Hayes’ Munster Make Winning Start, But Ulster Fight Back For Two Bonus Points

Alana McInerney’s first half hat-trick of tries ensured a winning start for Munster under Fiona Hayes, but Ulster fought back impressively in this Vodafone Women’s Interprovincial Championship opener to earn two bonus points.

VODAFONE WOMEN’S INTERPROVINCIAL CHAMPIONSHIP – ROUND 1:

Saturday, August 10 –

MUNSTER 29 ULSTER 22, Virgin Media Park
Scorers: Munster: Tries: Alana McInerney 3, Chloe Pearse, Chisom Ugwueru; Cons: Kate Flannery 2
Ulster: Tries: Tara O’Neill, India Daley, Lucy Thompson, Brittany Hogan; Con: Vicky Irwin
HT: Munster 22 Ulster 5

Adding to McInerney’s trio of scores, Munster captain Chloe Pearse also crossed before half-time, and a superb solo effort from Chisom Ugwueru steered them to an eventual 29-22 bonus point win at Virgin Media Park.

However, on a day when new skipper Kathryn Dane made her inspirational return to the pitch and eight players made their Ulster debuts, Murray Houston’s young squad emerged with a lot of credit.

They finished the stronger outfit thanks to closing tries from newcomer Lucy Thompson and Brittany Hogan, and can take a lot of positives forward considering that Munster’s average winning margin in this fixture since 2019 has been almost 32 points.

This was Ireland scrum half Dane’s first competitive match since suffering a brain haemorrhage in November 2022. Her side had some regrouping to do at half-time, trailing 22-5 with teenage centre Tara O’Neill their only scorer.

India Daley’s early second half try lit the touchpaper for a much-improved second half from the visitors. Ugwueru’s 53rd-minute reply ultimately proved decisive for Munster, with their industrious lock Claire Bennett picking up the Vodafone player-of-the-match award.

It was an attritional affair as apart from a pre-match knock delaying Eimear Considine’s return from an ACL injury, Munster lost Muirne Wall and McInerney before the break. Lauren McFarrell McCabe and Fiona Tuite both came off for Ulster in a bruising battle.

Having won the 3rd-4th place play-off on their most recent visit to Cork last September, Ulster stood up well to Munster’s initial efforts to move the ball at pace. Number 8 Hogan’s bulldozing tackle on Beth Buttimer certainly laid down an early marker.

Nonetheless, McInerney stung them with a seventh-minute intercept try. A Dane pass went loose off Gemma McCamley’s hand, and the Munster winger swooped to break away from Peita McAlister and Sophie Meeke, racing home from over 60 metres out.

Following Kate Flannery’s conversion, Munster continued to pick up penalties, including two at lineout mauls before Pearse struck from a 15th-minute drive. She brushed off tackles from Dane and Meeke to extend the lead out to 12 points.

Flankers Jane Clohessy and Brianna Heylmann were influential in the build-up to Munster’s third try, the former with a strong carry past halfway and the latter providing the assist for McInerney to power over impressively on the left, getting past Meeke’s initial challenge.

Ulster had a bright spell after the first water break, with Hogan carrying forcefully and Christy Hill hauled down short. Stephanie Nunan got in at the breakdown to win a relieving penalty for the home side.

Despite that, Houston’s charges were able to keep the pressure on and opened their account, 25 minutes in. Nice hands from prop McCamley had Hogan surging back into the Munster 22, and she popped the ball up off the ground for O’Neill to crash over from close range.

Those five points were quickly cancelled out by the hosts’ bonus point effort. Again, Ulster paid the price for being sloppy in possession. Flannery’s rip in the tackle led to a pacy Nunan break, and McInerney was able to finish off from just inside the opposition half.

Munster’s back-line had some earlier-than-expected changes with both scrum half Wall and McInerney unfortunately forced off with injuries. The three-try winger fell heavily in a tackle from Vicky Irwin and had to be replaced.

Ulster stood firm despite some late scrum pressure from Munster, who failed to profit from prop Sophie Barrett’s yellow card for coming in at the side of a ruck. Indeed, it was last season’s third-placed team that opened the second half’s scoring.

Early on the resumption, the bad run of injuries continued, with Ulster suffering this time when Suttonians’ Farrell McCabe went off with her right arm in a makeshift sling.

In her absence, the Ulster forwards turned the tables at maul time, marching towards the right corner before Daley, a training panellist with Ireland’s Six Nations squad last season, broke off and stepped inside Abbie Salter-Townshend’s tackle to touch down.

Irwin’s crisply-struck conversion gave her team-mates a further lift, and another muscular maul soon had Daley hunting down a second try. Munster held out on this occasion, scrambling well in defence to protect their 10-point advantage.

A turnover penalty, won by Bennett, launched the Reds forward again, and Ugwueru delivered a huge blow to Ulster’s hopes. She fended off a couple of forwards before breaking into space, and then evaded the clutches of replacement Thompson on a classy 50-metre run-in.

Flannery’s right boot restored the 17-point buffer for Hayes’ side, and Ulster’s execution was just off at crucial stages. Irwin narrowly missed touch from a penalty, and Munster were able to keep them out of scoring range during a scrappy spell.

That was until neat passing, with Rachael McIlroy, O’Neill, and Irwin combining in the 65th minute, released Ireland Universities Sevens international Thompson to hand off Salter-Townshend and pounce for a peach of a score. Irwin narrowly missed the extras, leaving it 29-17.

Ulster’s Stacey Sloan and Paige Smyth were providing impact off the bench, with the latter hunting down turnover ball near the left touchline. Hogan’s tireless carries had them knocking on the door again, past the 70-minute mark.

It was Ulster’s Player of the Year from last season who showed great strength to claim their fourth try. Fed by Daley from a five-metre tap penalty, Hogan took three defenders with her over the line, and referee Cathal Roddy managed to spot the grounding.

Irwin missed the conversion on the near side, but it mattered little in the end as Munster saw out the contest in Ulster territory. Hayes will already be targeting key improvements for next week’s visit of defending champions Leinster, in what is a repeat of last year’s final.

Ulster return home on the back of their best result against Munster since an 18-12 defeat at Dooradoyle back in September 2011. They will host both Connacht and Leinster at Kingspan Stadium, before the finals day at the Belfast venue on Saturday, August 31.

TIME LINE: 7 minutes – Munster try: Alana McInerney – 5-0; conversion: Kate Flannery – 7-0; 15 mins – Munster try: Chloe Pearse – 12-0; conversion: missed by Kate Flannery – 12-0; 18 mins – Munster try: Alana McInerney – 17-0; conversion: missed by Kate Flannery – 17-0; 25 mins – Ulster try: Tara O’Neill – 17-5; conversion: missed by Vicky Irwin – 17-5; 33 mins – Munster try: Alana McInerney – 22-5; conversion: missed by Kate Flannery – 22-5; 40+1 mins – Ulster yellow card: Sophie Barrett; Half-time – Munster 22 Ulster 5; 45 mins – Ulster try: India Daley – 22-10; conversion: Vicky Irwin – 22-12; 53 mins – Munster try: Chisom Ugwueru – 27-12; conversion: Kate Flannery – 29-12; 65 mins – Ulster try: Lucy Thompson – 29-17; conversion: missed by Vicky Irwin – 29-17; 78 mins – Ulster try: Brittany Hogan – 29-22; conversion: missed by Vicky Irwin – 29-22; Full-time – Munster 29 Ulster 22

MUNSTER: Maggie Boylan (Blackrock College RFC); Chisom Ugwueru (UL Bohemian RFC), Stephanie Nunan (UL Bohemian RFC), Enya Breen (Blackrock College RFC), Alana McInerney (UL Bohemian RFC); Kate Flannery (UL Bohemian RFC), Muirne Wall (UL Bohemian RFC); Siobhan McCarthy (Gloucester-Hartpury), Beth Buttimer (UL Bohemian RFC), Éilis Cahill (UL Bohemian RFC), Clodagh O’Halloran (UL Bohemian RFC) Claire Bennett (UL Bohemian RFC), Brianna Heylmann (UL Bohemian RFC), Jane Clohessy (UL Bohemian RFC), Chloe Pearse (UL Bohemian RFC) (capt).

Replacements used: Abbie Salter-Townshend (UL Bohemian RFC) for Wall (31 mins), Michelle O’Driscoll (Ballincollig RFC) for McInerney (39), Lucia Linn (Loughborough Lightning) for Boylan (46), Ciara McLoughlin (UL Bohemian RFC) for Cahill, Aoibhe O’Flynn (UL Bohemian RFC) for O’Halloran (both 56), Ciara O’Dwyer (UL Bohemian RFC) for McCarthy, Annakate Cournane (Shannon RFC) for Clohessy (both 67), Emma Dunican (Tralee RFC) for Buttimer (80).

ULSTER: Lauren Farrell McCabe (Suttonians RFC); Sophie Meeke (Enniskillen RFC), Peita McAlister (Malone RFC), Tara O’Neill (Cooke RFC), Lauren Patterson (MU Barnhall RFC/Blackrock College RFC); Vicky Irwin (Sale Sharks), Kathryn Dane (Old Belvedere RFC) (capt); Gemma McCamley (Cooke RFC), India Daley (Enniskillen RFC/Blackrock College RFC), Sophie Barrett (Enniskillen RFC/Railway Union RFC), Brenda Barr (Suttonians RFC), Fiona Tuite (Old Belvedere RFC), Moya Hill (Enniskillen RFC), Christy Hill (Ballymena RFC), Brittany Hogan (Old Belvedere RFC).

Replacements used: Megan Brodie (Blackrock College RFC) for C Hill (40+2 mins-49), Brodie for Barrett (49-58), Bronach Cassidy (Queen’s University Belfast RFC) for McCamley (half-time), Lucy Thompson (Enniskillen RFC) for Farrell McCabe (43), Cara O’Kane (Cooke RFC) for Tuite (49), Stacey Sloan (Cooke RFC) for M Hill, Rachael McIlroy (Queen’s University Belfast RFC) for Dane, Paige Smyth (Ballynahinch RFC) for Patterson (all 62). Not used: Maebh Clenaghan (Queen’s University Belfast RFC).

Referee: Cathal Roddy (IRFU)