Connacht 24-29 Munster
Munster completed a clean sweep in the Vodafone Women's Interprovincial Championship as they saw off Connacht 29-24 in the Dexcom Stadium.
Already qualified for next weekend’s final against Leinster, who later beat Ulster 39-14, Munster were in control for most of the contest in Galway.
A brace of tries from breakout player of the tournament Alana McInerney, as well as fine scores from Chloe Pearse, Chisom Ugwueru and Bett Buttimer secured the points for Fiona Hayes’ side, with Kate Flannery kicking two conversions.
Outplayed for large spells, Connacht got a foothold with a late first-half score from Faith Oviawe, while late tries from Edel McMahon and a brace from Orla Dixon secured two losing bonus points for the Westerners.
Playing with the breeze in Galway, Munster got off to the perfect start, scoring twice in the opening six minutes.
Flannery’s kick put Ava Ryder under pressure and when the Connacht wing conceded a penalty under pressure from McInerney, Munster didn’t hang about.
A few phases later, Pearse spotted a gap at a ruck and punched her way over, with Flannery adding the extras.
Ugwueru looked unplayable at times in the first half, and she was on hand to score the second after Flannery’s pass sent McInerney free in midfield. The winger brushed off opposite number Laoise McGonagle before crossing.
Connacht managed to work some territory and possession but were let down by poor play at the set-piece, with the scrum and lineouts in trouble.
After withstanding the Connacht pressure, Munster soon got on the front foot and after Connacht failed to deal with a chip over the top, the visitors stayed patient before Dorothy Wall found McInerney on the wing and the competition’s top scorer finished in the corner.
After Meabh Deely denied Ugwueru close to the line, Buttimer secured a bonus point when she dotted down from a lineout maul just after the half-hour mark.
But Connacht, who gave up two late tries in last weekend’s draw with Ulster, refused to give up and had the last say of the half when flanker Oviawe ran in after a superb break from scrum-half Grainne Moran.
Nicole Fowley ran out of time for the conversion and Munster held a 22-5 half-time lead.
The Connacht out-half twice kicked the ball dead at the start of the second half and Munster but it took the table-toppers 17 minutes to add their fifth.
Scrum-half Muirne Wall, player of the match, made a break inside her own half and had the lively McInerney in support to run in for a trademark try, which was converted by Flannery.
Ireland head coach Scott Bemand will name an extended squad for the upcoming internationals on Wednesday and the UL flyer will be hard to ignore.
Emer O’Dowd’s side had brief visits to the Munster 22 but were undone by poor handling more often than not, however, Dixon showed great power to smash her way over with 12 minutes to play. Fowley’s kick made it 29-12.
The hosts sniffed a bonus point as Munster, who welcomed back Ireland internationals Eimear Considine and Nicole Cronin off the bench, began to tire.
They reduced the margin to 12 when Ireland co-captain McMahon ran on to Fowley’s flat pass to stretch out and score.
They looked to have blown their last chance when they were turned over close to the line in the last minute but a strong scrum won possession back and Dixon cut inside to dot down for their fourth try and two bonus points.
Connacht scorers - Tries: Faith Oviawe, Orla Dixon (2), Edel McMahon
Cons: Nicole Fowley (2)
Munster scorers - Tries: Chloe Pearse, Chisom Ugwueru, Alana McInerney (2), Beth Buttimer
Cons: Kate Flannery (2)
Connacht: Meabh Deely; Ava Ryder, Orla Dixon, Éabha Nic Dhonnacha, Laoise McGonagle; Nicole Fowley (co-capt), Grainne Moran; Ella Burns, Lily Brady, Megan Collis; Karly Tierney, Grace Browne; Faith Oviawe, Beibhinn Gleeson, Shannon Touhey (co-capt).
Replacements: Roisín Maher for Collis (28 mins), Poppy Garvey for Touhey Tierney (43), Edel McMahon for Gleeson, May Goulding for Moran, Sarah Purcell for Nic Dhonnacha (all 53), Stacy Hanley for Brady, Hannah Clarke for McGonagle, Ellen Connolly for Burns (all 58), Gleeson for Browne Moran (64), Collis for Maher (66).
Munster: Aoife Corey; Chisom Ugwueru, Lucia Linn, Enya Breen, Alana McInerney; Kate Flannery, Muirne Wall; Siobhan McCarthy, Beth Buttimer, Éilis Cahill; Dorothy Wall, Claire Bennett; Brianna Heylmann, Jane Clohessy, Chloe Pearse (capt).
Replacements: Eimear Considine for Ugwueru (48 mins), Nicole Cronin for Wall, Caitriona Finn for Nunan (both 58), Ciara O'Dwyer for McCarthy, Ciara McLoughlin for Cahill, Annakate Cournane for O’Halloran (all 62), Emma Dunican for Buttimer, Aoibhe O’Flynn for Bennett (both 65), Nunan for Flannery (75).
