Ireland Head Coach Scott Bemand has named the match day squad for Saturday's Guinness Women's Six Nations opener against France at Kingspan Stadium.
Having played a key role in their historic WXV campaign in Canada last October, starting in the number 13 shirt against the reigning world champions New Zealand- Aoife Dalton admits gaining an Ireland contract, playing in WXV 1 and beating the Black Ferns has all been a bit of a fantasy.
Ireland head coach Scott Bemand has made three changes to his starting line-up for their final WXV 1 assignment, against USA in Vancouver on Friday.
Edel McMahon, who captained the side in last week’s historic victory over New Zealand, has been ruled out of this weekend’s match with an injury sustained in training during the week.
Not only did Ireland score six fantastic tries with a combination of cohesive team and individual efforts, it was one of the most comprehensive wins and performances that I have seen from this side in recent years. It was brilliant!
Sadhbh McGrath has been passed fit to take part in Ireland’s inaugural WXV 1 campaign, but head coach Scott Bemand will be without fellow prop Christy Haney in Canada.
The journey begins now and it's a massive task for this young squad. However, there are a few key ingredients that I believe will contribute to a successful path to the tournament which will be held in England in 2025. I have picked out four of those to share today.
The Irish embarrassingly lost out 10-88 at Twickenham against the defending champions and the reaction for this Saturday’s third-place decider at home to Scotland in Belfast has been to alter two back, one forward, and also include an uncapped player on the bench.
The Irish snapped their recent championship losing streak with a commanding 36-5 win last weekend over Wales in Cork and they now head to London with one change to the back line and another to their pack.
DING DING! Round three! Thank you to the participants of the European Champions Cup who provided us with some pleasant entertainment while the Women’s Six Nations teams took a well-earned breather before the final run of three games.