Munster run in 10 tries in demolition of scoreless Ulster 

The hosts made it two wins from two on Leeside. 

ROUT: Munster's Clodagh O’Halloran celebrates with Aoife Corey after scoring her side's fifth try. Pic: INPHO/Ben Brady

MUNSTER 62 ULSTER 0 

Munster continued their winning start to the 2026 Vodafone Women’s Interprovincial Championship at Virgin Media Park on Saturday as they brushed aside round two visitors Ulster in impressive style.

A 10-try demolition featuring eight different scorers, and without reply, underlined the superiority of the defending champions as they made it two wins from two to take a step closer to the play-off final in Galway on August 29, with Leinster and Connacht still to contest their round-two fixture in Dublin later on Saturday.

Munster had been dominant throughout the first half, demolishing the Ulster scrum and converting that superiority into five-try, 31-0 interval lead, two tries apiece from flanker Clodagh O’Halloran and hooker Beth Buttimer, adding to her four against Leinster seven days earlier on the same ground.

Left wing Chisom Ugwuero had got the scoreboard ticking with a brilliant opening try, fending off two Ulster defenders and beating another tackle to score eight minutes in, fly-half Enya Breen adding two points with the first of three first-half conversions.

Yet just as Leinster had been outmuscled in Cork in round one in a 39-19 victory for Matt Brown’s side, it was Munster’s physicality that proved too much for the Ulsterwomen. The home side won a succession of penalties through their scrummaging power and also shoved the visitors off the ball to set up Buttimer for her first try in the 22nd minute. O’Halloran, switched from lock to blindside flanker to cover the loss of captain and No.8 Maeve Óg O’Leary to a minor knock, had claimed Munster’s second of the afternoon as she sniped from short range off a ruck following a powerful lineout drive.

Buttimer’s second brought up the try bonus point on the half hour with O’Halloran adding the fifth of the opening 40 just before the break as Munster once again struck from their scrum platform.

Head coach Brown rejigged his backline during the interval, introducing Caitriona Finn at fly-half with Ugwuero the player to make way as Breen moved to her more familiar inside centre berth, with outside centre Alana McInerney filling the vacuum out wide on the left.

It made little difference to Munster’s fluency as they added a sixth try four minutes after the restart, their control of possession seeing right wing Katie Corrigan score her maiden try for the province following a move from Leinster.

Scrum-half Emily Lane claimed Munster’s seventh on 51 minutes, converted by Finn, before full-back Aoife Corey marked her first game as a captain, standing in for O’Leary, with the eighth, again converted by the incoming fly-half.

The rout continued just three minutes later in the 57th when McInerney finished smartly from her new position on the left wing, Finn converting for a 57-0 lead.

To Ulster’s credit, they stayed in the battle, even winning their first scrum penalties after 65 and 72 minutes. Yet they drew a blank on the scoreboard and the contest’s one-sided nature was confirmed with a try at the death from.

Connacht await as Munster go on the road to Galway’s Dexcom Stadium for the final match of their round-robin schedule next Saturday, August 22, with the chance to guarantee their place in the play-off final the following weekend.

MUNSTER: A Corey – captain; K Corrigan, A McInerney, L Linn, C Ugwueru (C Finn, h-t); E Breen (A Murphy, 59), E Lane (A Salter-Townshend, 51); S McCarthy (T Ryan, 59), B Buttimer (E Dunican, 51), E Cahill (A Flynn, 59); J Clohessy, A O’Flynn; C O’Halloran (A O’Malley, 59), S Kelly (C O’Halloran, 68), G Moore (A Cournane, 51).

ULSTER: N Marley; K Gilmour, C Crowe (E Durkan, 54), L Thompson (L Irwin, 54), C Fitzsimons; A Moyles, R McIlroy (G Boyce, 54); S McGrath (S Roberts, 32-61), I Daley – captain (M Clenaghan, 76), S Barrett (A Fannin, 32-61); F Tuite-O’Sullivan (S Sloan, 64), R Beacom (O McKinley, 54); M Hill, C Hill, C Boles.

Referee: Kenny Coldrick (IRFU).