Round Up | Munster Women & U18 Girls Interprovincial Championship

Munster U18 Girls completed a remarkable turnaround in fortune to beat Ulster 36-7 and claim the IRFU U18 Women’s Interprovincial Championship for 2019. 

As Head Coach Fiona Hayes made her way to Donnybrook to help Munster Women overcome Ulster, U18 Girls Captain Sarah Murphy tried to put her side’s feat into words.

“We had it tough going in our first three matches,”she said. “Something just clicked with us. We were on point. We were bouncing off each other. We are actually speechless. Ulster were such big competitors in the game.”

Ulster indeed threatening to get around the corner on a number of occasions in the first half. They were met with some committed defence from Munster’s Chisom Ugwueru before her Ireland U18 Sevens team-mate Mya Alcorn ran in a spectacular intercept try for Ulster. Ugwueru had already opened the scoring at that stage and Emma Connolly converted her own try for a 12-7 lead at half time.

“We started picking up our pace in the second half,” said Murphy. “It was electric really.”

Connolly’s accuracy was unerring after the break as she scored a penalty and converted the three second half tries from Ugwueru, Eilis Cahill and Meabh McElligott. IRFU Committee Member Mary Quinn paid tribute to both sides in their approach to a high octane game.

 

IRFU U18 WOMEN’S INTERPROVINCIAL CHAMPIONSHIP FINAL:

MUNSTER U18 GIRLS 36 ULSTER U18 GIRLS 7, MU Barnhall RFC
Scorers: Munster U18 Women: Tries: Chisom Ugwueru 2, Emma Connolly, Eilis Cahill, Meabh McElligott; Cons: Emma Connolly 4; Pen: Emma Connolly.
Ulster U18 Women: Tries: Mya Alcorn, Cons: Toni Macartney.
HT: Munster U18 Women 12 Ulster U18 Women 7

MUNSTER U18 GIRLS: Aoife Corey (Ennis); Chisom Ugwueru (Ennis), Meabh McElligott (Listowel), Saskia Morrissey (Kilrush), Alana McInerney (Ennis); Emma Connolly (Skibbereen), Courtney Duhig (St. Mary’s); Eileen Gleeson (Nenagh), Sarah Murphy (Kanturk) (C), Erika Kiely (Carrick On Suir), Eilis Cahill (Ennis), Aine Enright (Listowel), Allaiah Tepau (Shannon), Faye Dowling (Fethard), Eimear Minihan (Ennis).

Replacements: Rebecca Collins (St. Mary’s), Marea Walsh (Shannon), Chloe Ann O’Driscoll (Skibbereen), Aoife Costello (St. Mary’s), Alex O’Sullivan (Skibbereen), Clodagh McMahon (Kilrush), Marlese Flynn (Carrick On Suir), Abbie Salter Townsend (Skibbereen).

Skibbereen’s Emma Connolly scored 16 points for Munster U18 Girls. 

IRFU WOMEN’S INTERPROVINCIAL CHAMPIONSHIP THIRD-PLACE PLAYOFF:

MUNSTER WOMEN 39 ULSTER WOMEN 12, Donnybrook
Scorers: Munster Women: Tries: Eimear Considine, Stephanie Carroll, Roisin Ormond 2, Nicole Cronin, Fiona Reidy, Fiona Hayes; Cons: Enya Breen 2.
Ulster Women: Tries: Diane Ramsay, Maeve Liston; Con: Jemma Jackson.
HT: Munster Women 34 Ulster Women 0

Munster vented their frustration at not making the Women’s Interprovincial decider with a 39-12 win over Ulster in the third-place playoff. It took Eimear Considine just 59 seconds to cross and Laura Guest’s side were 17-0 up in the first seven minutes with further efforts from Stephanie Carroll and Roisin Ormond and a conversion from Enya Breen. Ormond added a second and Nicole Cronin and Fiona Reidy also notched tries as Munster amassed an impressive 34-0 scoreline at half time.

Ulster too had something to prove after a heavy defeat in last week’s semi-final and got on the scoreboard through Diane Ramsay, Maeve Liston and Jemma Jackson. Fiona Hayes scored Munster’s final try.

MUNSTER WOMEN: Eimear Considine (UL Bohemians) (co-capt); Stephanie Carroll (Railway Union), Enya Breen (UL Bohemians), Ciara Scanlan (St. Mary’s), Laura O’Mahony (UL Bohemians); Rachel Allen-Connolly (UL Bohemians), Nicole Cronin (UL Bohemians); Chloe Pearse (UL Bohemians) (co-capt), Kate Sheehan (UL Bohemians), Fiona Reidy (UL Bohemians), Ciara O’Halloran (UL Bohemians), Roisin Ormond (Ballincollig), Edel Murphy (UL Bohemians), Ciara Griffin (UL Bohemians), Sarah Quin (UL Bohemians).

Replacements: Fiona Hayes (UL Bohemians), Laura Delaney (UL Bohemians), Claire Bennett (UL Bohemians), Clodagh O’Halloran (UL Bohemians), Grainne Fennelly (Thurles), Christine Coffey (Thurles), Laura Sheehan (UL Bohemians), Roisin Willis (UL Bohemians).

Ballincollig’s Roisin Ormond scored a brace for Munster Women.