Edel McMahon, who plays her club rugby in England, last lined out for Connacht during the 2019/20 Women's Interprovincial Championship ©INPHO/Ben Brady
Ireland co-captain Edel McMahon comes onto the bench for Connacht’s home clash with Munster, with fellow international Aoife Wafer also back for Leinster’s trip to Ulster in the third round of the Vodafone Women’s Interprovincial Championship.
Table toppers Munster, who have already booked their place in next Saturday’s final, bring in Cork youngster Lucia Linn for her first start in midfield. Nicole Cronin and Eimear Considine are fit for their long-awaited returns.
Saturday’s second game in Belfast pits Ulster against Leinster with only a point separating them in the standings. With a final berth up for grabs, Vicky Irwin and Lauren Patterson return to the hosts’ back-line, and Megan Brodie packs down at loosehead prop.
Saturday, August 24 –
CONNACHT (4th) v MUNSTER (1st), Dexcom Stadium, kick-off 2.30pm (live on TG4)
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Connacht return home for their only outing of the campaign at Dexcom Stadium, frustrated not to get the win away to Ulster but buoyed by their four-try performance across the opening hour in Belfast.
Vice-captain Ava Ryder is their only change to the starting line-up, slotting in on the right wing. Clara Barrett remains sidelined having missed the Ulster match, with Hannah Clarke, who had an impressive debut last week, held in reserve this time.
The presence of the vastly-experienced McMahon among the replacements gives the westerners a timely lift, as Emer O’Dowd’s young side aim for a strong finish to the round robin phase of the competition.
Along with Ellen Connolly and Poppy Garvey, Sarah Purcell from Creggs has also been added to Connacht’s bench. Highly-rated teenager Purcell (pictured below) is poised to make her senior debut for the province, just six months after captaining their Under-18s to Interprovincial glory.
With construction of the High Performance Centre and the North Stand currently ongoing at Dexcom Stadium, only the South Stand is open for supporters tomorrow. The Enclosure is reserved for wheelchair users only, and the End Terraces will not be open.
Connacht co-captain Shannon Touhey Tierney spoke about how the players are honouring their home clubs this weekend, saying: “We’re really excited to play at home, especially this weekend as we have a theme of ‘State of Origin’.
“So we have our mascots represtenting our clubs, we’ll be wearing our club socks, and we’re excited because our home club is where we learned the basics that we built on in our provinces.
“Really excited to represent our clubs and excited to get out there, build on what we’ve learned over the last two weeks and hopefully get the win at home.”
Meanwhile, centre Linn, who only turned 19 last month, is brought in by Munster head coach Fiona Hayes as the one and only alteration to the team that overcame Leinster 32-21 to make it two bonus point wins out of two.
A member of the Ireland Under-20 squad that took part in the recent Six Nations Women’s Summer Series, Linn (pictured above) was one of six new caps introduced against Ulster, and she caught the eye with a fine cameo against Leinster last week.
She managed to pinch possession away from Linda Djougang just as Leinster were pressing for a late try. Leading a break downfield, Linn’s efforts laid the foundations for Munster’s clinching score which was claimed by Alana McInerney, the Interpros’ top try scorer with four so far.
Enya Breen, the Vodafone player-of-the-match in the Leinster game, came off with a knock, so Linn takes her place in midfield with UL Bohemian regular Stephanie Nunan switching to the inside centre position.
With the Reds fielding an unchanged pack, which includes McMahon’s new Exeter Chiefs team-mate, Dorothy Wall, there are some fascinating individual battles to look forward to up front.
UL Bohs team-mates, Beth Buttimer and Lily Brady, will go head-to-head at hooker, and Faith Oviawe and Jane Clohessy, who played together for the Clovers during last season’s Celtic Challenge, will be on a collision course in the loose forwards.
Hayes also welcomes back Cronin and Considine, two players with huge amounts of experience as Ireland 15s and Sevens internationals. They both last featured for Munster in last September’s final defeat to Leinster in Cork.
Considine, who was due to start the first round win over Ulster, makes her return from an ACL injury, and Cronin will cover the scrum half position having also played for her province and country at out-half.
“Connacht at home are a force to be reckoned with,” said Hayes, ahead of the journey up to Galway. “I’ve watched Connacht in the last few years and they’re just getting better and better.
“Even down in UL Bohs, we’ve been lucky enough to have four or five Connacht players play with us in the AIL, and the standard is high quality. Particularly up front, Connacht are very physical, really good runners.
“I find the battle up front against Connacht over the years – scrum time, maul time, and even trying to get over the gain-line with the forwards is always huge – if you can win that, I think it sets you on the road to going after them.”
CONNACHT: Méabh Deely (Blackrock College RFC); Ava Ryder (Exeter Chiefs), Orla Dixon (Galwegians RFC), Éabha Nic Dhonnacha (UL Bohemian RFC), Laoise McGonagle (UL Bohemian RFC); Nicole Fowley (Galwegians RFC) (co-capt), Gráinne Moran (Ballina RFC); Ella Burns (Tuam/Oughterard RFC), Lily Brady (UL Bohemian RFC), Megan Collis (Railway Union RFC), Karly Tierney (Tuam/Oughterard RFC), Grace Browne Moran (Galwegians RFC), Faith Oviawe (Railway Union RFC), Béibhinn Gleeson (Tuam/Oughterard RFC), Shannon Touhey Tierney (Tullamore RFC) (co-capt).
Replacements: Stacy Hanley (Galwegians RFC), Ellen Connolly (Galwegians RFC), Roisín Maher (Galwegians RFC), Poppy Garvey (Sligo Rugby), Edel McMahon (Exeter Chiefs), May Goulding (Saracens), Sarah Purcell (Creggs RFC), Hannah Clarke (Tuam/Oughterard RFC/Galwegians RFC).
MUNSTER: Aoife Corey (UL Bohemian RFC); Chisom Ugwueru (UL Bohemian RFC), Lucia Linn (Loughborough Lightning), Stephanie Nunan (UL Bohemian 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), Nicole Cronin (UL Bohemian RFC), Caitriona Finn (UL Bohemian RFC), Eimear Considine (UL Bohemian RFC).
ULSTER (3rd) v LEINSTER (2nd), Kingspan Stadium, kick-off 4.45pm (live on the Spórt TG4 YouTube channel/BBC iPlayer/BBC Sport website)
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Ulster head coach Murray Houston has made three personnel changes, rewarding Ireland international Irwin for her impact off the bench last week. Her late levelling conversion earned a 25-all draw at home to Connacht.
For the second of Ulster’s three successive matches on home soil, Sale Sharks’ Irwin joins Catherine Martin, a new addition to the province’s squad this season, in the centre, with Tara O’Neill sidelined through injury.
MU Barnhall’s Lauren Patterson makes her second start of the campaign on the left wing, and Trim native Abby Moyles will come up against some of her former Leinster U-18 team-mates, including her ex-Navan half-back partner Jade Gaffney, as she continues in Ulster’s number 10 jersey.
Brodie swaps in for Bronach Cassidy on the loosehead side of the scrum, while Ulster’s bench, which has had a big influence on their improved second half performances over the past fortnight, has some new additions.
Queen’s University lock Ellen Patterson gets her first call-up to the matchday 23, with Ireland Sevens international Lucinda Kinghan and Old Belvedere flyer Megan Edwards also brought in by Houston to strengthen the selection.
Looking forward to coming up against the title holders, Ulster’s scrum and defence coach Eric O’Sullivan commented: “Throughout Leinster’s squad they are full of internationals playing at this level, so it’s a great challenge.
“We will learn a lot from it but as long as we can buy into an 80-minute performance , we will put them under a lot of pressure. I think we have shone that in the last two second halves that we are a great team, but we need to do it from the first whistle.
“Our bench has brought a great impact so fair play to them, as it’s hard to come in and try to change the tempo of the game. I’m still trying to figure it out as a player myself, ‘why you don’t start off the best at times?’
“Having clear messages from coaches, like myself, when we come on will help. I think we are doing really good stuff throughout the games.
“It’s about our ability to keep backing it up. Sometimes we can switch off after a few phases and that’s where we can be caught at times, but we are looking to improve on that.”
Meanwhile, fit-again Ireland flanker Wafer is a notable addition to the Leinster bench. Fresh from winning their first senior caps last Saturday, Gaffney and Robyn O’Connor both start in the back-line, at scrum half and full-back respectively.
19-year-old Wexford native O’Connor joins Emma Tilly and Ella Roberts in the back-three, out-half Jemma Farrell is handed her first Leinster start against her native province, and Leah Tarpey comes in for her first start of the season at inside centre.
Captain Hannah O’Connor reverts to the number 8 position, with Wicklow’s Caoimhe Molloy now in the blindside flanker berth. As well as Wafer, Tania Rosser can call on some other exciting players off the bench.
Mullingar youngster Kelly Burke, an Ireland Under-20 international, is hoping to win her first Leinster cap in Belfast, while Ireland prop Niamh O’Dowd and former Ireland Sevens speedster Anna Doyle are on matchday duty for the first time this season.
Determined to get back to winning ways and progress to the Championship decider, head coach Rosser said: “Really enjoyed the young players that came on (to win their first caps) last week. I thought Robyn O’Connor did really, really well in the back-field.
“Jade Gaffney came on at scrum half and controlled the game well, she got some good passes away. Looking at Ulster now, hopefully we can put in a really good performance there.
“I think we need to focus on ourselves. We know Kathryn Dane and Brittany Hogan are really good players for Ulster. We know they’ll put up a real battle, but if we can stick to our structures, just be a little bit more patient, hopefully we can get a good performance.”
ULSTER: Lauren Farrell McCabe (Suttonians RFC); Lucy Thompson (Enniskillen RFC), Catherine Martin (Blackrock College RFC), Vicky Irwin (Sale Sharks), Lauren Patterson (MU Barnhall RFC/Blackrock College RFC); Abby Moyles (Blackrock College RFC), Kathryn Dane (Old Belvedere RFC) (capt); Megan Brodie (Blackrock College RFC), India Daley (Enniskillen RFC/Blackrock College RFC), Sophie Barrett (Enniskillen RFC/Railway Union RFC), Brenda Barr (Suttonians RFC), Cara O’Kane (Cooke RFC), Moya Hill (Enniskillen RFC), Maebh Clenaghan (Queen’s University Belfast RFC), Brittany Hogan (Old Belvedere RFC).
Replacements: Christy Hill (Ballymena RFC), Bronach Cassidy (Queen’s University Belfast RFC), Ava Fannin (Blackrock College RFC), Ellen Patterson (Queen’s University Belfast RFC), Stacey Sloan (Cooke RFC), Rachael McIlroy (Queen’s University Belfast RFC), Megan Edwards (Old Belvedere RFC), Lucinda Kinghan (Railway Union RFC).
LEINSTER: Robyn O’Connor (Wexford Wanderers RFC); Emma Tilly (MU Barnhall RFC/Old Belvedere RFC), Aoife Dalton (Tullamore RFC/Old Belvedere RFC), Leah Tarpey (Tullamore RFC/Railway Union RFC), Ella Roberts (Wicklow RFC); Jemma Farrell (Old Belvedere RFC), Jade Gaffney (Navan RFC/Old Belvedere 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), Caoimhe Molloy (Gorey RFC/Wicklow RFC), Molly Boyne (Railway Union RFC), Hannah O’Connor (CYM Terenure RFC/Blackrock College RFC) (capt).
Replacements: Aoife Moore (Carrick-on-Suir RFC/Blackrock College RFC), Kelly Burke (Mullingar RFC), Niamh O’Dowd (Old Belvedere RFC), Aoife Wafer (Enniscorthy RFC/Gorey RFC/Blackrock RFC), Clodagh Dunne (Gorey RFC/Old Belvedere RFC), Ailsa Hughes (Tullamore RFC/Railway Union RFC), Nikki Caughey (Malone RFC/Railway Union RFC), Anna Doyle (Tullow RFC/Blackrock College RFC).
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