Connacht winger Hannah Clarke, pictured scoring a try despite a tackle from Ulster's Rachael McIlroy, is back in their starting team this weekend ©INPHO/Ryan Byrne
Coming into back-to-back home matches, Connacht want to quickly put a disappointing result against Munster behind them. Their close rivals Ulster pay them a visit, determined to build on what was an encouraging performance in Dublin.
Saturday, August 16 –
CONNACHT (4th) v ULSTER (3rd), Dexcom Stadium, 4.15pm (live on Spórt TG4 YouTube Channel)
Match Programme – Vodafone Women’s Interprovincial Championship Round 2
Vodafone Women’s Interpros: Player Rankings – Top Tens After Round 1
Recent Interprovincial Form: Connacht: LDLWL; Ulster: LDLLL
2025/26 Interprovincial Championship Top Scorers: Connacht – Points: Ava Ryder 5; Tries: Ava Ryder 5; Ulster – Points: Siobhán Sheerin 11; Tries: Siobhán Sheerin, India Daley, Sophie Barrett 1 each
Last Five Meetings: 2023: Ulster 19 Connacht 25, Kingspan Stadium; Connacht 29 Ulster 24, the Sportsground; 3rd-4th Place Play-Off: Connacht 14 Ulster 36, Musgrave Park; 2024: Ulster 25 Connacht 25, Kingspan Stadium; 3rd-4th Place Play-Off: Ulster 19 Connacht 33, Kingspan Stadium
Players To Watch Out For: Connacht: Kayla Waldron – It will be fantastic to see Waldron back in the green jersey of Connacht. She suffered a horrific leg break (a compound tibia and fibular fracture) when playing for Railway Union in the 2024 Energia All-Ireland League final. Two surgeries later, and after a long road back, the 22-year-old now returns – and in a new position of out-half.
Ulster: Lauren Darley – Darley laid down quite a marker in his first senior appearance for Ulster last week. The Queen’s University second row amassed 25 attacking ruck arrivals, a figure only matched by Munster’s Aoibhe O’Fynn. She played the full 80 minutes, finishing with three lineout takes and one steal.
Pre-Match Views – Clara Barrett (Connacht): “We know from training that we’re a lot better than that (performance against Munster), and we just really didn’t show it. I think we’ve taken a lot of learnings from it now, and we can build on that.
“The Intepros is only four games, so we really need to make the most out of them. I think we just need to go into this week with our chins up after last week, and build on what we’ve talked about in training.
“Just from playing Ulster before, we know they’re a really physical side. We’ve even seen it against Leinster, they have some really strong ball carriers, so we just need to be able to front up to them. We need to really improve on last weekend.
“Last year I missed out on playing (at Dexcom Stadium) through injury, so it’s something I always look forward to every year. We always kind of put out a good performance here at Dexcom. Everyone’s looking forward to having that home support.”
Siobhán Sheerin (Ulster): “100%, we’re looking forward to it (the game against Connacht). Probably the main focus is fixing those ‘one percenters’ that we didn’t get right against Leinster.
“That’s all it is in a game, it’s one percent – maybe one tackle, one wrong move. We’ll be working on fixing those things coming into training, and we’ll be hitting the ground running again heading into Saturday.
“It’s always nice to get a score in any game, but when it’s your debut, stepping up (in the Ulster jersey), it’s a real good feeling. I think it was a turning point in the game as well.
“It lifted it. It just teed us up nicely into the second half, it gave the team a bit of belief. To convert (all three conversions), I just happened to be on form with the boot (today). A real good feeling to start off the Interpros.”
Team News: Connacht head coach Emer O’Dowd has target four key areas to clean up, including the tackle and breakdown areas, as they prepare to host Ulster – the team they beat to third place last year – in Galway.
Looking to bounce back from a frustrating 44-5 loss at the hands of Munster, the selected Connacht team shows five changes with the fit-again Kayla Waldron, Hannah Clarke, Hannah Coen, Roisin Maher, and recent Ireland debutant Ailish Quinn all starting.
Waldron is set to play for Connacht for the first time in two years, having shown immense resilience to come back from a compound tibia and fibular fracture, and two surgeries. Having previously played in the back row and at centre, she will take the reins at out-half tomorrow.
Winger Clarke is back from Ireland Sevens and Under-20 duty earlier in the summer, while the province’s new captain Éabha Nic Dhonnacha will lead the team again from inside centre.
The westerners will be hoping for another all-action performance from centre Orla Dixon, who was the first round’s top tackler with 18 successful tackles. Coen and Maher come in as the starting props, the latter replacing Megan Collis who pulled out through injury.
The 19-year-old Quinn will make her first senior start for Connacht, just two weeks after making her Test debut for Ireland. Another member of the Rugby World Cup preparation squad has been added to the matchday 23 in the form of Faith Oviawe (pictured below).
Oviawe, the strong-running forward, is part of a six-two split on Connacht’s bench, and Ulster will want to keep close tabs on her after she scored two tries in a player-of-the-match performance during last year’s 3rd-4th place play-off in Belfast.
Props Ellen Connolly and Hope Lowney are also listed among the replacements for Connacht’s first home Interprovincial fixture of the campaign, which marks the ‘State of Origin’ day with each player representing their club of origin.
Speaking ahead of the game, O’Dowd said: “We were very disappointed. We expected to fire a shot last Sunday, and it didn’t happen, and it didn’t happen for different reasons. But we didn’t become a bad team overnight, and we’ve parked it now.
“We’ve moved on, we’re focused on Ulster. We’re a way better team than how we performed last weekend, which is brilliant because if we went out and performed and got a hiding, we’d be in no-mans land now.
“So, the pressure is here. It’s like a little cauldron, a little pressure pot, but we go back to basics, we get our tackles right, we get our ball carry right, we get our decisions right on Saturday, and it will be a completely different thing. The pressure will be released then.”
Meanwhile, Ireland Sevens international Kate Farrell McCabe (pictured below) is one of three personnel changes made by Ulster head coach Murray Houston for this second round clash.
Farrell McCabe, who has played 106 World Sevens Series matches, will make her Ulster senior debut at full-back, joining her older sister Lauren, who features again at out-half, in the back-line. They last played together with Suttonians.
Niamh Marley moves to the left wing in a rejigged back-three that sees Paige Smyth miss out. Siobhán Sheerin and Georgia Boyce, two of the new caps from last week’s 37-21 loss to Leinster, retain their places at outside centre and scrum half respectively.
Cavan native Ava Fannin swaps in for Sophie Barrett at tighthead prop, while Enniskillen’s Moya Hill is rewarded with a start at blindside flanker. Ruby Starrett switches to the openside, with captain India Daley packing down again at number 8.
Vice-captain Brenda Barr and Lauren Darley look a promising second row pairing, and there is plenty more forward power on the bench with the Ulster coaching team opting for a six-two split.
The forward cover is provided by Barrett, Megan Simpson, Katie Hetherington, Stacey Sloan, and two of the debutants from last Sunday, Cara McLean, a highly-rated 18-year-old forward, and Rebecca Beacom.
Enniskillen scrum half Sophie Meeke and Cooke’s Kelly McCormill are the two back-line options, as Ulster aim for a first win in three meetings with Connacht. Their most recent Interpro victory was a 36-14 play-off success against the westerners in September 2023.
CONNACHT: Clara Barrett (UL Bohemian RFC); Emily Foley (Galwegians RFC), Orla Dixon (Galwegians RFC), Éabha Nic Dhonnacha (UL Bohemian RFC) (capt), Hannah Clarke (Old Belvedere RFC); Kayla Waldron (Railway Union RFC), Gráinne Moran (Galwegians RFC); Hannah Coen (Creggs RFC), Lily Brady (Westport RFC/UL Bohemian RFC), Roisin Maher (Galwegians RFC), Poppy Garvey (Railway Union RFC), Grace Browne Moran (Galwegians RFC), Beibhinn Gleeson (Tuam/Oughterard RFC), Ailish Quinn (Galwegians RFC), Jemima Adams Verling (Creggs RFC).
Replacements: Stacy Hanley (Galwegians RFC), Ellen Connolly (Galwegians RFC), Hope Lowney (MU Barnhall RFC), Faith Oviawe (Railway Union RFC), Caoilfhionn Conway Morrissey (Ennis RFC), Lesley Ring (Old Belvedere RFC), Ava Ryder (Blackrock College RFC), Fódhla Ní Bhraonáin (Tuam/Oughterard RFC).
ULSTER: Kate Farrell McCabe (Suttonians RFC); Lucy Thompson (Enniskillen RFC/Cooke RFC), Siobhán Sheerin (Clogher Valley RFC), Tara O’Neill (Cooke RFC), Niamh Marley (Cooke RFC); Lauren Farrell McCabe (Suttonians RFC), Georgia Boyce (Cooke RFC); Sarah Roberts (Queen’s University Belfast RFC), Maebh Clenaghan (Queen’s University Belfast RFC), Ava Fannin (Blackrock College RFC), Lauren Darley (Queen’s University Belfast RFC), Brenda Barr (Suttonians RFC), Moya Hill (Enniskillen RFC), Ruby Starrett (Queen’s University Belfast RFC), India Daley (Enniskillen RFC/Blackrock College RFC) (capt).
Replacements: Cara McLean (Larne RFC), Megan Simpson (Cooke RFC), Sophie Barrett (Enniskillen RFC), Rebecca Beacom (Enniskillen RFC), Katie Hetherington (Clogher Valley RFC), Sophie Meeke (Enniskillen RFC), Kelly McCormill (Monaghan RFC/Cooke RFC), Stacey Sloan (Cooke RFC).
Referee: John Purcell (IRFU)
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