Baker And Brogan The Scoring Stars For Leinster Against Ulster

VODAFONE WOMEN’S INTERPROVINCIAL CHAMPIONSHIP – ROUND 1:

Sunday, August 10 –

LEINSTER 37 ULSTER 21, Energia Park
Scorers: Leinster: Tries: Kathy Baker 2, Emma Brogan 3, Jane Neill, Jade Gaffney; Con: Nikki Caughey
Ulster: Tries: Siobhán Sheerin, India Daley, Sophie Barrett; Cons: Siobhán Sheerin 3
HT: Leinster 22 Ulster 14

Two of Leinster’s 13 debutants, Kathy Baker and Emma Brogan (2), contributed tries as they built a 22-14 half-time lead at Energia Park. Ireland Under-20 captain Jane Neill also scored from the base of the scrum.

After defending for much of the first half, Ulster were clinical with a couple of scoring chances approaching the interval. Siobhán Sheerin marked her first appearance at this level with a fine try, and also converted captain India Daley’s follow-up effort.

Jade Gaffney and Baker, the Vodafone player-of-the-match, both crossed during the third quarter, with Ulster losing Brenda Barr to the sin bin not long after a Sophie Barrett try.

Murray Houston’s improving side had enough possession to bag a bonus point or two of their own, but the excellent Baker teed up Brogan’s hat-trick score as Leinster quickly turn their attention to next Saturday’s visit of arch rivals Munster.

New Leinster full-back Caoimhe McCormack unfortunately had to come off early with her left arm in a sling, her debut lasting barely six minutes. Handling errors from both teams made for a stop-start opening.

The game caught fire in the 14th minute when Maggie Boylan broke menacingly down the left wing, using a couple of powerful fends, before Paige Smyth and Niamh Marley got across to deny her in the left corner.

However, Leinster soon worked the ball across to the right where Ireland Sevens international Baker burst over to make it 5-0. Nikki Caughey did well in the build-up, linking with Cara Martin and replacement Ellie O’Sullivan Sexton to create the opening.

Highly-rated number 8 Neill then showed her class with a bustling break and brilliant offload, Leinster flooding forward again with Kate Jordan up in support but prop Aoife Moore was unable to hold onto her pass.

The Ulster defence was now under sustained pressure. When the hosts put pace on the ball to set up an overlap on the right, the centres released teenage winger Brogan who cut inside Marley’s attempted tackle to double the lead to 10 points.

Ulster’s maul defence got them out of trouble, and better work at set-piece time led to a strong run from newcomer Sheerin. The attack broke down, though, and Leinster were finding it easier to make yards, particularly with Boylan’s running threat out wide.

Having taken the scrum option from a 32nd-minute penalty, Neill had a cut herself from 15 metres out and stormed her way over, leaving both Katie Hetherington and Lauren Farrell McCabe in her wake. Caughey’s conversion made it 17-0.

Stung into action by that try, Ulster opened their account in style with Sheerin’s smartly-crafted score. She used scrum possession to exploit a gap, aided by Marley’s decoy run, and was there to take Farrell McCabe’s well-timed offload off the deck to touch down.

The Clogher Valley centre tagged on the conversion for good measure, and Ulster soon added a second seven-pointer. Hetherington won a turnover penalty, Farrell McCabe sent Tara O’Neill motoring through midfield, and Brenda Barr timed her pass to perfection to send Daley in behind the posts.

Nonetheless, there was still just enough time for Leinster to squeeze in a late bonus point try. Boylan’s counter-rucking helped Ciara Short to pounce on possession, and Ulster were caught for numbers on the right again as Baker ran into space before sending Brogan over.

Inside five minutes of the restart, the gap was out to 13 points after vice-captain Gaffney had squeezed over. Leinster used their power up front to win a scrum penalty and press from a maul, Moore going close before the scrum half took her opportunity.

Back came Ulster, using their own pack to batter their way up close. Talented prop Barrett, a real star for the Ireland U-20s in recent seasons, was held up, but was unstoppable on a second occasion having scooped up a loose ball. Sheerin’s extras cut Leinster’s lead to 27-21.

Frustratingly for the visitors, they then lost Barr to a yellow card as referee Cian Aherne punished them for repeated infringements. They held firm until Baker caught them out wide in the 54th minute, getting past Marley and barrelling through Sheerin’s challenge for a classy finish.

As Ulster sought a swift reply, Marley did all the hard work on a superb slashing break only to knock on at the crucial moment. Houston’s charges were holding onto the field position now, save for a Katie Corrigan run that was pulled back for a forward pass.

It took a turnover from Leinster’s new skipper Molly Boyne to break up Ulster’s momentum, which came from piercing carries from Sheerin and their replacement front rowers amid a quick-witted set of attacking phases.

Into the closing stages, the otherwise impressive Sheerin kicked a penalty dead. A few minutes later, Kelly Burke used an overthrown Ulster lineout to launch a kick chase, with Corrigan getting the ball back, and it was Baker’s floated pass that sent Brogan over for her third of the day.

TIME LINE: 14 minutes – Leinster try: Kathy Baker – 5-0; conversion: missed by Nikki Caughey – 5-0; 17 mins – Leinster try: Emma Brogan – 10-0; conversion: missed by Nikki Caughey – 10-0; 32 mins – Leinster try: Jane Neill – 15-0; conversion: Nikki Caughey – 17-0; 35 mins – Ulster try: Siobhán Sheerin – 17-5; conversion: Siobhán Sheerin – 17-7; 39 mins – Ulster try: India Daley – 17-12; conversion: Siobhán Sheerin – 17-14; 40+1 mins – Leinster try: Emma Brogan – 22-14; conversion: missed by Nikki Caughey – 22-14; Half-time – Leinster 22 Ulster 14; 45 mins – Leinster try: Jade Gaffney – 27-14; conversion: missed by Nikki Caughey – 27-14; 49 mins – Ulster try: Sophie Barrett – 27-19; conversion: Siobhán Sheerin – 27-21; 52 mins – Ulster yellow card: Brenda Barr; 54 mins – Leinster try: Kathy Baker – 32-21; conversion: missed by Ellie O’Sullivan Sexton – 32-21; 79 mins – Leinster try: Emma Brogan – 37-21; conversion: missed by Ellie O’Sullivan Sexton – 37-21; Full-time – Leinster 37 Ulster 21

LEINSTER: Caoimhe McCormack (Railway Union RFC); Emma Brogan (MU Barnhall RFC), Kathy Baker (Blackrock College RFC), Cara Martin (Blackrock College RFC), Maggie Boylan (Blackrock College RFC); Nikki Caughey (Railway Union RFC), Jade Gaffney (Old Belvedere RFC); Aoife Moore (Blackrock College RFC), Lisa Callan (Old Belvedere RFC), Katie Layde (Old Belvedere RFC), Clíodhna Ní Chonchobhair (Blackrock College RFC), Kate Jordan (Blackrock College RFC), Ciara Short (Wicklow RFC), Molly Boyne (Railway Union RFC) (capt), Jane Neill (Old Belvedere RFC).

Replacements: Méabh Keegan (Railway Union RFC), Kelly Burke (MU Barnhall RFC), Clodagh Dunne (Old Belvedere RFC), Rosie Searle (Navan RFC), Emma Kelly (Old Belvedere RFC), Erin McConnell (Wicklow RFC), Ellie O’Sullivan Sexton (Old Belvedere RFC), Katie Corrigan (Old Belvedere RFC).

ULSTER: Niamh Marley (Cooke RFC); Lucy Thompson (Enniskillen RFC/Cooke RFC), Siobhán Sheerin (Clogher Valley RFC), Tara O’Neill (Cooke RFC), Paige Smyth (Ballynahinch RFC/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), Sophie Barrett (Enniskillen RFC), Lauren Darley (Queen’s University Belfast RFC), Brenda Barr (Suttonians RFC), Ruby Starrett (Queen’s University Belfast RFC), Katie Hetherington (Clogher Valley RFC), India Daley (Enniskillen RFC/Blackrock College RFC) (capt).

Replacements: Megan Simpson (Cooke RFC), Cara McLean (Larne RFC), Ava Fannin (Blackrock College RFC), Rebecca Beacom (Enniskillen RFC), Moya Hill (Enniskillen RFC), Rachael McIlroy (Queen’s University Belfast RFC), Kelly McCormill (Monaghan RFC/Cooke RFC), Stacey Sloan (Cooke RFC).

Referee: Cian Aherne (IRFU)
Assistant Referees: Stuart Donaldson, Gary McCormack (both IRFU)