Ireland Women’s Training Squad: Scott Bemand has announced the names of 30 players to form his first training squad preparing for the WXV: Forwards: Aoife Wafer (Blackrock College/Leinster), Brittany Hogan (Old Belvedere/Ulster), Christy Haney (Blackrock College/Leinster), Deirbhile Nic A Bhaird (Old Belvedere/Munster), Dorothy Wall (Blackrock College/Munster), Edel McMahon (Exeter Chiefs/Connacht), Fiona Tuite (Old Belvedere/Ulster)*, Grace
Scott Bemand, long-serving ex-England assistant coach, has been appointed Ireland’s head coach. This excellent news comes not a moment too soon and is a fitting tribute to Bemand, who offered England unstinting service for eight years. He will be in no doubt about the challenge he has taken on. The IRFU has matched the WRU
The sequence went something like this: on Monday 1 May the Irish Independent offered a scoop that Greg McWilliams, the Head Coach, was standing down. We waited for confirmation. Then the IRFU announced that it was in discussions with McWilliams. Finally on 5 May came the confirmation: McWilliams is leaving the show. The rest of
Scotland v Ireland – Six Nations – Round Five DAM Health Stadium, Edinburgh Another desperately important game for both sides. If the Scots could beat the Irish at home, they would qualify for Tier 2 of the WXV next autumn. But they hadn’t achieved back- to-back wins in the 6N for seventeen years. For Ireland, could
Round Four, Six Nations – Ireland v England Musgrave Park, Cork Result: Ireland 0 England 48 Player of the Match: Sarah Beckett That scoreline doesn’t look positive for the Irish, but, remember, some pundits were forecasting a first-ever century in a Six Nations game. The Red Roses, for all their superiority, didn’t get halfway. The
Six Nations – Round Three Parma This was the result I expected, but not the manner of it. Ireland really got stuck in; it took two electric tries from Alyssa D’Inca to see the Azzurre home. In the regrettable absence of skipper Elisa Giordano, Giovanni Raineri gave Sofia Stefan the armband (her first appointment on
Ireland v France Musgrave Park, Cork Result: Ireland 3 France 53 Player of the Match: Pauline Bourdon In the 20th minute a red card was shown – to France. Those two conflicting facts (result and card) show us the yawning gaps that lie between the six competing nations, with Ireland suffering most direly of all
Wales v Ireland – Round One Cardiff Arms Park Answers came aplenty to pre-tournament doubts. Wales thumped Ireland to give them real hopes for the future. Another record crowd watched proceedings. There was a lovely moment pre-match when the very young mascot charged with helping Hannah Jones on to the field got cold feet but
Wales, Ireland and Scotland The three Celtic lands share much in common, not least a sense of having to catch up after years of neglect by their respective unions. All have been through a slough of despond for too long. The boards have finally seen the light and attempted to correct faults. Contracts are in
Here are the 32 names: Forwards Niamh O’Dowd (Old Belvedere/Leinster)*, Sadhbh McGrath (Cooke/Ulster)*, Kathryn Buggy (Gloucester-Hartbury/IQ Rugby)*, Christy Haney (Blackrock College/Leinster), Linda Djougang (Old Belvedere/Leinster), Neve Jones (Gloucester-Hartbury/Ulster), Clara Nielson (Exeter Chiefs/IQ Rugby)*, Deirbhile Nic a Bhaird (Old Belvedere/Munster), Nichola Fryday (Exeter Chiefs/ Connacht), captain), Sam Monaghan (Gloucester-Hartbury/IQ Rugby), Fiona Tuite (Old Belvedere/ Ulster)*, Hannah
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