Age-Grade Inter-Pro Round-Up: Monday 6 September 2021

A round-up of the latest Age-Grade rugby action, by Ulster Schools’ PRO, Barney McGonigle & IrishRugby.ie…

Ulster hosted Leinster U19, Ulster Carpets U18 Clubs and Danske Bank U18 Schools at the excellent Newforge Country Club facilities on Saturday 4th September.

It was a profitable outing for the Leinster teams all of whom recorded hard earned, but well-deserved victories.

Ulster U19 15 Leinster U19 22

First up were the U19 teams who played out a close encounter from which the Leinster team emerged as 22-15 winners.

Diarmuid Mangan opened the Leinster account with an unconverted try, five minutes into the game, to give his team a 5-0 lead.

Twenty minutes later, the Ulster team recorded their first points of the game when Jack Boal scrambled over for a try, converted by Ross McKay, to give the Ulster U19 team a 7-5 lead.

On the stroke of half-time, the impressive Leinster captain, Sam Prendergast, converted a penalty opportunity to see his team into an 8-7 lead at the break.

Early in the second half the Ulster team regained the lead when Ross McKay was successful with a penalty kick to see his side into a 10-8 lead.

The Leinster team responded with two quick tries midway through the half. James Doyle and Fintan Gunne ran in for the tries and Sam Prendergast was deadly accurate off the tee to see his team into a 22-10 lead.

The Ulster team fought back and got some reward for their endeavours when Rory Telfer finished off a flowing move with an unconverted try to see the final scoreboard reading Ulster U19s 15 Leinster U19s 22.

Ulster Carpets Ulster U18 Clubs 8 Leinster U18 28

Next up were the two U18 Club teams both of whom were undefeated in the course of their recent PWC IRFU U18 Clubs’ Inter-Provincial Games. The winners of this game were in line to take the Inter-Provincial title and it was the Leinster team that came away with the title having won the game by 28-8.

The Ulster Carpets Ulster U18 Clubs’ team took an early 3-0 lead when Ben Gibson converted a penalty opportunity.

Twelve minutes into the game Charlie Sheridan touched down for a Leinster try, which was converted by Tom Larke, to see his team into a 7-3 lead.

This became 14-3, midway through the first half, when Niall O’Hanlon scored a try, which Senan Phelan converted.

The Leinster team held onto this lead, despite the best efforts of the Ulster team, until the interval.

Fifteen minutes into the second half Nathan Hook touched down for an unconverted try for the Ulster team to reduce the arrears to 8-14. The Ulster Carpets U18 Clubs’ team might have increased their score at this stage only for final passes to let them down at crucial times.

It was the Leinster team that finished strongly with tries from Senan Phelan and Tom Larke. Tom was successful with both conversions which secured the 28-8 victory for the Leinster Clubs’ team and, with it, the PWC IRFU Age Grade U18 Clubs’ Championship and Trophy.

At the post-match ceremony the Trophy was presented to James O’Loughlin, the Leinster U18 Clubs’ Captain, by Robert Deacon, Chairman of the IRFU Youth Committee who congratulated both teams on their performances in the course of the game.

Danske Bank Ulster U18 Schools 12 Leinster U18 Schools 45

The final game of the busy afternoon featured the Danske Bank Ulster Schools’ team against the Leinster Schools’ team in a game that would go a long way in deciding the outcome of the PWC U18 IRFU Schools’ Inter-Provincial title.

Once again it was the Leinster team which came out on top-this time winning the game by 45-12.

The Leinster team dominated the first half when they ran in office first half tries to take a 31-0 lead into the break.

Hugo McLaughlin, Reuben Moloney and Inigo Cruise O’Brien each touched down for one try while the impressive Jukes Fenelon scored twice. Three of the tries were converted by Jack Murphy.

The Danske Bank Ulster U18 Schools’ team started the second half strongly but got little change out of a very determined Leinster Schools’ defence.

Midway through the second period of play the Leinster Schools’ team increased their lead to 38-0 when Alex Mullan touched down for a try which Jack Murphy converted.

Now it was the turn of the Danske Bank Ulster U18 Schools’ team to get onto the scoreboard and they did so twice with Lucas Kenny running in for two quick tries. Tristan Ferguson added the extras to one of these tries to reduce the Ulster deficit to 12-38.

However, with the final play of the game Tadgh Brophy scored a Leinster Schools’ try, which Jack Murphy converted to secure the 45-12 victory for the Leinster Schools’ team.

Leinster U18 Girls 54 Deloitte Ulster U18 Girls 0

Photo Gallery: Leinster Run Out Eight-Try Winners Over Ulster

Leinster built on their impressive opening to the PWC IRFU U18 Women’s Interprovincial Series with a 54-0 win over Deloitte Ulster U18 Girls at St. Mary’ College RFC.

The central location gave Talent ID coaches another chance to cast their eye over all four provinces and there were plenty of promising players on show for Leinster in an eight-try performance.

Ulster, playing in their first game of the series, did plenty of things well. They were lively with ball in hand in the opening exchanges and a half-break from Moya Hill threatened to carve Leinster open.

The line speed in defence and depth in attack that Leinster showed on Day 1 at the IRFU HPC were on show again. Aoife Dalton again made an early break, and the score looked gone when Sophie Barrett made the covering tackle, but the young Tullamore centre managed a superb off-load for the onrushing Erin King to score.

The lead was 14-0 after 20 minutes when Katie Whelan was sharpest after Ulster misjudged a clearance kick. Dannah O’Brien slotted over the touchline conversion with ease on a day that saw her kick 4/4 conversions and pin Ulster into their own half with some great tactical kicking out of hand.

Ulster responded with a spell of decent territory. Their back three looked equal to Leinster’s counter-attack and Rebecca Mann was able to use the touchline as an extra defender on more than one occasion.

Lucy Thompson was a fingernail away from an intercept breakaway for Ulster on the half-hour mark. The loose ball instead went to Leinster winger Alanna Fitzpatrick who was able to dance through broken cover and score under the posts.

Leinster’s lead was 28-0 at the half when captain Aoife Wafer stepped into the passing channel to pull off an intercept of her own.

Wafer’s side managed to step things up after the break. Their bench maintained momentum – Abby Moyles hitting three conversions and multiple overlaps gave Emma Tilly plenty of space to score a brace of tries.

Ulster still had their moments with some decent exit kicking from Hill and out half Farrah Cartin McCloskey. Brave tackling from Jana McQuillan and brave carries from Sadhbh McGrath typified their resilience.

The day was Leinster’s. Alanna Fitzpatrick scorched home for her second try and Aoife Dalton popped up with in intercept in the final moments to run in their final try from her own half.

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