Ireland will wear their new white kit for the first time in a Six Nations match this weekend
BY RICHARD BULLICK
IRELAND will need to be on red alert when they take on Wales at Newport’s Rodney Parade on Sunday (3.00pm) in the latest instalment of a Guinness Six Nations rivalry which has seen some wildly fluctuating fortunes in recent years.
The women in green had a sensational 45-0 away win against the Welsh in 2021 but were turned over in Dublin the following year. Ireland were thumped 31-5 at Cardiff Arms Park on their last visit but walloped Wales 36-5 in Cork last season.
Based on that most recent clash at Musgrave Park and the fact Wales have lost all three matches to date in this Six Nations, Scott Bemand’s team might appear firm favourites on paper but it is far from a case of just turning up expecting to win.
Two of those Welsh defeats were against England and away to France, while they only lost narrowly up in Scotland in their opening game just after the highly-regarded Sean Lynn had taken over as head coach.
That first fixture came a mere six days after Lynn had steered a Gloucester Hartpury team with a significant Welsh contingent to a third consecutive Premiership Women’s Rugby title, so preparation time was limited.
Wales have home advantage this Sunday after a challenging trip to France last weekend and won’t lack motivation as they seek to avenge that heavy defeat 12 months ago in Cork, where they trailed 21-0 at half-time.
By contrast, the Welsh had the bonus point in the bag by the interval of that opening game the previous season, so both teams will want to assert themselves from the off this time and hit the ground running.
That could possibly prove a more significant challenge for Ireland after an unsettling week which has seen them lose the irrepressible Erin King to a serious injury and speculation grow around the future of their revered forwards coach Alex Codling.
Head coach Bemand’s comments on Thursday suggest Codling could be lost to the Munster men’s team on a full-time basis next season, though he will remain on board for the World Cup which is as much certainty as can be hoped for at this stage.
By contrast, the relentless King is a huge practical and psychological loss in the here and now, but Ireland will want to deliver a big performance for their stricken comrade and Bemand can still field a quality loose forward combination without her.
The timely return of skipper Edel McMahon, who missed the England game through injury, means the back row which began in the landmark victories over Wales, Scotland, Australia and New Zealand in the past year or so has been reunited.
Taliswoman Aoife Wafer and Ulster powerhouse Brittany Hogan have swapped jerseys but the former was often packing down at No 8 anyway on Ireland’s put-in so not much has changed in practical terms there.
Ireland do, however, have five personnel changes since last weekend’s England game, with the other enforced one being because loosehead Niamh O’Dowd was ruled out by what is said to be an arm injury, meaning a first start for Munster’s Siobhan McCarthy.
Whatever about O’Dowd’s scrummaging struggles against the English giants on an afternoon when she was sinbinned and later forced off for a head injury, the Wexford woman has been brilliant for Ireland over the past 12 months.
O’Dowd’s workrate, mobility, line-speed and dynamic carrying have made her a real asset so she is an undeniable loss but, if McCarthy can prove herself in an Ireland win, another valuable box will have been ticked on the depth chart ahead of the World Cup.
The other opportunity opened up by O’Dowd’s absence is a return to the Ireland matchday squad for the first time since being an unused sub against Scotland in the final fixture of last year’s Six Nations for young Ulster prop Sadhbh McGrath.
Then aged just 18, McGrath had a baptism of fire when pitched in to win her first cap from the start of the corresponding game two years ago though the Donegal girl showed character against the giant Welsh tighthead Sisilia Tuipulotu, who is currently injured.
The ongoing second row rotation sees Leinster’s rising star Ruth Campbell step in again alongside Dorothy Wall in place of Ulster’s Fiona Tuite, thus restoring the engineroom combination which started in the opening game against France at Ravenhill.
Campbell brings great energy and athleticism, so her presence could help offset some of what Ireland have lost in that regard without O’Dowd and King, while she will also presumably be used as that easily-lifted lineout option in the latter’s absence.
Apart from the physical toll taken by their herculean effort, Ireland will need to be wary of any hangover effect from the England game – the wonderful occasion with fantastic support, those first half highs and ultimately a resounding defeat on the scoreboard.
Ireland had a real sense of opportunity going into their first home match against France and, in some ways, a free hit in the England game while a flying start in Parma paved the way for that record rout of Italy.
But this Sunday’s showdown with Wales is a tricky combination for Ireland of being away from home, yet having the slightly uncomfortable tag of favourites against a dangerous side desperate for a revenge victory over them.
Formidable loose forward Alex Callender’s return after injury is a big boost for Wales, who have also brought back Kelsey Jones at hooker as they seek to bounce back from that 42-12 defeat in France last time out.
Ireland got much closer against France, albeit they had home advantage while losing 27-15, and Wales were beaten 67-12 by England in the Principality Stadium though they did manage a defiant flourish for a while and scored a couple of tries.
A former scrumhalf himself, Bemand has changed the occupant of the green No 9 jersey for each round of this Six Nations, with the latest switch seeing Molly Scuffil-McCabe come into the starting team for her first involvement of the current Championship.
Ireland’s Neve Jones (centre) and Gloucester clubmate Hannah Jones of Wales after the 2023 clash
Emily Lane was in the run-on line-up for the home matches against France and England, with Aoibheann Reilly getting the nod to start away to Italy and now Scuffil-McCabe will link up again with first choice outhalf Dannah O’Brien.
O’Brien’s kicking game is likely to be an important part of the gameplan again for Ireland against a Welsh team which has Kayleigh Powell in the No 10 jersey rather than Lleucu George, who started last April’s Cork clash.
Having fielded the same quintet outside O’Brien for the first three games of this Six Nations, Ireland have made a change here with experienced campaigner Enya Breen replacing Eve Higgins at inside centre.
Higgins and Aoife Dalton have been a very effective centre combo thus far in the tournament but Breen, who began on the bench against France and Italy before missing the England game in her native Cork due to a knock, is also a formidable operator.
She also adds to Ireland’s kicking game but, with maybe even more onus on the shrewd Dalton to shoot hard in defence in the absence of O’Dowd typically causing chaos closer in, the extra athleticism of Higgins in the No 12 jersey could conceivably be missed.
But Breen and Dalton have started together as a centre pairing on six previous occasions, including the latter’s first cap and Six Nations debut as a teenager plus last autumn’s stirring victories over Australia, world champions New Zealand and the USA.
Breen is actually Ireland’s sole survivor behind the scrum from last season’s win against Wales when the starting backline also featured fullback Lauren Delany, wingers Katie Corrigan and Beibhinn Parsons, Higgins at outside centre and scrumhalf Aoibheann Reilly.
Corrigan and Parsons scored second half tries that day to build on touchdowns in the opening period by Player of the Match Aoife Wafer, Higgins and Ulsterwoman Neve Jones, who will be up against several Gloucester Hartpury clubmates this weekend.
That contingent includes Neve’s fit-again namesake Kelsey Jones as direct opposite number at hooker and Ireland will want their lineout, which came under unsurprising pressure against England, to function smoothly like it did in last month’s French and Italian games.
All three Ireland tries against France came off the back of lineouts, the last two courtesy of dominant mauls, though they will have to adjust to being without King, who has been their main source of possession out of touch this Six Nations.
The superb Parsons is still absent but Ireland don’t lack cutting edge in their back three with Parma hat-trick hero Anna McGann and try-scorer against England Amee-Leigh Murphy-Crowe on the wings, supplemented by classy fullback Stacey Flood.
Wales, who have the exciting Jasmine Joyce, a long-standing GB sevens star, in their No 15 jersey, should benefit from most of their team plying their trade in the PWR rather than the less competitive Celtic Challenge where most of this Irish squad operate.
But that becomes less of a factor as the Championship progresses and, battle-hardened from facing France, Italy and England, Ireland are well-equipped for the physical challenge and pressurised environment of high-intensity rugby.
While tipped to triumph in Newport, Bemand’s women certainly aren’t as firm favourites as Simon Easterby’s Ireland team were for an away win against Wales in this year’s men’s Six Nations, yet that Cardiff clash proved very fraught with peril.
Like their male counterparts then, the Ireland women will be wearing white jerseys against Wales for the first time here out of consideration for those with colour blindness who can’t readily distinguish between red and green.
Last time Ireland wore white was in Bemand’s first match in charge – also McMahon’s captaincy debut – which resulted in a 109-0 annihilation of Kazakhstan at the inaugural WXV3 tournament in Dubai in October 2023.
There has been so much hard work and progression in this Irish side since then but the pressure is on to keep moving forward with an away win this weekend which Bemand knows won’t come easily despite the growing reputation, and heightened expectations, of his team.
He acknowledged coming into this Championship that just trying to emulate last season’s third place would be an exciting challenge given that it might take three away wins compared to two victories at home last spring.
Before last month’s trip to Parma, Ireland hadn’t managed an away win in the Six Nations for four years but they got that monkey off their back in emphatic fashion with a 54-12 record rout of Italy between those encouraging enough outings against France and England.
These next two weekends are all about delivering victories, starting with Wales in Newport and then Scotland – who will have an extra rest day – in Edinburgh next Saturday and Ireland will need to put their best foot forward on both occasions.
“Coming into this competition, there were some things we had to tick off. We hadn’t won away since 2021. In terms of building a group and some experiences that tee us up for a World Cup coming over the horizon, winning away is really important,” said Bemand.
“We’ve said we want to go after winning games away from home because that’s going to be a massive part of the World Cup, so us backing up the Italy piece by going away from home and taking the green wave over there would be massive for us.
“I grew up fairly close to Wales and I understand what it’s like to play there. It’s an unbelievable experience. They’re passionate about their rugby. Playing away brings different challenges. Away from home, you’ve the noise, atmosphere and occasion.
“We’ve got to learn to deal with that and get excited by it. This is still a young group but I’ve seen nothing in their eyes except good energy to get over there and get the job done. It’s not going to be easy but we’re fully ready for that,” he insisted.
“Now we’re up to fifth in the world rankings and that comes with a bit of expectation, but that’s a position we want to be in. We know from Italy what it’s like to put together a winning performance away from home and we know we’re capable of backing that up.”
From an Ulster perspective, it will be a big day for flanker Claire Boles when she comes off the bench to make her first appearance for Ireland in XVs since 2019 having concentrated on sevens for much of the intervening period.
But the relentless Lisbellaw woman has happy memories of her more recent visit to east Wales, where as Wolfhounds skipper she scored a first half hat-trick of tries against Gwalia Lightning at the start of last month.
WALES: Jasmine Joyce; Lisa Neumann, Hannah Jones (capt), Courtney Keight, Carys Cox; Kayleigh Powell, Keira Bevan; Gwenllian Pyrs, Kelsey Jones, Jenni Scoble, Abbie Fleming, Georgia Evans, Kate Williams, Bethan Lewis, Alex Callender. Replacements: Carys Phillips, Maisie Davies, Donna Rose, Natalia John, Alaw Pyrs; Sian Jones, Lleucu George, Catherine Richards.
IRELAND: Stacey Flood; Anna McGann, Aoife Dalton, Enya Breen, Amee-Leigh Murphy-Crowe; Dannah O’Brien, Molly Scuffil-McCabe; Siobhan McCarthy, Neve Jones, Linda Djougang, Ruth Campbell, Dorothy Wall, Brittany Hogan, Edel McMahon (capt), Aoife Wafer. Replacements: Cliodhna Moloney, Sadhbh McGrath, Christy Haney, Fiona Tuite, Claire Boles; Emily Lane, Eve Higgins, Vicky Elmes-Kinlan.
Referee: Lauren Jenner (New Zealand).
Flanker Edel McMahon is back to captain Ireland after missing the England game due to injury
Ireland’s Aoife Dalton on her way to Wales having played every minute of this Six Nations so far
