Ulster U18 Girls' series of matches against their provincial counterparts finished on Saturday when they lost 5-15 to Leinster at Queen's University Playing Fields.
With Leinster unbeaten coming into the game, the Ulster girls knew they were in for a tough test and so it proved. Leinster dominated possession in the first half but some superb defence and last ditch tackling from the younger Ulster side saw them hold Leinster scoreless until just before half time when a successful penalty ...
Ulster U18 Girls' series of matches against their provincial counterparts finished on Saturday when they lost 5-15 to Leinster at Queen's University Playing Fields. With Leinster unbeaten coming into the game, the Ulster girls knew they were in for a tough test and so it proved. Leinster dominated possession in the first half but some superb defence and last ditch tackling from the younger Ulster side saw them hold Leinster scoreless until just before half time when a successful penalty saw them lead 0-3 at the break. Some confusion in defence saw Leinster score in the corner soon after half time but this score led to a sustained period of Ulster pressure as the home team really increased the tempo of the match and attacked with a lot of confidence. This period of pressure was rewarded with a fine try from Zoe Cooke and the hosts were right back in the game. Despite numerous attacks Ulster were unable to increase their score and when Leinster took advantage of one of their few opportunities of the second half to score it left the final result standing at a slightly unbalanced 5-15 to the visitors. Great credit must go to the Ulster squad in their first year of fixtures as it was a huge step up from their club matches. To run Leinster and so close is a superb achievement and is an excellent foundation for future success. The squad for the final match was:
Shannon Heapes (Finn Valley, Capt), Morna O'Hanlon (Cavan), Enya O'Callaghan (Donegal), Anna Wolsey, Zoe Cooke (both Bangor), Beth Marsh (Malone), Beth Cregan (Cooke), Storm Cobain (Malone), Shannen Lane, Helen McDermott (both Cavan), Rachel Browne Murray, Erin Caughey (both Malone), Vicky Irwin (Armagh), Zoe Marshall (Omagh), Ellen Muldoon (Finn Valley), Tammy-Lee Wood (Malone), Stacey Fluke (Armagh), Danielle Preston, Ruth Shovlin (both Finn Valley), Niamh McCord, Molly Lavery, Laura Henderson, Rachel Totten, Beccie McCauley (all Armagh).
Ulster U18 Girls' series of matches against their provincial counterparts finished on Saturday when they lost 5-15 to Leinster at Queen's University Playing Fields. With Leinster unbeaten coming into the game, the Ulster girls knew they were in for a tough test and so it proved. Leinster dominated possession in the first half but some superb defence and last ditch tackling from the younger Ulster side saw them hold Leinster scoreless until just before half time when a successful penalty saw them lead 0-3 at the break. Some confusion in defence saw Leinster score in the corner soon after half time but this score led to a sustained period of Ulster pressure as the home team really increased the tempo of the match and attacked with a lot of confidence. This period of pressure was rewarded with a fine try from Zoe Cooke and the hosts were right back in the game. Despite numerous attacks Ulster were unable to increase their score and when Leinster took advantage of one of their few opportunities of the second half to score it left the final result standing at a slightly unbalanced 5-15 to the visitors. Great credit must go to the Ulster squad in their first year of fixtures as it was a huge step up from their club matches. To run Leinster and so close is a superb achievement and is an excellent foundation for future success. The squad for the final match was:
Shannon Heapes (Finn Valley, Capt), Morna O'Hanlon (Cavan), Enya O'Callaghan (Donegal), Anna Wolsey, Zoe Cooke (both Bangor), Beth Marsh (Malone), Beth Cregan (Cooke), Storm Cobain (Malone), Shannen Lane, Helen McDermott (both Cavan), Rachel Browne Murray, Erin Caughey (both Malone), Vicky Irwin (Armagh), Zoe Marshall (Omagh), Ellen Muldoon (Finn Valley), Tammy-Lee Wood (Malone), Stacey Fluke (Armagh), Danielle Preston, Ruth Shovlin (both Finn Valley), Niamh McCord, Molly Lavery, Laura Henderson, Rachel Totten, Beccie McCauley (all Armagh).