Vodafone Women’s Interpros: Round 2 – Munster v Leinster Preview

VODAFONE WOMEN’S INTERPROVINCIAL CHAMPIONSHIP – ROUND 2:

Saturday, August 17 –

MUNSTER (2nd) v LEINSTER (1st), Virgin Media Park, kick-off 4.45pm (live on TG4)

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2024/25 Interprovincial Championship Top Scorers: Munster – Points: Alana McInerney 15; Tries: Alana McInerney 3; Leinster – Points: Katie Whelan 10; Tries: Katie Whelan 2
Recent Interprovincial Form: Munster: WWLLW; Leinster: LWWWW

Last Five Meetings: 2019: Munster 13 Leinster 20, Virgin Media Park; 2021: Leinster 7 Munster 19, Energia Park; 2023: Munster 26 Leinster 17, Virgin Media Park; Leinster 26 Munster 19, Energia Park; Final: Munster 14 Leinster 33, Virgin Media Park

Players To Watch Out For: Munster: Beth Buttimer – Hooker Buttimer’s lineout throws were bang on the money last week, helping Munster to threaten at maul time and also whip the ball wide. The Tipperary native will be relishing her individual duel with Ireland international Sarah Delaney, and a second home win would prompt some early celebrations ahead of her turning 19 on Sunday.

Leinster: Ella Roberts – A number of players returned from a long absence for their respective provinces last Saturday, and Leinster winger Roberts was one of those. Back from the second ACL injury of her career and some time spent in Australia, the Wicklow star scored a cracking try against Connacht, and now goes toe-to-toe with Chisom Ugwueru on Leeside.

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Pre-Match Views: Niamh Briggs (Munster assistant coach) – “The Munster-Leinster rivalry is there, but the Women’s game is different. I think we’ve got four really top quality teams that are now competing. I think you saw that last week in that Leinster-Connacht game.

“We can’t be humming at game two, we need to keep driving for game three and game four. We just want to keep incrementally getting better as we go on. This is almost like a sprint in terms of how we prepare for these Interpros.

“It’s such a small window that we get to have these players. We’ve got to make sure that come the end of this Interpro series that we’ve come out with better people, better players that can go into a club system, or an international system, and have learnt a huge amount and have great memories from what they’ve taken from their time in Munster.

“This week is very much about us getting better, and continously improving around certain elements of where we want to get to and what we want to do.

“I do think we’re just looking forward to another game, we get to right a few wrongs from last week, but also give opportunities to other players.”

Tania Rosser (Leinster head coach) – “This is the next job now, and the next step that we need to take. One game at a time. Munster are going to be tough, they’ve got some great players. The out-half and centres are really, really good.

“They got some big forward carriers. I think if we can contain them in the forwards, and stop them up front, we’ll do okay. But again, if we don’t front up defensively and our discipline isn’t where it needs to be, we could suffer.

“The girls put in a really good performance for most of the match against Connacht. They played some really good rugby. I thought Emma Tilly in the back-field was class, and she worked really well with her centres and Katie Whelan.

“I think our discipline let us down a bit. In saying that though, we defended really, really well on the line, but I think we just need a bit more urgency and a bit more patience when it comes to the breakdown area and things like that.”

Preview: Dorothy Wall is back to boost Munster for their second round showdown with title holders Leinster. The Ireland powerhouse will partner Claire Bennett, last week’s player-of-the-match against Ulster, in the second row in the only change to the team.

Vice-captain Aoife Corey continues at full-back, having replaced the injured Eimear Considine before kick-off last Saturday, while Wall’s inclusion sees Clodagh O’Halloran revert to the blindside flanker role.

Leinster are without their player-of-the-match from the Connacht game, with a knock unfortunately seeing in-form scrum half Katie Whelan pulled from the starting XV. Ailsa Hughes, an experienced international, is a more than able deputy at number 9.

Head coach Tania Rosser has also brought Christy Haney into the front row, meaning a move back to loosehead for Linda Djougang. Kelly Burke, Jade Gaffney, and Robyn O’Connor are standing by to win their first Leinster senior caps off the bench.

The provinces’ last four meetings have produced two wins apiece. Leinster won down in Cork in both 2019 and last year, and had 19 points to spare at the end of last September’s final during which Leah Tarpey, a replacement tomorrow, claimed two tries either side of half-time.

Saturday’s much-anticipated contest brings together two of the top try scorers from the Energia All-Ireland League Women’s Division last season, who ran in 35 tries between them.

Leinster full-back Emma Tilly tallied up 18 tries in Old Belvedere colours, while UL Bohemian speedster Chisom Ugwueru scored just one less, and 13 tries over the first half of the campaign.

The battle for supremacy up front is sure to be as crucial as ever, with Leinster aiming to get a set-piece edge through their all-international front row. Munster perhaps have the better balance in the back row where number 8 and captain Chloe Pearse has already got amongst the tries.

Team News: There is an exciting Interprovincial double header at Virgin Media Park, where the Munster and Leinster Under-18 Women play their PwC U-18 Women’s Interprovincial Championship opener at 2pm.

For the day’s main course, Munster head coach Fiona Hayes has strengthened her starting pack with the inclusion of Wall. The 24-year-old Wall lifted the Interprovincial trophy alongside Nicole Cronin when the Reds were last crowned champions in January 2023.

“Dorothy is someone who has been in that environment with Ireland and brings those leadership qualities. She’s brilliant to have around the squad,” acknowledged Hayes.

Considine and Deirbhile Nic a Bháird remain on the sidelines but could return for key roles during the latter rounds, but fellow international Maeve Óg O’Leary has been ruled out of the Championship as she continues to work her way back from knee injuries.

Twelve members of UL Bohs’ All-Ireland League title-winning squad are set to start for the province tomorrow, with four of their club-mates on the bench, including the uncapped Caitriona Finn, the Tipperary youngster who only turned 18 in June.

Meanwhile, with 19 Ireland caps to her name, Hughes will fit in seemlessly for Leinster at scrum half. The Tullamore native was on the pitch when the Blues closed out their bonus point victory over Connacht, helping to set up Whelan for their final try.

Rosser and her fellow coaches have largely backed last week’s selection to get another result, but this time on the road. Navan teenager Cara Martin continues to partner vice-captain Aoife Dalton, keeping the likes of Tarpey out of the side.

Two of Leinster’s new caps from the opening round, Jane Neill and Jemma Farrell, hold onto their places in the matchday squad, but are joined tomorrow by three of Neill’s Ireland Under-20 team-mates – hooker Burke, and backs Gaffney and O’Connor.

Burke is a young forward with a bright future ahead of her having played all her rugby with Mullingar RFC. She came through the BearingPoint Sarah Robinson Cup pathway, playing with the Midlands Area for three campaigns. She was an U-18 Interpro title winner in 2022.

Pacy scrum half Gaffney plays her club rugby with Old Belvedere, gaining a good amount of experience last season with both ‘Belvo and the Wolfhounds, the winners of the Celtic Challenge. She started her career with her hometown club, Navan.

O’Connor has played all her rugby with Wexford Wanderers RFC. The fleet-footed 19-year-old has been capped at age-grade level by Leinster and Ireland, and was part of the Ireland U-20 squad for last month’s Six Nations Women’s Summer Series.

The elusive back, who is comfortable at full-back and on the wing, was captain of the Loreto Wexford team that won a first ever Bank of Ireland Leinster Schools Senior Cup in April.

MUNSTER: Aoife Corey (UL Bohemian 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), Dorothy Wall (Exeter Chiefs), Claire Bennett (UL Bohemian RFC), Clodagh O’Halloran (UL Bohemian RFC), Jane Clohessy (UL Bohemian RFC), Chloe Pearse (UL Bohemian RFC) (capt).

Replacements: Emma Dunican (Tralee RFC), Ciara O’Dwyer (UL Bohemian RFC), Ciara McLoughlin (UL Bohemian RFC), Aoibhe O’Flynn (UL Bohemian RFC), Annakate Cournane (Shannon RFC), Caitriona Finn (UL Bohemian RFC), Lucia Linn (Loughborough Lightning), Maggie Boylan (Blackrock College RFC).

LEINSTER: Emma Tilly (MU Barnhall RFC/Old Belvedere RFC); Aimee Clarke (Railway Union RFC), Aoife Dalton (Tullamore RFC/Old Belvedere RFC), Cara Martin (Navan RFC/Blackrock College RFC), Ella Roberts (Wicklow RFC); Nikki Caughey (Malone RFC/Railway Union RFC), Ailsa Hughes (Tullamore RFC/Railway Union RFC); Linda Djougang (Wanderers FC/Old Belvedere RFC), Sarah Delaney (PortDara Falcons RFC/Blackrock College RFC), Christy Haney (Blackrock College RFC), Ruth Campbell (Naas RFC/MU Barnhall RFC/Old Belvedere RFC), Eimear Corri (Portlaoise RFC/Blackrock College RFC), Hannah O’Connor (CYM Terenure RFC/Blackrock College RFC) (capt), Molly Boyne (Railway Union RFC), Caoimhe Molloy (Gorey RFC/Wicklow RFC).

Replacements: Aoife Moore (Carrick-on-Suir RFC/Blackrock College RFC), Clodagh Dunne (Gorey RFC/Old Belvedere RFC), Kelly Burke (Mullingar RFC), Jane Neill (Arklow RFC/Galwegians RFC), Jemma Farrell (Old Belvedere RFC), Jade Gaffney (Navan RFC/Old Belvedere RFC), Leah Tarpey (Tullamore RFC/Railway Union RFC), Robyn O’Connor (Wexford Wanderers RFC).

Referee: Shane Gaughan (IRFU)
Assistant Referees: Alex Aherne, Damien Power (both IRFU)