Munster Lose Interpro Decider

The Munster Women’s team, sponsored by Keanes jewellers, were beaten 21-12 by Leinster in the Interprovincial decider at Donnybrook on Saturday afternoon.

Three teams went into the weekend with a chance of claiming the title, so tight was the situation at the top of the table.

Reigning champions Munster, along with Leinster and Connacht, were all in the hunt for the crown as the final round of games kicked off.

Munster began the match against Leinster signalling their intent to lift their third Interpro trophy in succession and dominated the early exchanges, with half-backs Claire Keohane and Ellen Murphy keeping them on the front foot.

However, the hosts gradually settled and began to pressurise their arch rivals. Out-half Hannah Tyrrell kicked the ball to touch when Leinster were awarded a penalty in the 18th minute and from the resulting lineout, Katie Fitzhenry's mazy run made room for centre Jenny Murphy to touch down for a try, which the Kildare woman converted herself.

Having been held up during an earlier attack, Murphy's midfield partner Michelle Claffey made sure she got the ball down for Leinster's second try in the 32nd minute, with Ailsa Hughes' quick distribution from a scrum proving crucial. Murphy converted to leave it 14-0 at the break.

Munster's best moments were coming in defence – flanker Ciara Griffin starred with a bone-crunching tackle – but the visitors showed more in attack on the resumption. Seven minutes in, they were back within striking distance when strong-running centre Niamh Kavanagh broke through and linked with Edel Murphy who sent her back-three colleague Deirbhile Nic A Bhaird over for a timely try. It was lively winger Nic A Bhaird's third touchdown in this season's Interpros and full-back Murphy added the extras to half the deficit to seven points.

Suddenly, the defending champions were exerting more control and Jenny Murphy's red card for an off-the-ball incident left Leinster down to 14 players for the remaining 30 minutes. However, Adam Griggs' side really stood up to the task. Teenage winger Eimear Corri did really well on two occasions to keep out Eimear Considine and the equally dangerous Nic A Bhaird, while Ireland loosehead Lindsay Peat grew in influence with her ball-carrying.

At the end of one of Peat's powerful surges, her international colleague and Munster replacement Zoe Grattage was sin-binned by referee Dan Carson. It was Leinster's turn to attack and they did so in clinical fashion, speedy half-backs Hughes and Tyrrell stretching their legs to bring their province back into the Munster 22. After a 71st minute penalty was kicked to touch, Caoimhe Molloy, the replacement front rower from Gorey, crashed over from the ensuing lineout maul for what turned out to be the clinching score. Tyrrell tagged on the extras for a 21-7 advantage and Molloy, this year's Leinster Under-18 captain, then showed her quality in defence by winning turnover ball from a Munster maul.

The visitors were rewarded in injury-time with an unconverted score from Ireland prop Fiona Hayes, however it was too little, too late for Wayne Falvey's charges as Leinster finished top of the pile for the first time since the 2013/14 campaign and denied Munster the three-in-a-row.

Munster: Edel Murphy; Deirbhile Nic A Bhaird, Niamh Kavanagh, Nicola Scully, Eimear Considine; Claire Keohane, Ellen Murphy; Fiona Reidy, Gill Bourke, Leah Lyons, Orlaith Buckley, Anna Caplice, Siobhan Fleming (C), Ciara Griffin, Heather O'Brien.
Replacements: Zoe Grattage, Fiona Hayes, Nuala O'Connor, Elaine Anthony, Chloe Pearse, Mona Fehily, Aine Staunton, Laura Sheehan.