FOUR Ulster players make the starting line-ups for the first Irish derby game of this season’s Celtic Challenge as Wolfhounds face the Clovers at Creggs RFC, Co Galway on Saturday at 3.00pm.
India Daly, Sophie Barrett and Claire Boles start for Wolfhounds while Sadhbh McGrath features for the home side.
Ulster quartet Maebh Cleneghan, Cara McLean, Fiona Tuite and Moya Hill are among the Wolfhounds replacements.
Leinster’s Erin King is set to make her return from injury to line out for the Wolfhounds.
King, the World Rugby Breakthrough Player of the Year in 2024 makes her first appearance since a serious injury in last season’s Guinness Women’s Six Nations ruled her out of the rest of the tournament and the subsequent Rugby World Cup.
Both the Clovers and Wolfhounds earned bonus point wins in the opening round of the Celtic Challenge before Christmas and will be aiming to build on that positive start.
King joins a Wolfhounds side that has three changes from the side that took to the field against Edinburgh with Linda Djougang and Stacey Flood both starting, having come on from the bench in the first game.
The Clovers also make three changes to their starting team with Siobhán McCarthy and Beth Buttimer coming into the front row and Emily Foley onto the wing.
The clash promises to be an exciting affair with both sides each taking a win in last season’s competition – the Wolfhounds winning 33-07 in round one before the Clovers turned the tables with a 31-10 win in the following round.
The game kicks off at 3.00pm in Creggs RFC on Saturday, January 3.
Tickets can be purchased through Ticketmaster here and the game will be shown by TG4 also.
Clovers
15 – Aoife Corey (Munster)
14 – Béibhinn Parsons (Connacht)
13 – Anna McGann (Connacht)
12 – Niamh Murphy (Leinster)
11- Emily Foley (Connacht)
10 – Caitriona Finn (Munster)
9 – Emily Lane (Munster) (Captain)
1 – Siobhán McCarthy (Munster)
2 – Beth Buttimer (Munster)
3- Sadhbh McGrath (Ulster)
4 – Aoibhe O’Flynn (VC) (Munster)
5 – Jane Clohessy (Munster)
6 – Rosie Searle (Leinster)
7 – Faith Oviawe (Connacht)
8 – Jemima Adams Verling (Connacht)
Replacements:
16 – Emma Dunican (Munster)
17 – Orlaith Morrissey (Munster)
18 – Ella Burns (Connacht)
19 – Aoibheann McGrath (Munster)
20 – Caoimhe Murphy (Munster)
21 – Gráinne Moran (Connacht)
22 – Méabh Deely (Connacht)
23 – Lucia Linn (Munster)
Wolfhounds
15 – Stacey Flood (Leinster)
14 – Robyn O’Connor (Leinster)
13 – Aoife Dalton (Leinster) (Captain)
12 – Eve Higgins (Leinster)
11- Maggie Boylan (Munster)
10 – Dannah O’Brien (Leinster)
9 – Aoibheann Reilly (Connacht)
1 – Linda Djougang (Leinster)
2 – India Daley (Ulster)
3- Sophie Barrett (Ulster)
4 – Naoise Smyth (Leinster)
5 – Kate Jordan (Leinster)
6 – Claire Boles (Ulster)
7 – Maeve Óg O’Leary (Munster)
8 – Erin King (Leinster)
Replacements:
16 – Maebh Cleneghan (Ulster)
17 – Cara McLean (Ulster)
18 – Caoimhe Molloy (Leinster)
19 – Fiona Tuite (Ulster)
20 – Poppy Garvey (Connacht)
21 – Moya Hill (Ulster)
22 – Katie Whelan (Leinster)
23 – Vicky Elmes Kinlan (Leinster)
