VODAFONE WOMEN'S INTERPROVINCIAL CHAMPIONSHIP - ROUND 3:
Saturday, August 22 –
ULSTER 5 LEINSTER 75, Affidea Stadium
Scorers: Ulster: Try: Olivia McKinley
Leinster: Tries: Robyn O'Connor 5, Vicky Elmes Kinlan, Katie Whelan 3, Ruth Campbell, Nikki Gibson; Cons: Ellie O'Sullivan Sexton 10
HT: Ulster 5 Leinster 33
Needing a bonus point win to book their place in next Saturday's Galway decider against Munster, 11-try Leinster proved far too strong for a gallant Ulster team.
Two years on from her try-scoring debut for her province in Belfast, Ireland starlet Robyn O'Connor served up an eye-catching trio of tries inside the opening 21 minutes.
Vicky Elmes Kinlan and Katie Whelan also touched down as Leinster led 33-5 by half-time, with Olivia McKinley's try on her first start raising Ulster's spirits.
Deputising for Dannah O'Brien in the number 10 jersey, Ellie O'Sullivan Sexton impressed throughout, kicking 20 points from the tee and combining well with both Whelan and Alex Connor.
Lively scrum-half Whelan claimed a stylish hat-trick despite Erin King's 50th-minute sin-binning for interfering with Moya Hill at a lineout.
Ulster conceded over 60 points for the second week running, as player-of-the-match Ruth Campbell and replacement Nikki Gibson got on the scoresheet, and O'Connor finished with a handsome five-try haul.
The free-scoring performance sets up a fourth Leinster-Munster final pairing in as many years, and gives the Blues, who lost 39-19 to their arch rivals in the opening round, a chance to avenge last year's final defeat.
The visitors got off to the ideal start, scoring inside 80 seconds. Aoife Dalton's powerful burst through the middle led to Stacey Flood sending O'Connor over from the right wing.
On just her second start at out-half, O'Sullivan Sexton landed a confident conversion, and then almost connected with Elmes Kinlan from a cross-field kick.
Despite Ulster putting together some encouraging phases, either side of halfway, Leinster continued to create early opportunities, and a double movement denied Campbell.
There was no stopping Elmes Kinlan in the eighth minute, the Wicklow winger crossing in the left corner after a loose Ulster lineout, and another tidy assist from Flood.
Nonetheless, a bout of strong carrying from Moya Hill, Maebh Clenaghan, and Sophie Barrett helped Ulster to close the gap to 12-5, with teenage lock McKinley's quickly-taken penalty seeing her score close to the posts.
Sana Govender's side continued to be clinical, though, as O'Connor's speedy 15th-minute finish rewarded some crisp passing across the back-line. O'Sullivan Sexton converted for a 14-point lead.
With Ulster's lineout issues persisting, Leinster swiftly had the platform to build for their bonus point score. O'Connor nipped around Niamh Marley and took Lucy Thompson with her over the try-line.
Following O'Sullivan Sexton's best conversion of the day, Fiona Tuite-O'Sullivan lifted the hosts with a turnover penalty, and a Leah Irwin interception broke up a subsequent Leinster attack.
However, there were still too many Ulster errors when in possession, and Rachael McIlroy's missed tackle allowed her opposite number Whelan to scamper over from a late converted try.
The dual international went on to open the second-half's scoring in terrific fashion, snapping up a pass from Ella Durkan, and evading the clutches of Thompson and Marley to race over from Leinster's 10-metre line.
Ulster's stand-in captain Claire Boles rallied her team-mates, briefly threatening from an interception and then running back a miscued O'Sullivan Sexton kick.
Crucially though, when Murray Houston's charges got within scoring range, their lineout let them down too often. They did have a numerical advantage to exploit after King's yellow card.
Whelan had other ideas, and she countered brilliantly from a kick some 60 metres out, beating Abby Moyles' tackle and and outpacing the chasing McIlroy to complete her own quick-fire hat-trick.
Into the final quarter of an hour, a barnstorming Leinster maul was well controlled at the rear by replacement Emma Jane Wilson, who then provided the latch for Campbell to crash over just beside the posts.
O'Sullivan Sexton's reliable right boot made it 54-5, and there was still time for three more converted scores. Firstly, O'Connor seized upon a loopy Moyles pass to raid in under the posts.
The Leinster pack continued to win scrum penalties, and the field position led to Gibson reaching over from a ruck. Fittingly, O'Connor had the final say, darting around Durkan with O'Sullivan Sexton tagging on her tenth conversion.
TIME LINE: 2 minutes - Leinster try: Robyn O'Connor - 0-5; conversion: Ellie O'Sullivan Sexton - 0-7; 8 mins - Leinster try: Vicky Elmes Kinlan - 0-12; conversion: misssed by Ellie O'Sullivan Sexton - 0-12; 11 mins - Ulster try: Olivia McKinley - 5-12; conversion: missed by Ella Durkan - 5-12; 15 mins - Leinster try: Robyn O'Connor - 5-17; conversion: Ellie O'Sullivan Sexton - 5-19; 21 mins - Leinster try: Robyn O'Connor - 5-24; conversion: Ellie O'Sullivan Sexton - 5-26; 39 mins - Leinster try: Katie Whelan - 5-31; conversion: Ellie O'Sullivan Sexton - 5-33; Half-time - Ulster 5 Leinster 33; 43 mins - Leinster try: Katie Whelan - 5-38; conversion: Ellie O'Sullivan Sexton - 5-40; 50 mins - Leinster yellow card: Erin King; 54 mins - Leinster try: Katie Whelan - 5-45; conversion: Ellie O'Sullivan Sexton - 5-47; 66 mins - Leinster try: Ruth Campbell - 5-52; conversion: Ellie O'Sullivan Sexton - 5-54; 69 mins - Leinster try: Robyn O'Connor - 5-59; conversion: Ellie O'Sullivan Sexton - 5-61; 74 mins - Leinster try: Nikki Gibson - 5-66; conversion: Ellie O'Sullivan Sexton - 5-68; 79 mins - Leinster try: Robyn O'Connor - 5-73; conversion: Ellie O'Sullivan Sexton - 7-75; Full-time - Ulster 5 Leinster 75
ULSTER: Niamh Marley; Caitlin Crowe, Leah Irwin, Siobhán Sheerin, Lucy Thompson; Ella Durkan, Rachael McIlroy; Sadhbh McGrath, Maebh Clenaghan, Sophie Barrett, Fiona Tuite-O'Sullivan, Olivia McKinley, Moya Hill, Rebecca Beacom, Claire Boles (capt).
Replacements: Emily Whittle, Bronach Cassidy, Grace Simati, Christy Hill, Stacey Sloan, Georgia Boyce, Katie Gilmour, Abby Moyles.
LEINSTER: Stacey Flood; Robyn O'Connor, Aoife Dalton, Eve Higgins, Vicky Elmes Kinlan; Ellie O'Sullivan Sexton, Katie Whelan; Caoimhe Molloy, Sarah Delaney (capt), Linda Djougang, Ruth Campbell, Alma Atagamen, Regan Casey, Kathy Baker, Erin King.
Replacements: Emma Jane Wilson, Hannah Wilson, Hope Lowney, Kate Jordan, Nikki Gibson, Alex Connor, Niamh Murphy, Amy Larn.
Referee: John Purcell (IRFU)
Assistant Referees: Morgan McCartney, Glenda Mellon (both IRFU)
