Ulster Women finished off their disappointing Inter Provincial campaign with a 27 – 6 loss to Leinster Women at Ashbourne on Saturday afternoon, their third loss off the tournament.
By all accounts it was a much improved performance from the match against Connacht with Ulster remaining firmly in the hunt, at 10 – 6, until the 54th minute when Leinster scored their third try to pull ahead 15 – 6.
Leinster finished the game very much on top, adding two further tries but I was pleased to read on the Leinster Women’s report that Ulster started both halfs strongly and, credit to the players, they have shown some determination in this series despite being outgunned in skills and experience in all the matches.
Following my last report, on the Connacht game, I was invited to Ravenhill to discuss the Women’s game in Ulster and, despite some very encouraging news on the proliferation of teams at development level, in the newly formed Ulster League Division 1, a surge in age grade teams and schools finally playing contact rugby, there still remains no clear path or strategy for getting the senior Ulster teams, competing at All Ireland level, any more competitive matches.
There was a commitment to get the Ulster Women’s management team more involved with national camps and seminars to learn and engage with Women’s rugby at it’s highest level but without sufficient competitive matches I struggle to see where the elite players in Ulster will be able to practice and develop these skills in meaningful competition.
As it is, Enniskillen Women appear to have withdrawn from AIL2N leaving it a competition with four teams, City of Derry, Cooke, Sligo, and Queen’s University, and six games is hardly going to be enough to prepare any of these teams for the play-offs into, the much more competitive, AIL1.
Players Used Throughout Series.
| No. | Ulster v Munster | Connacht v Ulster | Leinster v Ulster |
| 1 | Ilse Van Staden (Cooke) | Ilse Van Staden (Cooke) | Alanagh Chipperfield (Cooke) |
| 2 | Lesley Megarity (Cooke) | Janine Mullan (QUB) | Janine Mullan (QUB) |
| 3 | Nikita Armstrong (Cooke) | Nikita Armstrong (Cooke) | Nikita Armstrong (Cooke) |
| 4 | Sorcha Chipperfield (Cooke) | Sorcha Chipperfield (Cooke) | Lauren Maginnes (QUB) |
| 5 | Lizzie Ballentine (Cooke) | Lizzie Ballentine (Cooke) | Rebecca Smyth (QUB) |
| 6 | Shirelle Wilson (Cooke) | Noreen Nethercot (Enniskillen) | Laura Johnston (Cooke) |
| 7 | Hannah Kilgore (Cooke) | Beth Creggan (Cooke) | Noreen Nethercott (Enniskillen) |
| 8 | Lauren Maginnes (QUB) | Lauren Maginnes (QUB) | Gemma McCutcheon (QUB) |
| 9 | Imogen Porter (QUB) | Imogen Porter (QUB) | Imogen Porter (QUB) |
| 10 | Jemma Jackson (QUB) | Jemma Jackson (QUB) | Jemma Jackson (QUB) |
| 11 | Zoe Templeton (QUB) | Emma Jordan (QUB) | Emma Jordan (QUB) |
| 12 | Claire McLaughlin (QUB) | Stacey Sloan (City Of Derry) | Claire McLaughlin (QUB) |
| 13 | Peita McAlister (QUB) | Gemma McCutcheon (QUB) | Stacey Sloan (City of Derry) |
| 14 | Emma Jordan (QUB) | Vicky Irwin (Ormskirk) | Vicky Irwin (Ormskirk) |
| 15 | Vicky Irwin (Ormskirk) | Peita McAlister(QUB) | Peita McAlister (QUB) |
| 16 | Shannon Heapes (Finn Valley) | Sabrina Higgins (Carrick) | Lesley Megarity (Cooke) |
| 17 | Janine Mullan (QUB) | Lesley Megarity (Cooke) | Ilse van Staden (Cooke) |
| 18 | Sabrina Higgins (Carrick) | Alanagh Chipperfield (Cooke) | Sabrina Higgins (Carrick) |
| 19 | Laura Johnston (Cooke) | Shirelle Wilson (Cooke) | Sorcha Chipperfield (Cooke) |
| 20 | Rebecca Smyth (QUB) | Laura Johnston (Cooke) | Shirelle Wilson (Cooke) |
| 21 | Noreen Nethercot (Eniskillen) | Steffi Clarke (QUB) | Steffi Clarke (QUB) |
| 22 | Steffi Clarke (QUB) | Emma Rea (Cooke) | Emma Rea (Cooke) |
| 23 | Stacey Sloan (City of Derry) | Rebecca Smyth (QUB) | Claire Johnston (Cooke) |
