Women’s: Brennan Starts For Leinster

Boyne forward Orla Brennan attacking against Ulster

Ireland international Orla Brennan, a replacement against Connacht last week, will start for Leinster in today’s Interprovincial Championship clash with Munster at Musgrave Park.

IWRFU INTERPROVINCIAL CHAMPIONSHIP: ROUND TWO: Saturday, October 22

Munster v Leinster, Musgrave Park, 2.30pm

Ulster v Connacht, Malone RFC, 2.30pm

Brennan, who made her Irish debut in last season’s Six Nations, returns at number 8 to replace her Boyne club mate Ciara Power.

Leinster coach Shane McEntee has made two changes and one positional switch for the historic Cork fixture. It is the first time Munster’s women’s team have ever staged a match at Musgrave Park.

The other changes for Leinster, who beat Connacht 47-3 seven days ago, see Navan flyer Jackie Shiels start on the right wing ahead of Kate Rosingrave and Vicki McGinn. The province’s captain Caroline Mahon also shifts from lock to blinside flanker in a switch with Old Belvedere’s Julianne Stack.

Munster coach Tony Trehy has named an unchanged starting line-up from that which demolished Ulster last week. There could be a late change – UL Bohs winger Jeanette Feighry has picked up a shoulder injury so her place will go to Sharyn Sample, who scored two tries as a replacement against Ulster, if she does not make it. Eavan Hunt of Clonakilty will then move up the bench.

An interesting aside in the match is that Leinster winger Lynne Cantwell, having transferred from Munster during the close season, will be lining out against seven of her former UL Bohemians team mates from the kick-off. Current Leinster captain Caroline Mahon is also ironically a UL Bohs player.

Meanwhile, Ulster take on Connacht at Malone RFC minus Cooke lock Janet Reid who unfortunately broke her leg in training during the week. Former Ireland back row Rachel Reid will start after recovering from a knee injury.

Ulster coach Nathan Moore has also brought in Claire Connor for her Cooke club mate Vanita Henry at scrum half. It will be Connor’s first senior start.

Connacht coach Shaun Brotherton names his side today and relies heavily on the large Galwegians contingent in the westerners’ squad – eight forwards, including last week’s penalty kicker Angela Flaherty, and seven backs.

MUNSTER: Amanda Greensmith (Shannon); Jeanette Feighry (UL Bohs), Stacey Kucharchuk (Shannon), Patrique Kelly (capt) (UL Bohs), Carol Murphy (UL Bohs); Sarah-Jane Belton (UL Bohs), Louise Beamish (UL Bohs); Marie Barrett (Highfield), Jean Lonergan (Shannon), Laura Guest (Clonakilty), Deirdre O’Brien (UL Bohs), Helen Jones (Highfield), Rachel Tucker (UL Bohs), Eimear O’Sullivan (Clonakilty), Joy Neville (Shannon).

Replacements: Emma Stanley (UL Bohs), Natasha O’Keeffe (Clanwilliam), Noreen Fitzgerald (Highfield), Tracie O’Dwyer (Clanwilliam), Sharyn Sample (Shannon), Denise Tracey (Shannon), Deirdre Lynch (Highfield).

LEINSTER: Joanne O’Sullivan (Lichfield RFC); Jackie Shiels (Navan), Grace Davitt (Boyne), Ailish Egan (Dublin University), Lynne Cantwell (Trojans RFC); Shannon Houston (Blackrock), Tania Rosser (Blackrock); Fiona Coghlan (UL Bohs), Sandra McAleer (Boyne), Shirley Corcoran (Blackrock), Julianne Stack (Old Belvedere), Germaine Healy (Blackrock), Caroline Mahon (UL Bohs) (capt), Sinead Ryan (Navan), Orla Brennan (Boyne).

Replacements: Anne Carroll (St Mary’s), Yvonne Nolan (Blackrock), Ciara Power (Boyne), Debbie Clarke (St Mary’s), Zoe Grey (Navan)/Vicki McGinn (Boyne), Genevieve Rowland (Roscrea), Kate Rosingrave (Blackrock)/Vicki McGinn (Boyne).

ULSTER: Joy Sparkes (Cooke RFC); Hilary Cawood (Cooke RFC), Suzanne Fleming (Cooke RFC) (capt), Maura McArdle (Cooke RFC), Brenda Brogan (Enniskillen); Laura Nicholl (Cooke RFC), Claire Connor (Cooke RFC); Jo Bell (Carrick), Jess Limbert (Cooke RFC), Rachel Currie (Cooke RFC), Lucy Fagan (Cooke RFC), Rachel Reid (Cooke RFC), Claire Knipe (Armagh), Kerry Maxwell (Royal High Corstorphine), Rachel Boyd (Cooke RFC).

Replacements: Gillian McAllister (Cooke RFC), Daphne Mahon (Enniskillen), Pauline McConville (Cooke RFC), Jane Boyd (Cooke RFC), Vanita Henry (Cooke RFC), Christine Robb (Armagh), Cathy Maguire (Cooke RFC).

CONNACHT Squad: Wendy Hickey (Galwegians), Angela Flaherty (Galwegians), Valerie Finn (Newbridge), Aoife Maher (Galwegians), Muireann Walsh (Newbridge), Karen Smith (Galwegians), Yvonne Comer (Galwegians), Rochelle Howlett (UL Bohs), Ruth O’Reilly (Galwegians), Caroline Pryce (Galwegians), Emer O’Dowd (Galwegians), Jean Wynne (Galwegians) (capt), Sorcha Ni Chadhain (Galwegians), Kate Canty (UL Bohs), Roisin McNulty (UL Bohs), Olivia Tuffy (Galwegians), Kathleen Finn (Galwegians), Nuala Ni Chadhain (Galwegians), Marie Hughes (Galwegians), Elaine Browne (Galwegians), Maxine Tierney (Shannon), Gillian Burke (UL Bohs).