Ireland Women’s Team To Face Italy

Ireland head coach Adam Griggs has named the match day 23 to host Italy in the Women’s Six Nations Championship at Energia Park on Saturday (6.30pm, live on RTÉ).

Update: There are two personnel changes and one positional switch to the below Ireland team to face Italy in Round 4 of the Women’s Six Nations Championship.

The IRFU advise that Laura Sheehan and Leah Lyons will replace Eimear Considine and Laura Feely respectively.

This decision is a precaution following inconclusive outcomes of COVID-19 tests on one player and a resultant potential close contact with two other players, one of which is not in the match day team but is part of the wider squad.

The IRFU are assisting the three players, who remain well and are self-isolating. They have not been in contact with any other team member.

Sheehan comes into the starting 15 on the right wing with Leah Lyons joining the replacements. Lauren Delany switches from wing to full-back.

See the initial team announcement below.

Munster’s Dorothy Wall will make her first start for the Ireland Women’s 15s side, having come off the bench in the all three of the competition’s earlier rounds.

Wall is one of four Munster players in the starting XV alongside captain Ciara Griffin, Enya Breen and Eimear Considine.

Joining Wall in the back row will be Claire Molloy, who will earn her 70th cap for her country and Griffin.

Lindsay Peat, Cliodhna Moloney and Linda Djougang all start in the front row for the fourth game in succession with Nichola Fryday and Ciara Cooney behind them in the second row.

Hannah Tyrell and Kathryn Dane form the half-back partnership with out-half Tyrell making her first start of the campaign.

Enya Breen and Sene Naoupu are the centres while Béibhinn Parsons, Lauren Delaney and Eimear Considine all link up in the back three.

Griggs says the entire squad are aware that they are part of a select group of people permitted to play competitive rugby at the moment.

“We’ve spoken about it,” said the Ireland Head Coach.

“No one across Irish Rugby in the women’s game is actually able to pull on a jersey and play right now and yet here we are already privileged to represent our country and be one of the only teams actually playing in these times.

“It’s not lost on us and we want to make sure that we perform really well and give everyone watching something to cheer about come the final whistle.”

There’s potential for Ireland debuts off the bench on Saturday with uncapped forwards Neve Jones, Katie O’Dwyer and Brittany Hogan all earning their place in the match day squad.

Laura Feely and Hannah O’Connor will provide the remaining cover for the pack while Ailsa Hughes, Larissa Muldoon and Katie Fitzhenry will give Coach Griggs further options in the backline. Fitzhenry along with Hannah Tyrell and Brittany Hogan have also featured for Ireland 7s in the HSBC World Rugby Sevens Series 2020.

Speaking about team selection, Griggs says,” I think the beauty of what we’ve got now is such a competitive wider squad and some of those selections weren’t as straight forward as you think. Some of those players who’ve missed out can take credit for how hard they’ve pushed these girls.

Ireland Team & Replacements (v Italy, Energia Park, Saturday 24th October 2020, KO 18.30, Women’s Six Nations Championship)

Player/Club/Province/Caps

15 Eimear Considine (UL Bohemian/ Munster) 15 caps

14 Lauren Delany (Sale Sharks/ IQ Rugby) 11 caps

13 Enya Breen (UL Bohemian/ Munster) 7 caps

12 Sene Naoupu (Old Belvedere/ Leinster) 37 caps

11 Béibhinn Parsons (Blackrock College/ Connacht) 7 caps

10 Hannah Tyrrell (Old Belvedere/ Leinster) 16 caps

9  Kathryn Dane (Old Belvedere/ Ulster) 9 Caps

1 Lindsay Peat (Railway Union/ Leinster) 30 caps

2 Cliodhna Moloney (Wasps/ IQ Rugby) 22 caps

3 Linda Djougang (Old Belvedere/ Leinster) 8 caps

4 Nichola Fryday (Blackrock College/ Connacht) 14 caps

5 Ciara Cooney (Wasps / IQ Rugby) 21 caps

6 Dorothy Wall (Blackrock College/ Munster) 3 caps

7 Claire Molloy (Wasps / IQ Rugby) 69 caps

8 Ciara Griffin (UL Bohemian/ Munster) (capt) 32 caps

Replacements:

16 Neve Jones (Malone/ Ulster)*

17 Katie O’Dwyer (Railway Union/ Leinster)*

18 Laura Feely (Blackrock College/ Connacht) 15 caps

19 Brittany Hogan (Ballynahinch/ Ulster)*

20 Hannah O’Connor (Blackrock College/ Leinster) 1 cap

21 Ailsa Hughes (Railway Union/ Leinster) 11 caps

22 Larissa Muldoon (Railway Union/ Leinster) 47 caps

23 Katie Fitzhenry (Blackrock College/ Leinster) 13 caps

* Denotes uncapped player at this level