Ulster 19-25 Connacht
Clara Barrett celebrated her 19th birthday a little early with a brace of tries in Connacht's 25-19 bonus point win over Ulster in the Vodafone Women's Interprovincial Championship.
Ireland Under-18 winger Barrett, who turns 19 next Thursday, scored in each half at a wet and windy Kingspan Stadium, with her 69th-minute score confirming Lyndon Jones' side as deserved winners.
Connacht did the majority of the damage in the first half, building a 20-0 lead with Mayo natives Barrett, Ava Ryder and Emma Fabby all touching down with Nicole Foley kicking the other points.
Captain Beth Cregan led a determined response from Ulster, registering tries in the 45th and 55th minutes, before Fowley and Shannon Touhey combined to send Barrett over out wide.
Connacht had done enough to earn their first Interprovincial victory since the 2019/20 campaign, but Ulster did manage to salvage a late losing bonus point as Ella Durkan converted a Niamh Marley effort past the 80-minute mark.
Ulster struggled for territory early on, the westerners turning down a kick at the posts before Fowley was just short with a shot from the 40-metre range.
The Connacht out-half pulled a second effort wide in the 10th minute, but they opened the scoring soon after, Mairéad Coyne dangling a kick through and Barrett beat Fern Wilson and Rachel McIlroy to get the grounding in the right corner.
A charge down from Kelly McCormill lifted the hosts and Maeve Liston was able to put Dungannon's Marley into space on the left, yet Connacht responded with a well-won scrum penalty.
The Connacht forwards wielded more influence with ball in hand, some impressive passing in midfield releasing Ryder just outside the Ulster 22, and the Railway Union youngster tore through and handed off McIlroy to double the lead to 10 points after 18 minutes.
An Orla Dixon break, coupled with another scrum penalty, kept Connacht playing in the right areas of the pitch as Neill Alcorn's charges were forced on the defensive again.
Nearing the half hour mark, Connacht struck for try number three with Dixon and Coyne cleverly exploiting space out wide. The latter dummied through and was hauled down short before a few bites at the cherry ended with flanker Fabby burrowing over.
Fowley converted and then tagged on a penalty, widening the margin to 20 points as Ulster regrouped, bringing on new props in Gemma McCamley and Ava Fannin before they began to put some promising phases together.
Connacht number 8 Grace Browne Moran saw yellow for collapsing a lineout maul, yet Durkan overcooked her kick to touch and the visitors held firm soon after thanks to a turnover penalty won by Lisa-Marie Murphy.
Ulster were much improved on the restart, winger Marley getting a chance to stretch her legs, and sniping scrum half McIlroy brought them deep into Connacht's 22.
A penalty tucked away into touch, the hosts' maul produced the goods with a monster drive propelling Cregan over the whitewash.
Durkan was unfortunate with the conversion which bounced back off the far post. Ulster were faring much better in the possession stakes now, upping the physicality but with Connacht's experienced prop Laura Feely repelling them with some well-timed entries at the breakdown.
Cregan provided more inspiration for her side in the 55th minute, Marley going close when invited through off a scrum and her skipper tidied up loose ball and stretched out to score despite Sonia McDermott's tackle.
The conversion from Durkan reduced the arrears to 20-12, Fowley missing a kickable penalty in response and, in a scrappy spell, breaks from McCormill and Coyne went unrewarded.
It was Fowley who pointed the way for the westerners, regathering her own chip and linking with Dixon as the green shirts flooded forward back into the Ulster 22.
Replacement Niamh O'Grady and Feely did a lot of donkey work as ball carriers, wearing down the home defence before Fowley and Touhey flashed the ball wide for Barrett to complete her brace.
That timely try gave Connacht a 13-point cushion, but they had to weather a late storm from Ulster. The hosts' lineout malfunctioned close to the Connacht line, Karly Tierney pinching two of Cregan's throws and another one was overthrown.
Ultimately, Ulster's persistence paid off when Ilse van Staden carried strongly and Durkan wisely switched play back to the left side where she linked with Liston to put Marley over, the out-half adding a neatly-struck conversion.
