Updated 16.40
IRELAND HEAD COACH Tom Tierney has made wholesale changes to the Ireland team set to face France in their Women’s 6 Nations clash at Donnybrook Stadium on Sunday (RTÉ Two, 12.45pm).
As expected, there’s no room for Sene Naoupu, Alison Miller and Hannah Tyrrell in the squad with Tierney saying:
“We’ve got a couple of players getting their first Six Nations starts of this season, and we’re looking to continue to give players more game time as we continue to develop depth in the squad ahead of the Women’s Rugby World Cup in August.”
The back three sees Mairead Coyne at fullback and she will have Eimear Considine and Kim Flood, who was part of the Ireland 7s side in Dubai and Sydney, joining her.
At centre, Claire McLaughlin comes into the side, having been a replacement in Italy and Scotland and she will line up beside Jenny Murphy with Mary Healy wearing the number 9 jersey and partnering Nora Stapleton at out-half.
The front-row remains unchanged, with hooker Leah Lyons, partnered by props Lindsay Peat and Ailis Egan but Sophie Spence moves from the replacements to partner Marie-Louise Reilly in the second row.
Flankers Ciara Griffin and Claire Molloy will again join captain Paula Fitzpatrick in the back row.
Ireland (v France):
15. Mairead Coyne
14. Kim Flood
13. Jenny Murphy
12. Claire Mc Laughlin
11. Eimear Considine
10. Nora Stapleton
9. Mary Healy
1. Lindsay Peat
2. Leah Lyons
3. Ailis Egan
4. Sophie Spence
5. Marie-Louise Reilly
6. Ciara Griffin (
7. Claire Molloy
8. Paula Fitzpatrick (captain)
Replacements:
16. Ciara O Connor
17. Ilse Van Staden
18. Ruth O’Reilly
19. Ciara Cooney
20. Nichola Fryday
21. Larissa Muldoon
22. Nikki Caughey
23. Louise Galvin
The original piece was updated to include 7s team news.
Meanwhile, Antony Eddy has named his 12 players that will travel to Las Vegas for the third stage of the World Rugby Women’s Sevens Series next weekend.
Sene Naoupu, Alison Miller and Hannah Tyrrell have all been confirmed as part of the squad, as expected.
Ireland will face USA in their opening game, before tackling Fiji and Spain. The team finished in 8th place at the Sydney 7s — their best placing since 2013 — and will be looking to build on that next weekend.
“The team is progressing well and having finished 9th in Dubai and 8th in Sydney,” Eddy said following his selection. “There is a strong desire to build on these achievements.
“It will be a big challenge and everyone will need to be on top form for each game.”
Ireland are currently ranked in 9th spot in the overall rankings.
Ireland Women’s 7s squad for Las Vegas 7s
Ashleigh Baxter (Cooke / Ulster)
Claire Keohane (UL Bohemians / Munster)
Katie Fitzhenry (Blackrock College RFC / Leinster)
Stacey Flood (Railway Union / Leinster)
Alison Miller (Old Belvedere / Connacht)
Lucy Mulhall (Rathdrum RFC / Leinster) (captain)
Amee-Leigh Murphy-Crowe (Railway Union / Munster)
Sene Naoupu (Aylesford Bulls)
Audrey O’Flynn (Ireland Sevens Programme)
Hannah Tyrrell (Old Belvedere / Leinster)
Susan Vaughan (Railway Union / Leinster)
Megan Williams (Ireland Sevens Programme)
-Additional reporting by Emma Duffy
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Glad to see both managers talking sense. I know Antrim got to the final of the U21 few years back but in general ulster teams got a hiding in all ireland semi finals.
Saturday’s mismatch was no Benifit to anyone. Ok as the Derry manager said his players want to play in Thurles etc. They can’t have enjoyed the Thurles experience on Saturday.
Try an open draw as Eddie said, and a proper B grade competition with ulster trans included with the final on the same day as the A final.
@Diarmuid: there already is a b competition and the final is played before the a final
@Noel Kelly: i realise that Noel but as the Derry manager said the B grade should be restructed to include the ulster champions as well. They are out of there depth at the A level
@Diarmuid: and too good for the B Championship.
Completely agree with Eddie Brendan. This year’s semi finals illustrated the serious issues facing hurling. The Kilkenny Derry game is self explanatory. No way should both teams be on the same pitch. It hinders rather than helps both counties. On the other side we had probably the best u21 team in the country playing their first championship match against a battle hardned side. Very unfair on Galway. Tom Fahey
All about bloody funding,the love for hurling in Derry(parts of)is there,was involved in schools in the 80s,all funded , introduced hurling,football camphor,to kids who wouldn’t have even seen it before,funding ran out(cross border funding) after 2 years,so a lot of kids who weren’t in Gaa clubs finished being interested in our national games,we were full time in primary/secondary schools,do when the scheme finished,most of our work came to nothing,(all coaches were badged)feel something like this initiative needs to happen in Ulster
@billy Dorney: excuse the misspelling,camogie,i meant
@billy Dorney: There is a lot more to it than that, there are many counties and county boards throughout Ireland that refuse to promote hurling as it should as it eat up all resources that Gaelic Football uses, it is so pathetic that there are many counties that do not even put forward a B U21 team, the big ball is king.
@ktsiwot: agree
@ktsiwot: yes,and it’s not going to change anytime soon,so hurling loses
why is the solution always to throw them into Leinster? Wexford Dublin and even westmeath would have hammered that Derry team. why just devalue Leinster and leave precious Munster alone? if ya want to get rid of the provinces, then they all have to go and open up to a group
@Ger O’Meara: devalue leinster by adding Galway u must be joking look how much they have added to the senior hurling.
Galway should go into Leinster and then winners of Leinster and Munster go straight to the final. Big mistake to let go of the Munster Championship if it happens.
All this absolute shite talk about the “Munster championship” what’s so sacred about it. Limerick and Clare have won loads of Munster U21 in last decade and are currently way off the pace required at senior level..There will always be an asterix beside the 2013 AIF. The Munster SHC has been quite poor for years, take out Tipp and the rest are average enough, except for a few bubble performances here and there.. They dont like to hear that in Munster, but thats a fact..It’s not all that!
@Lord Clanricarde: I don’t get this asterix thing about 2013. Why is there an asterix about it. Clare beat everyone put before them and won the all Ireland. End of story. It’s not like Kilkenny, Tipp and Galway didn’t enter the championship that. Same teams started out as every year so I think people need to give Clare the respect they deserve and stop downgrading their all Ireland. If Kilkenny had won in 2013 instead of Clare there’d be no talk of asterix’s. Cork won 2010 football all Ireland beating down. Tipp beat Antrim in an all Ireland in 89 I think. Why no asterix’s against them???
@Lord “up me own hole from Galway”Please stop blowing your own pipa you clown.
@John Carroll: Nice to see neither if ye argued with me on the fact that Munster hurling is not all it’s cracked up to be.. It’s a competition full of sentimentality and old farts scared of change in case it effects the “magical” Munster championship!..Nevermind that Tipp win it whenever they decide to get the lead out!!
Galway should go into Leinster and the winners of Leinster and Munster then play in All Ireland Final. Big mistake if we lost the Munster Championship