Fit-again Aoife Wafer will make her World Cup debut in Sunday’s quarter-final against France
RICHARD BULLICK IN EXETER
IRELAND’S taliswoman Aoife Wafer will make her long-awaited World Cup debut in Sunday’s quarter-final against France in Exeter and fullback Stacey Flood has recovered from injury in another big boost for head coach Scott Bemand.
The 2025 Six Nations Player of the Championship Wafer has been sidelined up until now after knee surgery this summer but returns to face France, against whom she scored two tries in Belfast at the end of March.
However, co-captain Edel McMahon has been ruled out after damaging her knee in last weekend’s 40-0 defeat to New Zealand, cruelly denying the Exeter Chiefs flanker from lining out at her home stadium of Sandy Park.
Ulster utility forward Fiona Tuite, who missed that Pool C decider against the Black Ferns with a minor knock, returns at blindside flanker in place of Grace Moore with Wafer wearing the No 7 jersey in McMahon’s absence.
Tuite’s provincial colleague Brittany Hogan continues in the middle of the back row while Ulsterwoman Neve Jones again gets the nod at hooker in an unchanged front five for this showdown with Pool D table toppers France.
Young Donegal woman Sadhbh McGrath makes the matchday 23 for a fourth game running as back-up tighthead to Linda Djougang, while Niamh O’Dowd holds onto the No 1 jersey despite Ellena Perry being available again.
Former English international Perry was selected to start against New Zealand at loosehead before being withdrawn due to a knock and she has been named on the bench here in place of Siobhan McCarthy.
The selection of Jones at hooker means the only Exeter Chiefs player in Ireland’s matchday squad, Cliodhna Moloney-MacDonald, will be on the bench initially for her 49th cap while the other forward replacements are Leinster lock Eimear Corri-Fallon and Moore.
With Tuite being treated as a back row at present, Corri-Fallon is on the bench as specialist second row cover with Fermanagh flanker Claire Boles dropping out of the matchday squad having come on for McMahon against New Zealand.
Monaghan, who missed all of last season for Ireland after rupturing her cruciate in the English Premiership final for Gloucester Hartpury, starts her fourth consecutive game at this World Cup and is again partnered in the engineroom by raw prospect Ruth Campbell.
Bemand has gone with an unchanged backline, scrumhalf Aoibheann Reilly retaining the No 9 jersey alongside Dannah O’Brien despite a difficult afternoon against world champions New Zealand in front of a capacity crowd of over 30,000 in Brighton.
Ireland co-captain Edel McMahon hasn’t recovered from the bruising battle with New Zealand
Thankfully Flood has recovered from the nasty laceration to her foot which caused her to be carted off on a medical buggy before half-time last Sunday, sparing Bemand a difficult decision on how to replace the Paris Olympian as the last line of defence.
Flood’s specialist understudy Maebh Deely hasn’t played a minute at this tournament while the alternative option, of switching Eve Higgins there as happened during the Black Ferns clash, would have broken up her excellent centre pairing with Aoife Dalton.
Higgins and Ireland Player of the Year Dalton line up together in midfield for the fourth time in four games at this tournament, while vice-captain Amee-Leigh Costigan, Flood and O’Brien have also been ever-present starters in the backline.
Breen’s return to the bench in place of Exeter Chiefs centre Nancy McGillivray gives Ireland more cover for O’Brien than against New Zealand, when the Plan B was for Flood to switch from fullback if required.
Costigan and Beibhinn Parsons have got the nod on the wings with Anna McGann, who bagged a brace of tries in both the warm-up match against Canada and group game against Spain, continuing in the No 23 jersey.
O’Brien is set to her 30th cap this weekend despite not turning 22 until Monday week and as always the spotlight will be on the young Carlow woman whose left boot is such an important weapon for Ireland.
Although Philip Doyle’s women reached the last four of the France 2014 tournament, no Ireland adult team, male or female, has ever won a World Cup quarter-final so Bemand’s side have the opportunity to make history.
IRELAND (v France): Stacey Flood; Beibhinn Parsons, Aoife Dalton, Eve Higgins, Amee-Leigh Costigan; Dannah O’Brien, Aoibheann Reilly; Niamh O’Dowd, Neve Jones, Linda Djougang, Ruth Campbell, Sam Monaghan (capt), Fiona Tuite, Aoife Wafer, Brittany Hogan. Replacements: Cliodhna Moloney-MacDonald, Ellena Perry, Sadhbh McGrath, Eimear Corri-Fallon; Emily Lane, Enya Breen, Anna McGann.
Ireland fullback Stacey Flood has been passed fit despite being taken off injured last weekend
Aoife Wafer scored two tries against France when the teams last met in this year’s Six Nations
History will be made next May as the Ireland Women’s National Team run out at Aviva Stadium for the first standalone Guinness Women’s Six Nations fixture at the Home of Irish Rugby.
In a blockbuster Round 5 finale, Scott Bemand‘s Ireland will host Scotland on Sunday, 17 May, 2026 (Kick-off 2.30pm) – a landmark occasion as the Women’s National Team take over Aviva Stadium in front of what the IRFU is striving to be a record-breaking crowd.
It will be the second time the Women’s National Team have played at Aviva Stadium after their emphatic five-try victory over Italy in 2014 formed part of a Six Nations double-header alongside the Men’s National Team.
Secure your tickets for Aviva Stadium now!
Today’s announcement of an exciting standalone Guinness Women’s Six Nations fixture at Aviva Stadium underlines the IRFU’s sustained commitment to the expansion and development of the Women’s game in Ireland, building further on the groundswell of support for Bemand’s side throughout their Women’s Rugby World Cup campaign in recent weeks.
Tickets for Ireland’s return to Aviva Stadium in the Guinness Women’s Six Nations are now available via Ticketmaster.ie as part of a special Flash Sale until 2pm on Friday, 19 September.
