Thomond Park Showdown To Settle Women’s Interpro Series

The destination of the IRFU Women’s Interprovincial Championship trophy for this year will be decided at Thomond Park on Saturday when reigning champions Munster and their arch rivals Leinster meet in a mouth-watering title decider.

2015/16 IRFU WOMEN’S INTERPROVINCIAL CHAMPIONSHIP:

ROUND 3 – Saturday, September 5

MUNSTER WOMEN v LEINSTER WOMEN, Thomond Park, 2.30pm

ULSTER WOMEN v CONNACHT WOMEN, Portadown RFC, 3pm

Women’s Interpros Results/Fixtures/Table

Round 1 Review – Munster And Leinster Women Win On The Road

Round 2 Review – Munster And Leinster Women Set Up Interpro Title Decider

The Munster Women will defend their Interprovincial title at Thomond Park in a winner-takes-all finale against Leinster. Head coach Wayne Falvey has kept faith with the team that secured an emphatic 43-0 win over Ulster last Saturday.

Team captain Niamh Briggs touched down to open the scoring after 10 minutes with further tries from Laura O’Mahony and Leah Lyons giving the hosts a 17-0 lead at half-time.

Falvey’s charges continued to dominate throughout the second half, adding four more tries to their tally from Niamh Kavanagh, Lyons, Heather O’Brien and Chloe Pearse. The result ensured an eagerly-anticipated showdown with their Leinster rivals in the final round.

Both sides remain undefeated from the opening two weekends as Munster bid for their 11th Interprovincial crown and a second in-a-row under Falvey.

Table toppers Leinster make the trip down to Limerick on the back of a 15-5 victory at home to Connacht, with Jennie Finlay, Sophie Spence and Aine Donnelly the three try scorers.

Head coach Robert Forbes has also selected an unchanged side to face Munster, saying he hopes they ‘can be a lot better in Thomond Park’ after what was an up and down performance against Connacht.

* Gates at Thomond Park open at 1.30pm at the East side. Admission is free.

MUNSTER WOMEN: Valerie Power (Shannon); Deirbhile Nic a Bhaird (Highfield), Niamh Kavanagh (UL Bohemians), Nicola Scully (Highfield), Laura O’Mahony (Tralee); Niamh Briggs (UL Bohemians) (capt), Ellen Murphy (Highfield); Fiona Reidy (UL Bohemians), Amy Desmond (Highfield), Leah Lyons (Highfield), Róisín Ormond (Highfield), Elaine Anthony (Highfield), Siobhan Fleming (Tralee), Ciara Griffin (Tralee), Heather O’Brien (Highfield).

Replacements: Zoe Grattagh (Highfield), Maura Collins (Abbeyfeale), Niamh English (Highfield), Gerda Coyne (Highfield), Chloe Pearse (Shannon), Mona Fehily (Highfield), Jayne Pennefather (Highfield), Edel Murphy (UL Bohemians).

LEINSTER WOMEN: Jeamie Deacon (Blackrock); Janice Daly Morrissey (Old Belvedere), Elise O’Byrne White (Old Belvedere), Aine Donnelly (Port Dara), Amy Cotter (Suttonians); Nora Stapelton (Old Belvedere), Ailsa Hughes (Railway Union); Fiona O’Brien (Old Belvedere), Sharon Lynch (Old Belvedere), Ailis Egan (Old Belvedere) (capt), Ciara Cooney (Railway Union), Orla Fitzsimons (St. Mary’s), Sophie Spence (Old Belvedere), Jennie Finlay (Railway Union), Paula Fitzpatrick (St. Mary’s).

Replacements: Ann-Marie Rooney (St. Mary’s), Karla Dunne (Blackrock), Ruth McElroy (Old Belvedere), Mairead Holohan (Blackrock), Susan Fogarty (Railway Union RFC), Meg Parkinson (Co. Carlow), Sara Phelan (Clondalkin), Meabh O’Brien (Naas).

There are two changes to the Ulster Women’s team for their final round clash with Connacht at Portadown RFC. Both switches come in the front row with experienced duo Sorcha Chipperfield and Nikita Armstrong promoted from the bench in place of props Ilse van Staden and Shannon Heapes.

The remainder of the side selected by coaches Philip Doyle and Jarrett Truscott is unchanged from last weekend’s heavy defeat at Thomond Park.

Meanwhile, Connacht co-coaches George Naoupu and Luke O’Donnell have made nine personnel changes to the team that went down 15-5 in a battling performance against Leinster.

Captain Ruth O’Reilly and flanker Grainne Egan are the only survivors from the pack that started at Donnybrook, while Castlebar’s promising winger Ursula Sammon comes in on the right wing along with Galwegians pair Emma Clery and Nicole Fowley at inside centre and out-half respectively.

ULSTER WOMEN: Teah Maguire (Cooke); Amy Davis (Cooke), Grace Davitt (Cooke), Claire McLaughlin (Queen’s University), Eliza Downey (Cooke); Jemma Jackson (Queen’s University), Kathryn Dane (Enniskillen); Sorcha Chipperfield (Cooke), Lesley Megarity (Cooke) (capt), Nikita Armstrong (Cooke), Colette Broome (Queen’s University), Naomi McCullagh (Omagh), Noreen Nethercott (Enniskillen), Niamh Fitzgerald (Old Belvedere), Lauren Maginnes (Queen’s University).

Replacements: Kelly Gormley (City of Derry), Beth Cregan (Cooke), Shannon Heapes (City of Derry), Ilse van Staden (Cooke), Shirelle Wilson (Cooke), Erin Caughey (Queen’s University), Stacey Sloan (City of Derry), Peita McAlister (Queen’s University).

CONNACHT WOMEN: Mairead Coyne (Galwegians); Ursula Sammon (Castlebar), Sene Naoupu (Galwegians), Emma Clery (Galwegians), Jill Draper (Tullamore); Nicole Fowley (Galwegians), Mary Healy (Galwegians); Ruth O’Reilly (Galwegians) (capt), Ciara Farrell (Tullamore), Amanda Kelly (Tuam), Marion Sheridan (Tuam/Galwegians), Rita Breen (NUIG), Heather Cary (St. Mary’s), Grainne Egan (St. Mary’s), Clodagh Cleary (Mullingar).

Replacements: Ciara O’Connor (Galwegians), Laura Feely (Galwegians), Eimear Murphy (Co. Carlow, Catriona Cassidy (Co. Carlow), Carol Staunton (Galwegians), Clare Raftery (Galwegians), Niamh Ni Dhroma (Buccaneers), Emer O’Mahony (Railway Union).