The stew that the Irish players find themselves in is not entirely Greg McWilliams’ fault.
The head coach has had to add seven players to his training squad for the fourth round tie away to England.
The IRFU might have already separated off the 7s and 15s divisions, as some distinguished voices have demanded (Phillip Doyle for one). Then McWilliams would not have been deprived of Amee-Leigh Murphy Crowe, Anna McGann, Beibhinn Parsons, Brittany Hogan, Eve Higgins, Lucy Mulhall and Stacey Flood, as they prepare for the Langford Sevens (April 30-1 May). They would not have been included in the first place.
Although he knew the situation, he still kept those leading players in the mix through the first three rounds of the 6N. Now he’s had to stitch together a much altered group to prepare for the biggest test of the lot.
To add to his woes Sam Monaghan and Aoife Wafer are out injured, Monaghan’s absence a sad loss as she’s been in such fine form.
Laura Feely, Laura Sheehan, Mary Healy, Shannon Touhy, Sene Naoupu and the uncapped Leinster pair of Niamh Byrne and Alice O’Dowd are called up to help form a brand new backline. Naoupu might have thought her international playing days were over; now she’s likely to provide a pillar of experience in midfield.
And still familiar names from the recent past such as Anna Caplice, Cliodhna Moloney, Gill Bourke and Leah Lyons do not find a place.
The 32 Players called up:
Ailsa Hughes (Railway Union/Leinster)
Alice O’Dowd (UCD/Leinster)
*
Aoibheann Reilly (Blackrock College/Connacht)
Aoife McDermott (Railway Union/Leinster)
Aoife Doyle (Railway Union/Munster)
Chloe Pearse (UL Bohemian/Munster)
Christy Haney (Blackrock College/Leinster)
Dorothy Wall (Blackrock College/Munster)
Edel McMahon (Wasps/IQ Rugby)
Eimear Considine (UL Bohemian/Munster)
Emma Hooban (Blackrock College/Leinster)
Enya Breen (UL Bohemian/Munster)
Grace Moore (Railway Union/IQ Rugby)
Hannah O’Connor (Blackrock College/Leinster)
Kathryn Dane (Old Belvedere/Ulster)
Katie O’Dwyer (Railway Union/Leinster)
Laura Feely (Blackrock College/Connacht)
Laura Sheehan (Exeter Chiefs/IQ Rugby)
Linda Djougang (Romagnat/Leinster)
Maeve Óg O’Leary (Blackrock College RFC/Munster)
Mary Healy (Naas/Suttonians/Leinster)
Michelle Claffey (Blackrock College/Leinster)
Molly Scuffil-McCabe (Railway Union/Leinster)
Natasja Behan (Blackrock College/Leinster)
Neve Jones (Gloucester-Hartpury/Ulster)
Niamh Byrne (Railway Union/Leinster)
*
Nichola Fryday (captain, Exeter Chiefs/Connacht)
Nicole Cronin (UL Bohemian/Munster)
Nikki Caughey (Railway Union/Leinster)
Sene Naoupu (Old Belvedere/Leinster)
Shannon Touhey (Tullamore/Connacht)
Vicky Irwin (Sale Sharks/IQ Rugby)
*uncapped
Fixture details
Date: 24 April
Venue: Welford Road Leicester
Kick-off: 12 noon BST
