Vodafone Women’s Interprovincial Championship Ready For Kick-Off
Ireland internationals Dorothy Wall, Sabhbh McGrath, Natasja Behan and Aoibheann Reilly are pictured at the launch of the Vodafone Women's Interprovincial Championship at the IRFU High Performance Centre ©INPHO/Ben Brady
As the countdown continues to the start of the Vodafone Women’s Interprovincial Championship, players from all four provinces were today in attendance at the IRFU High Performance Centre to officially launch the 2023/24 tournament.
The quality, competitiveness and excitement around the Vodafone Women’s Interprovincial Championship has been building year-on-year, and the four upcoming rounds of action marks the start of a busy and important season ahead both domestically and internationally.
Defending champions Munster kick off the 2023/24 season against Ulster at City of Armagh RFC on Saturday, August 12, before Connacht go head-to-head with Leinster at the Sportsground in Galway to conclude the opening weekend.
The first round of fixtures will be broadcast live on the TG4 YouTube channel, before the Irish language broadcaster carries live coverage of all remaining matches on its main channel free-to-air, including the return of the showpiece finals day on Saturday, September 2.
The IRFU is also delighted to confirm BBC Northern Ireland will continue to carry live coverage of Ulster’s matches, with the support from both TG4 and BBC Northern Ireland a real positive for the competition in recent years.
Through free-to-air coverage, the Vodafone Women’s Interprovincial Championship has been given the platform to showcase the very best of the Women’s game, bringing it to new audiences, growing the support and building exciting momentum as we head into the new campaign.
Round 2 of the Championship will see Leinster host Ulster at Energia Park on Saturday, August 19, while Munster welcome Connacht to Musgrave Park in Cork.
A week later, on Saturday, August 26, Connacht face Ulster in Galway and Leinster meet Munster in what will be a hotly-anticipated round 3 clash at Energia Park.
The IRFU will confirm the venue for finals day in due course.
In attendance at the IRFU High Performance Centre this morning for the tournament launch were players Dorothy Wall (Munster), Natasja Behan (Leinster), Aoibheann Reilly (Connacht), and Sadhbh McGrath (Ulster), as well as IRFU President Greg Barrett and Gerry Nixon, Head of Sponsorship at Vodafone Ireland.
Commenting at the launch, Barrett said: “We are delighted to formally launch the Vodafone Women’s Interprovincial Championship, marking the start of a very busy season for the Women’s game.
“The growth of this competition in recent seasons has been particularly exciting and that is credit to the players, coaches and management teams at all four provinces, but also a strong reflection of the excellent work that continues at club and underage level.
“We remain committed to developing our Women’s pathways and the Vodafone Women’s Interprovincial Championship plays an integral part in that structure.
“Our continued thanks to competition sponsors Vodafone, who are an excellent supporter of Irish Rugby at all levels, and to TG4 and BBC Northern Ireland, who remain steadfast in their commitment to growing the game and showcasing it to audiences on a free-to-air basis.
“We look forward to watching the next four weekends of action unfold and wish all four provinces the very best of luck.”
Vodafone Ireland’s Nixon added: “Vodafone Ireland is committed to building the most interconnected team and fan base on the planet, so everybody feels part of and connected to the ‘Team of Us’.
“We are excited to continue a very exciting year for rugby with the kick-off of this year’s Vodafone Women’s Interprovincial Championship, highlighting our continued support for Irish Rugby.
“We aim to inspire the next generation of men and women in the sport and encourage all rugby fans to get behind their provinces and show their support during the Vodafone Women’s Interprovincial Championship.”
Tickets are available through the team websites at connachtrugby.ie, leinsterrugby.ie, munsterrugby.ie, and ulsterrugby.com.
VODAFONE WOMEN’S INTERPROVINCIAL CHAMPIONSHIP FIXTURES:
Round 1 – Saturday, August 12
- Ulster v Munster, City of Armagh RFC, 3pm
- Connacht v Leinster, the Sportsground, 5.15pm
Round 2 – Saturday, August 19
- Leinster v Ulster, Energia Park, 1pm
- Munster v Connacht, Musgrave Park, 3.15pm
Round 3 – Saturday, August 26
- Connacht v Ulster, the Sportsground, 2.30pm
- Leinster v Munster, Energia Park, 4.45pm
Finals Day – Saturday, September 2
- TBC