*Munster’s Clodagh O’Halloran celebrates scoring a try at Musgrave Park. Picture: INPHO/Brian Reilly-Troy
Kilkishen’s Clodagh O’Halloran was named as player of the match as Munster recorded their second bonus-point win of the Vodafone Women’s Interprovincial Championship.
It was also a memorable outing for Alana McInerney of Ennis who made her Munster senior debut playing the full eighty minutes in the centre.
An excellent second half performance saw Munster claim a 31-7 win over Connacht to tee up an intriguing clash with Leinster in Dublin this coming weekend.
There was very little separating the sides throughout the majority of this game as Connacht’s resolute defensive effort frustrated Munster with the sides level 7-7 up until the 58th minute.
That was until the home side scored three quick-fire tries as Nicole Cronin, Stephanie Nunan and Deirbhile Nic a Bhaird crossed the whitewash to add to Clodagh O’Halloran’s first-half effort to give Munster some breathing room as the match entered the final 10 minutes. Aoife Doyle got Munster’s fifth try on the stroke of full-time to cap off an impressive Munster performance.
Just like in the Kingspan Stadium last Saturday, Munster were quick out of the traps with a Muirne Wall break up the near touchline bringing play up to the Connacht 22. Maeve Óg O’Leary followed up with a strong carry before Matt Brown’s side went through the phases and edged closer to the Westerners’ line before Player of the Match Clodagh O’Halloran weaved her way through an overstretched Connacht defence to touch down.
Both O’Halloran and McInerney were joined on the field by Clooney’s Siobhan McCarthy and Chisom Ugwueru of Ennis.
