ULSTER 14 LEINSTER 39, Kingspan Stadium
Scorers: Ulster: Tries: Brittany Hogan 2; Cons: Abby Moyles
Leinster: Tries: Robyn O’Connor, Ruth Campbell, Leah Tarpey, Molly Boyne, Emma Tilly, Eimear Corri, Kelly Burke; Cons: Jemma Farrell 2
HT: Ulster 7 Leinster 14
A dominant three-try final quarter performance steered Leinster through to the Vodafone Women’s Interprovincial Championship final, following a 39-14 bonus point victory over Ulster in Belfast.
Leinster will return to Kingspan Stadium for next Saturday‘s title decider, locking horns again with Munster, but Ulster, who will face Connacht again in the double header, were only 14-7 behind at half-time, and 10 points down on the hour mark.
Brittany Hogan scored in both halves for the ever-improving hosts, while Wexford youngster Robyn O’Connor shone on her full debut for Leinster, as her rapid 40-metre run made for a tremendous opening try.
Ruth Campbell, Leah Tarpey, and Molly Boyne took care of the visitors’ bonus point haul, before they broke clear of a valiant Ulster side, with Emma Tilly and Vodafone player-of-the-match
Eimear Corri’s pace too much out wide.Aoife Wafer’s first appearance of the season was cut short after picking up a knock, but a late debut try for Mullingar teenager Kelly Burke, who made it over from a maul, completed a job well done by the defending champions.
The Interpros’ much-anticipated finals day takes place at Kingspan Stadium on Saturday, August 31 with Connacht, who finished third in the table, and Ulster meeting in the 3rd-4th place play-off at 2pm, before the final itself at 4.15pm.
Despite missing out on an elusive win, Murray Houston’s Ulster squad can still take a lot from the round robin phase. There is definite progression when you consider that they lost to Leinster by margins of 56, 45, 43, and 52 points, respectively, between 2019 and 2023.
ULSTER: Lauren Farrell McCabe (Suttonians RFC); Lucy Thompson (Enniskillen RFC), Catherine Martin (Blackrock College RFC), Vicky Irwin (Sale Sharks), Lauren Patterson (MU Barnhall RFC/Blackrock College RFC); Abby Moyles (Blackrock College RFC), Kathryn Dane (Old Belvedere RFC) (capt); Megan Brodie (Blackrock College RFC), India Daley (Enniskillen RFC/Blackrock College RFC), Sophie Barrett (Enniskillen RFC/Railway Union RFC), Brenda Barr (Suttonians RFC), Cara O’Kane (Cooke RFC), Moya Hill (Enniskillen RFC), Maebh Clenaghan (Queen’s University Belfast RFC), Brittany Hogan (Old Belvedere RFC).
Replacements: Christy Hill (Ballymena RFC), Bronach Cassidy (Queen’s University Belfast RFC), Ava Fannin (Blackrock College RFC), Ellen Patterson (Queen’s University Belfast RFC), Stacey Sloan (Cooke RFC), Rachael McIlroy (Queen’s University Belfast RFC), Megan Edwards (Old Belvedere RFC), Lucinda Kinghan (Railway Union RFC).
LEINSTER: Robyn O’Connor (Wexford Wanderers RFC); Emma Tilly (MU Barnhall RFC/Old Belvedere RFC), Aoife Dalton (Tullamore RFC/Old Belvedere RFC), Leah Tarpey (Tullamore RFC/Railway Union RFC), Ella Roberts (Wicklow RFC); Jemma Farrell (Old Belvedere RFC), Jade Gaffney (Navan RFC/Old Belvedere RFC); Linda Djougang (Wanderers FC/Old Belvedere RFC), Sarah Delaney (PortDara Falcons RFC/Blackrock College RFC), Christy Haney (Blackrock College RFC), Ruth Campbell (Naas RFC/MU Barnhall RFC/Old Belvedere RFC), Eimear Corri (Portlaoise RFC/Blackrock College RFC), Caoimhe Molloy (Gorey RFC/Wicklow RFC), Molly Boyne (Railway Union RFC), Hannah O’Connor (CYM Terenure RFC/Blackrock College RFC) (capt).
Replacements: Aoife Moore (Carrick-on-Suir RFC/Blackrock College RFC), Kelly Burke (Mullingar RFC), Niamh O’Dowd (Old Belvedere RFC), Aoife Wafer (Enniscorthy RFC/Gorey RFC/Blackrock RFC), Clodagh Dunne (Gorey RFC/Old Belvedere RFC), Ailsa Hughes (Tullamore RFC/Railway Union RFC), Nikki Caughey (Malone RFC/Railway Union RFC), Anna Doyle (Tullow RFC/Blackrock College RFC).
Referee: Kevin Coffey (IRFU)
