Skipper O'Connor bows out as Leinster retain crowd

Two-try matchwinner Leah Tarpey spoke about the squad doing it for their injured captain.

Leinster’s Hannah O’Connor with Eimear Considine and Dorothy Wall of Munster. Pic: ©INPHO/Ryan Byrne

Vodafone Women's Interprovincial Championship Final:

Munster 7 Leinster 27

Leinster captain Hannah O'Connor bowed out on a high, confirming her  retirement after her province retained the Interprovincial Championship title with an impressive win over Munster at Kingspan Stadium.

The 34-year-old has been an ever-present in Leinster blue since making her debut in 2018 and won also won 21 Irish senior caps.

She told her teammates during the week of her plans to call it a day. Unfortunately for O'Connor, her chance to lead the team on the field in Belfast was denied byy injury

But two-try matchwinner Leah Tarpey spoke about the squad doing it for their captain.

"Coming into this game today we just really wanted to do it for Hannah who obviously missed out today.

"I'm just so proud of the whole group that we were able to do it for her."

Stand-in captain Molly Boyne was also effusive in her praise of O'Connor's role on the day and during the week, when it might have been easier to drift into the background.

"There is no one quite like Hannah O'Connor. She has been the backbone and the leader of this team over the last few years. Her presence was really felt during this week and then, in turn, the girls really wanted to go out and do this for her and bring it home in her name and she was with us every step of the way.

"She was running water for us, giving us advice, and she was just amazing (all week) and you felt like she was with you out there today as well, even though she wasn't on the pitch.

"She is our inspiration and our role model and I am so glad we could win this for her today." 

Tarpey repeated her two-try heroics from last year's final after Alana McInerney's seventh try of the tournament raised Munster hopes early on,  

The table toppers, who had beaten Leinster 32-21 in Cork a fortnight ago, were unable to go four-from-four in Belfast.

Leinster’s Molly Byrne and Hannah O’Connor lift the trophy: Pic ©INPHO/Ryan Byrne

An opportunist Tarpey score drew Leinster level, before Nikki Caughey kicked them ahead with a penalty, and a bulldozing seven-pointer from the outstanding Aoife Wafer made it 17-7 at half-time.

Dorothy Wall was denied a try from a monster maul early on the resumption, and it was just not Munster's day as young hooker Beth Buttimer had also been held up inside the game's opening minutes.

Increasingly dominant in possession, Leinster went on to become back-to-back Interpro champions, matching the achievements of their 2018 and 2019 predecessors, thanks to a Dannah O'Brien penalty, and a second try from player-of-the-match Tarpey.

Ireland out-half O'Brien came on to make her seasonal debut, and getting players of that calibre, including the likes of fellow internationals Wafer and Niamh O'Dowd, back on the pitch in recent weeks has been crucial to Leinster's strong finish to the campaign.

Scorers for Munster: Try: Alana McInerney; Con: Kate Flannery 

Leinster: Tries: Leah Tarpey 2, Aoife Wafer; Cons: Nikki Caughey 2, Dannah O’Brien; Pens: Nikki Caughey, Dannah O’Brien  

MUNSTER: Aoife Corey (UL Bohemian RFC); Chisom Ugwueru (UL Bohemian RFC), Stephanie Nunan (UL Bohemian RFC), Enya Breen (Blackrock College RFC), Alana McInerney (UL Bohemian RFC); Kate Flannery (UL Bohemian RFC), Muirne Wall (UL Bohemian RFC); Siobhan McCarthy (Gloucester-Hartpury), Beth Buttimer (UL Bohemian RFC), Éilis Cahill (UL Bohemian RFC), Dorothy Wall (Exeter Chiefs), Claire Bennett (UL Bohemian RFC), Clodagh O’Halloran (UL Bohemian RFC), Jane Clohessy (UL Bohemian RFC), Chloe Pearse (UL Bohemian RFC) (capt).

Replacements used: Brianna Heylmann (UL Bohemian RFC) for Clohessy (21 mins), Caitriona Finn (UL Bohemian RFC) for Flannery (56), Lucia Linn (Loughborough Lightning) for Nunan, Eimear Considine (UL Bohemian RFC) for Corey (both 59), Aoibheann McGrath (Dungarvan RFC) for Bennett, Ciara McLoughlin (UL Bohemian RFC) for Cahill (both 63), Aoibhe O’Flynn (UL Bohemian RFC) for Pearse, Ciara O’Dwyer (UL Bohemian RFC) for Buttimer (both 69).

LEINSTER: Robyn O’Connor (Wexford Wanderers RFC); Emma Tilly (MU Barnhall RFC/Old Belvedere RFC), Aoife Dalton (Tullamore RFC/Old Belvedere RFC), Leah Tarpey (Tullamore RFC/Railway Union RFC), Ella Roberts (Wicklow RFC); Nikki Caughey (Malone RFC/Railway Union RFC), Jade Gaffney (Navan RFC/Old Belvedere RFC); Linda Djougang (Wanderers FC/Old Belvedere RFC), Sarah Delaney (PortDara Falcons RFC/Blackrock College RFC), Christy Haney (Blackrock College RFC), Ruth Campbell (Naas RFC/MU Barnhall RFC/Old Belvedere RFC), Eimear Corri (Portlaoise RFC/Blackrock College RFC), Jane Neill (Arklow RFC/Galwegians RFC), Molly Boyne (Railway Union RFC) (capt), Caoimhe Molloy (Gorey RFC/Wicklow RFC).

Replacements used: Aoife Wafer (Enniscorthy RFC/Gorey RFC/Blackrock RFC) for Neill (25 mins), Niamh O’Dowd (Old Belvedere RFC) for Haney (34), Dannah O’Brien (Tullow RFC/Old Belvedere RFC) for Caughey (46), Neill for Corri (57), Ailsa Hughes (Tullamore RFC/Railway Union RFC) for Gaffney, Jemma Farrell (Old Belvedere RFC) for O’Brien, Aoife Moore (Carrick-on-Suir RFC/Blackrock College RFC) for Wafer, Anna Doyle (Tullow RFC/Blackrock College RFC) for Tilly (all 75), Kelly Burke (Mullingar RFC) for Delaney, Haney for Molloy (both 77).

Referee: Keane Davison (IRFU)