Navan stars shine for Leinster in win over Connacht

Navan RFC's Alex Connor and Shona White helped Leinster get the better of Connacht on Saturday

CRAIG WILLIAMSON

It was a historic day for Leinster Rugby and Navan RFC as representatives from the Meath club helped the provincial side secure a thrilling bonus-point victory over Connacht in round two of the Women’s Interprovincial Series.

Played in front of a record-breaking home crowd of 2,647 spectators at Energia Park, the atmosphere was electric from start to finish. After they both made their senior provincial debuts off the bench in Cork last weekend, Navan RFC stars Alex Connor and Shona White featured prominently in Saturday's crucial victory.

Connor earned her first senior start at scrum-half for Leinster and delivered a sharp composed performance at the base of the ruck to dictate tempo and she contributed positively for Leinster's six tries.

White provided dynamic front-row reinforcement off the bench in the second half and brought her trademark power and work rate to solidify the Leinster scrum during the crucial closing stages.

With clubmate Rosie Searle also supporting as part of the wider Leinster squad the presence of home-grown Balreask Old talent in the provincial setup continues to be an incredible source of pride.

The occasion was made even more inspiring for the travelling Balreask Old contingent as a large group of Navan RFC Women and Girls Youth supporters turned Donnybrook into a sea of blue. A special highlight belonged to the Navan RFC u-12 girls team who had the dream opportunity to flag-wave the Leinster squad onto the pitch prior to kick-off before they took to the main Energia Park surface themselves to display their skills in an exhibition match during the halftime interval.