Tarpey And Wafer The Driving Forces As Leinster Retain Interpro Crown

Leah Tarpey repeated her two-try heroics from last year’s final as Leinster retained the Vodafone Women’s Interprovincial Championship title with an impressive 27-7 win over Munster at Kingspan Stadium.

VODAFONE WOMEN’S INTERPROVINCIAL CHAMPIONSHIP FINAL:

Saturday, August 31 –

MUNSTER 7 LEINSTER 27, Kingspan Stadium
Scorers: Munster: Try: Alana McInerney; Con: Kate Flannery
Leinster: Tries: Leah Tarpey 2, Aoife Wafer; Cons: Nikki Caughey 2, Dannah O’Brien; Pens: Nikki Caughey, Dannah O’Brien
HT: Munster 7 Leinster 17

Despite Alana McInerney’s seventh try of the tournament raising Munster hopes early on, the table toppers, who had beaten Leinster 32-21 in Cork a fortnight ago, were unable to go four-from-four in Belfast.

An opportunist Tarpey score drew Leinster level, before Nikki Caughey kicked them ahead with a penalty, and a bulldozing seven-pointer from the outstanding Aoife Wafer made it 17-7 at half-time.

Dorothy Wall was denied a try from a monster maul early on the resumption, and it was just not Munster’s day as young hooker Beth Buttimer had also been held up inside the game’s opening minutes.

Increasingly dominant in possession, Leinster went on to become back-to-back Interpro champions, matching the achievements of their 2018 and 2019 predecessors, thanks to a Dannah O’Brien penalty, and a second try from player-of-the-match Tarpey.

Ireland out-half O’Brien came on to make her seasonal debut, and getting players of that calibre, including the likes of fellow internationals Wafer and Niamh O’Dowd, back on the pitch in recent weeks has been crucial to Leinster’s strong finish to the campaign.

After watching injured captain Hannah O’Connor and her stand-in, Molly Boyne, lift the trophy together, Leinster head coach Tania Rosser said: “It feels great, we made history today for our Leinster Women’s team. Coming back after last year winning, and then putting in a great performance here.

“We were a wounded beast, never underestimate a wounded beast, and the girls came and performed. I asked them at half-time how good were they, and if they were good enough, were they going to finish out this game?

“And look at the second half, they did that. When we lost that game in Cork, I said to the girls I believed in them. They’re a great bunch, they’ve worked really, really hard.

“I threw a few things at them, different spanners at them to try different things and they did it. But like I said to them, physicality will beat Munster. Munster are a great team and they held it up to us in the first game, but our girls came out and played well today.”

Munster were first to threaten, displaying their forward power off a maul and some close-in carrying. Skipper Chloe Pearse and Dorothy Wall were both stopped just short of the try-line, and Buttimer went even closer but referee Keane Davison adjudged that she was held up.

Leinster built some decent phases in response, getting Linda Djougang and newly-capped full-back Robyn O’Connor both on the ball. When Djougang broke a tackle and breached the Munster 22, her offload to Ruth Campbell just failed to go to hand.

The Blues tried to launch again off an 11th-minute lineout near halfway, but the ball went forward in midfield and Munster – and their dangerous back-three – took full advantage.

They released McInerney on the left, and the Championship’s top try scorer left Caughey for dead near the touchline, cutting inside to hand off O’Connor on the edge of the opposition 22, and stay clear of Emma Tilly to go in under the posts.

Following Kate Flannery’s straighforward conversion, Munster had to soak up some sustained pressure from their arch rivals. The returning Enya Breen came up with a timely turnover, and Boyne was held up over the line by Munster’s entire back-three.

However, Munster suffered a double setback early in the second quarter. Jane Clohessy’s injury-enforced departure was followed by tall centre Tarpey’s first try to draw Rosser’s charges level.

A Caughey kick was tapped backwards by Claire Bennett, near halfway, and Tarpey was first to the loose ball, beating Flannery and Buttimer to it, and dashing clear, away from Aoife Corey, to give Caughey a levelling conversion from straight in front.

Caughey’s reliable right boot moved Leinster back up the touchline, following successive penalties leaked by Munster. Christy Haney was held up at close range, before Caughey took the points on offer in the 34th minute, punishing a Stephanie Nunan offside.

The newly-introduced O’Dowd ripped the ball away from a Munster maul, and a late surge delivered a second Leinster try. They worked some space for the impressive Emma Tilly, and fellow winger Ella Roberts, and then replacement Wafer brilliantly smashed her way over from 10 metres out.

Having got past both Breen and Bennett, Breen bit back on the Ballygarrett youngster who was still able to reach out to score, just to the right of the posts. Caughey’s extras put 10 points between the sides at the turnaround.

Leinster pressed again on the resumption, with Wafer winning a turnover penalty before twice threatening to score off the back of mauls. Corey’s excellent tackle denied Tilly a try, aided by a follow-up from Dorothy Wall.

A scrum penalty set up the Munster pack on a march downfield, with a power-packed lineout drive initially producing a try for second row Wall. TMO Mark Patton ruled it out, though, as some terrific positioning from Caoimhe Molloy saw her prevent a clear grounding.

Leinster continued to have the answers, a spritely break from Muirne Wall, who unfortunately lacked support, being foiled by O’Connor’s well-timed tackle and penalty win at the breakdown.

Boyne won another breakdown decision, this time just outside the Munster 22, and the fit-again O’Brien duly extended Leinster’s lead to 17 points.

Eimear Corri, Leinster’s player-of-the-match last week against Ulster, had to hobble off shortly afterwards, with Ireland Under-20 captain Jane Neill returning to the pitch to take her place.

An incisive move off a scrum saw the Leinster centres effectively put the game beyond Munster’s reach. Tarpey’s short ball put Aoife Dalton through a gap, and the return pass set up the Laois native to hand off McInerney and complete her brace, leaving it 27-7.

Chisom Ugwueru had limited opportunities, and just when she burst clear to head towards the try-line, the Ennis flyer was pulled back for a forward pass from Eimear Considine, one of seven second-half changes for the Reds.

Clodagh O’Halloran and replacement Brianna Heylmann typified Munster’s tenacity, stealing a lineout and holding up the all-action Wafer respectively. Considine also kicked well, but was guilty of a couple of slight knock-ons.

Fiona Hayes’ side were pinned back for the closing stages, as Dalton continued to exploit space in midfield and the Leinster pack also got on top at scrum time. A fourth try eluded them, but Campbell pinched a final lineout to see out a commanding team display.

TIME LINE: 12 minutes – Munster try: Alana McInerney – 5-0; conversion: Kate Flannery – 7-0; 24 mins – Leinster try: Leah Tarpey – 7-5; conversion: Nikki Caughey – 7-7; 34 mins – Leinster penalty: Nikki Caughey – 7-10; 38 mins – Leinster try: Aoife Wafer – 7-15; conversion: Nikki Caughey – 7-17; Half-time – Munster 7 Leinster 17; 55 mins – Leinster penalty: Dannah O’Brien – 7-20; 58 mins – Leinster try: Leah Tarpey – 7-25; conversion: Dannah O’Brien – 7-27; Full-time – Munster 7 Leinster 27

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 used: Brianna Heylmann (UL Bohemian RFC) for Clohessy (21 mins), Caitriona Finn (UL Bohemian RFC) for Flannery (56), Lucia Linn (Loughborough Lightning) for Nunan, Eimear Considine (UL Bohemian RFC) for Corey (both 59), Aoibheann McGrath (Dungarvan RFC) for Bennett, Ciara McLoughlin (UL Bohemian RFC) for Cahill (both 63), Aoibhe O’Flynn (UL Bohemian RFC) for Pearse, Ciara O’Dwyer (UL Bohemian RFC) for Buttimer (both 69).

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); Nikki Caughey (Malone RFC/Railway Union 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), Jane Neill (Arklow RFC/Galwegians RFC), Molly Boyne (Railway Union RFC) (capt), Caoimhe Molloy (Gorey RFC/Wicklow RFC).

Replacements used: Aoife Wafer (Enniscorthy RFC/Gorey RFC/Blackrock RFC) for Neill (25 mins), Niamh O’Dowd (Old Belvedere RFC) for Haney (34), Dannah O’Brien (Tullow RFC/Old Belvedere RFC) for Caughey (46), Neill for Corri (57), Ailsa Hughes (Tullamore RFC/Railway Union RFC) for Gaffney, Jemma Farrell (Old Belvedere RFC) for O’Brien, Aoife Moore (Carrick-on-Suir RFC/Blackrock College RFC) for Wafer, Anna Doyle (Tullow RFC/Blackrock College RFC) for Tilly (all 75), Kelly Burke (Mullingar RFC) for Delaney, Haney for Molloy (both 77).

Referee: Keane Davison (IRFU)