PwC Underage Interpros Continue This Weekend

It all begins with the second round of the Under-18 Girls Interpros. Having won on the road against Munster thanks to tries from wingers Saoirse Lawley and Emily Foley, Connacht now have two home matches to look forward to.

Following that 13-5 win at Musgrave Park, Craig Hansberry’s westerners entertain Ulster at Galway Corinthians RFC on Saturday (kick-off 12pm). The Ulster girls are determined to bounce back from a 48-point loss to Leinster.

Cill Dara centre Niamh Murphy claimed a hat-trick as last year’s champions Leinster got their Interpro series off to a very strong start. Their second successive outing at Energia Park sees them clash with Munster at 2pm, in a double header with the senior teams.

The two winning teams from the opening round of the Under-19 Boys Interpros, Leinster and Connacht, also meet as part of a double header at Energia Park on Sunday (kick-off 3pm).

Giant lock Alan Spicer came off the bench to score the match-winning try for Adam Griggs’ Leinster Under-19s, who began their title defence with a five-try 29-22 victory over Munster in Fethard.

There was late drama at the Sportsground last Saturday where Sligo’s Oisin O’Neill landed a last-minute retaken conversion to see Connacht defeat Ulster 22-20.

Captained by Ballyclare High School’s Tom McAllister, the Ulster U-19s face into back-to-back home games, hosting Munster first up at Newforge on Sunday (kick-off 4.30pm). Brendan O’Connor’s Munster charges had a 12-point contribution from out-half Dylan Hicks in their opener.

Munster and Ulster meet for the second time in this season’s U-18 Boys Schools campaign, with Fethard’s Community Sports Fields the venue for Saturday’s 2pm kick-off.

With back-to-back bonus point triumphs, the Brett Igoe-coached Leinster outfit are top of the table on 10 points. Gonzaga College hooker Luke McLaughlin has scored three tries so far, his latest one coming in a 29-19 success away to Munster.

Wallace High School centre Quinn Armstrong impressed with a 14-point haul against Leinster, and Jonny Graham’s Ulster team will be hoping to avenge their 26-7 home defeat to defending champions Munster from a fortnight ago.

Sunday’s curtain raiser at Energia Park (kick-off 1pm) will see Connacht, the U-18 Boys Clubs table toppers following a stylish 39-17 victory over Ulster, take on second-placed Leinster.

Aiden McNulty’s Munster side, who play their Ulster couterparts at Newforge on Sunday (kick-off 2pm), had a stirring comeback against Leinster in last week’s opening round but fell short, losing 42-37 in a 12-try thriller in Fethard.

An action-packed first round of the U-18 Boys Clubs Interpros produced 20 different try scorers, Balbriggan centre Harley Fagan-Harold’s brace for Leinster, last year’s title winners, has him at the top of the try-scoring charts.

PWC UNDERAGE INTERPROVINCIAL CHAMPIONSHIPS:

Saturday, August 26 –

UNDER-18 GIRLS – ROUND 2:

CONNACHT UNDER-18 GIRLS (2nd) v ULSTER UNDER-18 GIRLS (4th), Galway Corinthians RFC, 12pm

LEINSTER UNDER-18 GIRLS (1st) v MUNSTER UNDER-18 GIRLS (3rd), Energia Park, 2pm

UNDER-18 BOYS SCHOOLS – ROUND 3:

MUNSTER UNDER-18 SCHOOLS (2nd) v ULSTER UNDER-18 SCHOOLS (3rd), Fethard Community Sports Fields, 2pm

Sunday, August 27 –

UNDER-18 BOYS CLUBS – ROUND 2:

LEINSTER UNDER-18 CLUBS (2nd) v CONNACHT UNDER-18 CLUBS (1st), Energia Park, 1pm

ULSTER UNDER-18 CLUBS (4th) v MUNSTER UNDER-18 CLUBS (3rd), Newforge, 2pm

UNDER-19 BOYS – ROUND 2:

LEINSTER UNDER-19s (1st) v CONNACHT UNDER-19s (2nd), Energia Park, 3pm

ULSTER UNDER-19s (3rd) v MUNSTER UNDER-19s (4th), Newforge, 4.30pm