Leinster will take on champions Munster in a repeat of last year’s women’s interprovincial championship in Galway next Saturday after the third and final round of games in the competition on Saturday.
Leinster, beaten 50-15 in last year’s final, confirmed their place in the decider with an impressive 75-5 win at Affidea Stadium on another chastening day for Ulster. Last week Ulster conceded 10 tries in a 62-0 loss to Munster, this time their line was breached 11 times.
Munster, having already qualified, saw off Connacht 47-12 at Dexcom Stadium and will return to the Galway stadium to defend their crown next weekend.
Leinster laid the foundation for victory in the opening half when they built up a 33-5 lead with some excellent flowing rugby.
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Right winger Robyn O’Connor was in superb form, running in a hat-trick in just 21 minutes as Leinster got big dividends when they went wide. She added two more after the break.
O’Connor set the tone with an opening try in the second minute before the other winger Vicky Elmes Kinlan scored in the other corner.
Ulster hit back when lock Olivia McKinney tapped and scored from a penalty to cut the gap to 21-5 after 10 minutes.
But Leinster took control again. O’Connor got her second five minutes later and then completed her hat-trick down the right wing to secure the bonus point after 21 minutes.
They pushed the lead out to 33-5 when scrumhalf Katie Whelan sniped to score, with her halfback partner Ellie O’Sullivan Sexton landing her fourth conversion of the half.
Whelan got her second try four minutes after the restart and then broke from deep inside her own half to complete her hat-trick after 55 minutes as Leinster pushed the lead out to 47-5.
They didn’t relent and O’Connor took a try haul to five with scores either side of an effort from Nikki Gibson.
Munster laid the foundation for their win in Galway when they led 21-5 at the end of the opening with their pack helping them get on top of a Connacht side who started well and hit the front inside three minutes.
A couple of penalties down the left saw Poppy Garvey take a five-metre lineout and hooker Uillian Eilian crowned her debut with the touchdown after an excellent drive by Connacht.
But Munster took over from there.
Winger Alanna McInerney started her hat-trick in the sixth minute and hooker Alisha Flynn got the first of her two after 25 minutes. Outhalf Caitríona Finn, who converted six of their seven tries, dummied twice to score seven minutes from the break.
McInerney completed her hat-trick by the 56th minute with two tries out wide after Flynn had driven over for her second.
Connacht pulled back a try when number eight Jemima Adams Verling scored off the base off a scrum from distance with Munster loosehead Siobhán McCarthy in the bin.
But it was the champions who finished in style as replacement scrumhalf Abbey Salter-Townsend darted over for their seventh try 14 minutes from the end.
