Interprovincial championship losing battle for relevance

Munster 3-21 Ulster 0-15: Anthony Daly conceded that the inter-provincial series is not capturing the public’s imagination as an estimated crowd of 100 people turned up at Semple Stadium for Munster’s facile victory over Ulster yesterday.

Following on from another dismal attendance for the Connacht-Leinster semi-final on Saturday, any hope of a boost for the ailing format was not forthcoming over the weekend.

That’s a pity as there was plenty of top talent on view across both games but Munster manager Daly re-iterated his view that it might be time to take the competition abroad, while also revealing that his preparations took a hit when the Ulster semi-final was moved from Saturday to Sunday. Waterford pair Pauric Mahony and Austin Gleeson picked up knocks in a challenge with Offaly while Munster selector Tommy Dunne and Tipp’s Pádraic Maher were both in a race against time to make the fixture, with both men involved with their respective clubs in the county U21A final between Toomevara and Thurles Sarsfields.