The Offload: Munster have double cause to celebrate at Musgrave Park

There are many ways to mark a victory in sport but a marriage proposal on the pitch immediately after the game wouldn’t be commonplace. That’s exactly what happened, though, when Clodagh O’Halloran got down on one knee to propose to Chloe Pearse – who said yes, to the obvious delight of their Munster team-mates at Musgrave Park.

Munster had just beaten Leinster 26-17 in the Women’s interprovincial championship, following up on last week’s victory over Ulster. The 26-year-old O’Halloran scored the third of her team’s four tries in a bonus-point win over a Leinster team that had beaten Connacht on the opening weekend of the tournament.

Pearse (28) started on the bench as Munster forged a 14-7 halftime lead with tries from Deirbhile Nic a Bháird and Róisín Ormond, with Nicole Cronin kicking both conversions. O’Halloran’s try, converted by Cronin, increased the home side’s lead to 21-7, and Stephanie Carroll then grabbed a fourth. Leinster had tries from Jenny Murphy, Elise O’Byrne-White and Anna Doyle, with Tullow’s Dannah O’Brien converting the first.

Munster will be odds-on favourites to claim the title when they travel to Galway next weekend to take on a Connacht team that beat Ulster 25-19 at the weekend. Clara Barrett (2), Ava Ryder and Emma Fabby crossed for tries, with Nicole Fowley kicking a penalty and a conversion. Ulster scored tries through Beth Cregan (2) and Niamh Marley, with Emma Durkan kicking two conversions.

The Counter Ruck: the rugby newsletter from The Irish Times

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Leinster’s high-grade academy graduates

About 10 months ago, four Leinster academy players signed their first senior professional rugby contracts at the same time and as a bit of business it looks prescient judging by on-field impact alone.

In March of last year, the province formally announced that Joe McCarthy, Jamie Osborne, Brian Deeny and Cormac Foley would step up to senior status in the playing group. The quartet has since pressed the fast-forward button.

The 21-year-old secondrow McCarthy has, despite a couple of injury issues, racked up 16 appearances for Leinster in the last season and a half. He got a late cameo in the Champions Cup final defeat to La Rochelle, started both matches against the Maori All Blacks on Ireland’s tour to New Zealand last summer and played in two of three games on the Emerging Ireland tour to South Africa.

He played for the Ireland A team that lost to the New Zealand Development XV at the RDS in November and, later that month, won his first senior Ireland cap as a replacement in the victory over Australia at the Aviva Stadium.

Osborne’s (21) latest tour de force came at Kingsholm at the weekend, where he was deservedly named man of the match following an excellent performance capped with a try, his 28th cap for the province. The Naas native’s versatility is reflected in the fact that he has played four different positions this season: inside and outside centre, wing and fullback.

Osborne played two matches with Emerging Ireland in South Africa and started against the New Zealand Development XV. His progression should see him included in Andy Farrell’s Ireland squad for the Six Nations.

Deeny (22) has played for Leinster on seven occasions, including his first involvement in a European tie at the weekend. The Wexford-born secondrow played in two of the Emerging Ireland games. Foley (23), from Newtownmountkennedy has two starts in six appearances for the province this season, and 11 in total since his debut against Munster in 2021.

While none are first choice, few would quibble that they haven’t made the most of the opportunities presented.

Full marks so far for Instonians and Greystones

Instonians continued to cut a swathe through the All Ireland League Division 2C with a 50-0 victory over Omagh Academicals at Shaw’s Bridge at the weekend. The Belfast club has won all 10 matches to date with 10 try-scoring bonus points in their first season back in senior rugby since 2014. Greystones in 2B are the only other club in the five divisions of AIL rugby to have won all 10 matches.

Under the direction of former Ulster prop Clem Boyd, Instonians pipped Bernard Jackman’s Bective Rangers in the round-robin series at the end of last season to reclaim senior status and they have certainly made an auspicious return.

At the other end of the AIL, Division 1A, last season’s beaten finalists Terenure College continue to lead the way as they edged past Young Munster 21-11 at Lakelands, their ninth win in 10 games. Their closest pursuers, Clontarf, who beat them in last season’s final, are just three points behind following a hard-fought victory away to Garryowen; the Limerick club are yet to win a game this season.

Quote of the week

“So, yeah, relief but proud of the lads. Proud of their resolve. And that will do us good going forward. But again, there will be heaps to get right for [Toulouse].” Munster coach Graham Rowntree sums up his feelings after his side held on to beat Northampton after Jack O’Donoghue’s red card.

Number of the week: 63

The minute in which Ulster scrumhalf Nathan Doak’s penalty broke the 0-0 stalemate at the Stade Marcel-Deflandre. La Rochelle’s injury-time try by Joel Sclavi, converted by Antoine Hastoy, broke Ulster hearts.