Munster Women To Field Rejigged Back-Line Against Ulster
There is one personnel changes and two positional switches to the Munster team for their IRFU Women’s Interprovincial Championship encounter with Ulster at Portadown RFC on Sunday (kick-off 1pm).
Head coach Laura Guest has finalised the starting XV for Munster’s trip north to Chambers Park in Portadown where the senior game and the Ulster-Leinster Under-18 fixture (kick-off 12.30pm) forms a mouth-watering double header.
The injured Niamh Kavanagh misses out this week so Clare’s Eimear Considine, a try-scoring replacement in the 24-7 round 1 success against Connacht, is promoted to the right wing and Laura O’Mahony switches to full-back as Bantry Bay youngster Enya Breen wears the number 13 jersey instead of 15.
Breen (19) will have the vastly-experienced Niamh Briggs on her inside in an exciting centre pairing, while the rest of the back-line and the full starting pack are unchanged. Fiona Hayes and Chloe Pearse, who both touched down against Connacht, will lead from the front again in their co-captaincy roles.
Notable inclusions on the bench include Aine Staunton, who makes a return to the squad following a spell out with injury, and Claire Keohane, who captained Ireland to a bronze medal in the Rugby Europe Women’s Sevens Grand Prix Series following a successful finish in Kazan last weekend.
MUNSTER WOMEN (v Ulster Women): Laura O’Mahony (UL Bohemians); Eimear Considine (UL Bohemians), Enya Breen (Bantry Bay), Niamh Briggs (UL Bohemians), Laura Sheehan (UL Bohemians); Rachel Allen-Connolly (UL Bohemians), Nicole Cronin (UL Bohemians); Fiona Hayes (UL Bohemians) (co-capt), Kate Sheehan (UL Bohemians), Fiona Reidy (UL Bohemians), Roisin Ormond (Ballincollig), Siobhan McCarthy (Railway Union), Edel Murphy (UL Bohemians), Ciara Griffin (UL Bohemians), Chloe Pearse (UL Bohemians) (co-capt).
Replacements: Andrea Stock (Bantry Bay), Clodagh Cronin (Durham University), Clodagh O’Halloran (UL Bohemians), Sarah Quin (Richmond), Aine Staunton (UL Bohemians), Christine Coffey (Thurles), Ciara Scanlan (St. Mary’s), Claire Keohane (UL Bohemians).
Related Links –
IRFU Women’s Interpros Double Up With Under-18 Series
IRFU Women’s Interprovincial Championship Results/Fixtures/Table