Munster boss Briggs pays tribute to her squad

Niamh Briggs paid tribute to her extended 34-player squad and the management team as she reflected on Munster's back-to-back Vodafone Women's Interprovincial Championship title wins.

Briggs' first season as head coach saw Munster retain the trophy in fine style, putting together three bonus point wins and averaging six tries per game, some of which will live long in the memory given their quality.

From player-of-the-match Deirbhile Nic a Bháird's superb solo try from halfway to the slick handling skills that put replacement Rachel Allen over in the second half, Saturday's 50-24 bonus point victory over Connacht was Munster at their attacking best.

Speaking at the Sportsground about her side's style of play this year, Briggs explained: "The brand of rugby that we wanted to play, we wanted to be brave and courageous and test our skills. I think we did that and everybody stood up to the plate exceptionally well.

"What we wanted to do is have a notable difference in terms of the pace and the intensity from club, and I thought we pushed that really, really well.

"It's not always perfect, it's never going to be, but I just thought it was a real good squad collective."

While captain Nicole Cronin and some of the squad's impressive newcomers - 21-year-old prop Eilís Cahill powered over for two tries in Galway - are no doubt eager for more games in Munster red, Briggs still felt they achieved a lot in the shortened three-match series.

"I'm incredibly proud of the whole group, not just the players that were playing today but the effort over the last few weeks," she added.

"It's been a really enjoyable campaign. We've squeezed a lot into a very short space of time, and I'm just delighted that the girls got their reward today."