper Malone facility. Influential number 8 O'Connor touched down twice and Emma Hooban and Molly Scuffil-McCabe also crossed the whitewash.
Dannah O'Brien landed three conversions to leave Ulster 26-0 behind at half-time, and the hosts were unable to hit back despite the best efforts of Ella Durkan, Emma Jordan and lively replacement Fiona Tuite.
While Munster were crowned champions earlier in the day, runners-up Leinster closed out their Interpro campaign with O'Connor's third of the evening and final quarter efforts from Ella Roberts and replacement Niamh Byrne.
TIME LINE: 7 minutes - Leinster penalty: missed by Dannah O'Brien - 0-0; 8 mins - Leinster try: Emma Hooban - 0-5; conversion: Dannah O'Brien - 0-7; 17 mins - Leinster try: Hannah O'Connor - 0-12; conversion: Dannah O'Brien - 0-14; 20 mins - Leinster try: Molly Scuffil-McCabe - 0-19; conversion: missed by Dannah O'Brien - 0-19; 29 mins - Leinster try: Hannah O'Connor - 0-24; conversion: Dannah O'Brien - 0-26; Half-time - Ulster 0 Leinster 26; 53 mins - Leinster try: Hannah O'Connor - 0-31; conversion: Dannah O'Brien - 0-33; 65 mins - Leinster try: Ella Roberts - 0-38; conversion - missed by Lisa Mullen - 0-38; 70 mins - Leinster try: Niamh Byrne - 0-43; missed by Lisa Mullen - 0-43; Full-time - Ulster 0 Leinster 43
ULSTER: Maeve Liston (Blackrock College RFC); Lucy Thompson (Enniskillen RFC/Cooke RFC), Emma Jordan (Malone RFC/Suttonians RFC), Kelly McCormill (Cooke RFC), Niamh Marley (Dungannon RFC); Ella Durkan (Blackrock College RFC), Rachael McIlroy (Queen’s University Belfast RFC); Sadhbh McGrath (Cooke RFC), Megan Simpson (Cooke RFC), Ilse van Staden (Cooke RFC), Keelin Brady (Railway Union RFC), Brenda Barr (Suttonians RFC), India Daley (Enniskillen RFC), Beth Cregan (City of Derry RFC/Blackrock College RFC) (capt), Sophie Barrett (Enniskillen RFC).
Replacements used: Aishling O'Connell (Cooke RFC) for van Staden, Gemma McCamley (Cooke RFC) for McGrath (both 27 mins), Helen McGhee (Cooke RFC) for Barr (half-time), Fiona Tuite (Old Belvedere RFC) for Barrett, Fern Wilson (Queen's University Belfast RFC) for Thompson (both half-time), Stacey Sloan (Cooke RFC) for Daley (51), Van Staden for McCamley (60), Hannah Beattie (Malone RFC) for Brady (63), McGrath for O'Connell (63-71), Hannah Downey (Cooke RFC) for McIlroy (68).
LEINSTER: Ella Roberts (Wicklow RFC); Elise O’Byrne-White (Old Belvedere RFC), Aoife Dalton (Tullamore RFC/Old Belvedere RFC), Jenny Murphy (Old Belvedere RFC), Anna Doyle (Tullow RFC/Blackrock College RFC); Dannah O’Brien (Tullow RFC/Old Belvedere RFC), Molly Scuffil-McCabe (Garda Westmanstown RFC/Railway Union RFC); Aoife Moore (Blackrock College RFC), Emma Hooban (Blackrock College RFC), Christy Haney (St. Mary’s College RFC/Blackrock RFC (co-capt), Aoife McDermott (Railway Union RFC), Elaine Anthony (Old Belvedere RFC), Niamh O’Dowd (Old Belvedere RFC), Molly Boyne (Dublin University FC/Railway Union RFC), Hannah O’Connor (CYM RFC/Blackrock College RFC) (co-capt).
Replacements used: Katie Whelan (Old Belvedere RFC) for Scuffil-McCabe, Emma Murphy (Railway Union RFC) for Moore (both 48 mins), Eimear Corri (Portlaoise RFC/Blackrock College RFC) for Anthony (55), Niamh Byrne (Railway Union RFC) for O'Byrne-White, Lisa Mullen (Virginia RFC/Blackrock College RFC) for O'Brien (both 59), Megan Collis (Greystones RFC/Railway Union RFC) for Haney, Lisa Callan (Railway Union RFC) for Hooban (both 66), Vic Dabanovich O’Mahony (Old Belvedere RFC) for O'Dowd (71), O'Brien for Roberts (77).
Referee: Shane Kierans (IRFU)
