The next chapter in the Bank of Ireland Leinster Rugby Sarah Robinson Cup will be written at Maynooth University on Monday evening (KO 7.35pm).
To this end, Metro have made two changes from the last outing when they were dismissed by North Midlands (66-15).
Centre Grace Adams and loosehead Sinead Kinsella are the two new names on the teamsheet, the inclusion of Adams leading to a reshuffle of the three-quarters.
Kinsella’s promotion to the front row should be seamless as MU Barnhall teammates Katie Colton and Laoise McAuley will stoke the engine room.
Unfortunately, that game was the third time they have come second in the Sarah Robinson this campaign, losing out to South-East (44-17) and North-East (40-14) in the previous rounds.
Confidence may not be too high right now, although enough time has passed to allow the coaches the room to scheme for a first win.
It would be encouraging to see a bounce back in cohesion, confidence, and execution, leading to an improvement in the overall performance.
If all of that can be pieced together, there is no reason why Metro can’t put it up to the opposition.
In fact, Midlands have not fared too much better than Metro in losing out to North Midlands (42-5) and South-East (33-0) in their earlier rounds.
Indeed, this is a match-up in which two teams looking for a change of fortune can alter the narrative around where they rank on the ladder.
More importantly, this series of matches is primarily used as a screening process for identifying those players capable of stepping up to the interprovincial standard.
Tonight is another step for them to show that they are ready to get to that point.
Metro – Brooke Fagan-Merrigan (Clontarf); Sadhbh Furlong (Greystones), Eva Sterrit (Greystones), Grace Adams (The King’s Hospital), Robin Hyland (MU Barnhall); Hannah Scanlan (Clontarf), Charlotte Nagle (Greystones); Sinead Kinsella (MU Barnhall), Anna Brennock (Old Belvedere), Aimee Breen (St Mary’s College); Katie Colton (MU Barnhall), Laoise McAuley (MU Barnhall), Sarah Moody (Greystones), Isobel O’Sullivan (Greystones), Amy O’Mahony (Greystones).
Replacements: Saidhbh Poulaiin (DLSP), Hope Lowney (MU Barnhall), Abi Turner (The King’s Hospital), Julie Aphanacieff (Wesley College), Sarah Emerson (St Andrew’s College), Amy Bond (Wesley College), Imogen Hauer (Clontarf), Rebecca England (Greystones).
Midlands – Sorcha Ryan (Mullingar); Roisin Bennett (Edenderry), Jodie Ahern (Mullingar), Caoimhe McCormack (Mullingar), Hannah Connon (Ravens); Meabh O’Hara (Mullingar), Abaigeal Connon (Tullamore); Isobel Clarke (Mullingar), Kelly Burke (Mullingar), Meg Delaney (Ravens); Anna-Mai O’Brien (Mullingar), Fiona Dixon (Tullamore); Olivia Craig (Edenderry), Georgia Young (Mullingar), Aoife Shakespear (Edenderry).
Replacements: Kara Mulcahy (Mullingar), Eileen Boyle (Mullingar), Dodo Ogida (Wilson’s Hospital), Dorriean Oman (Tullamore), Saoirse Guinan (Tullamore), Sophie Traenor (Mullingar), Hannah Kennedy (Tullamore), Siobhan Egan (Longford).
