Scott Bemand, the head coach of the Ireland women's team, has announced the Match Day squad for the final round of WXV3 against Spain at Dubai's Sevens Stadium on Saturday.
After two impressive victories against Kazakhstan and Colombia, where Ireland scored more than 50 points in both matches, they have the opportunity to win the series with another victory against Spain. Ireland only needs to avoid defeat in Dubai to claim the first-ever WXV3 title. They are one point ahead of Spain and have a point difference of +131.
Bemand has selected an experienced squad for the tie. Ireland's co-captains, Sam Monaghan and Edel McMahon, will start in the second row and back row, respectively.
In the front row, Linda Djougang, Neve Jones, and Christy Haney have been named. Dorothy Wall will start the game this week alongside Monaghan as Ireland's locks. Grace Moore, McMahon, and Brittany Hogan complete the front pack.
The Ireland Women's team to face Spain in the final round of #WXV3 in Dubai! 🟢#IrishRugby
— Irish Rugby (@IrishRugby) October 26, 2023
The back three consists of Méabh Deely, Natasja Behan, and Béibhinn Parsons. The centre partnership of Eve Higgins and Aoife Dalton is retained, with Molly Scuffil-McCabe and Dannah O’Brien selected as the half-backs.
“Competition for places in this final round squad has been intense; this is exactly where we want to be. It has taken 31 players to get to this point, and both this squad and individuals have grown over these three weeks. We have a history with Spain, and we know this will be a higher level of competition that this squad needs to test itself against. It’s great to see Aoife Wafer back in the group after some time away from international rugby, and I am looking forward to seeing what this team’s best performance can look like," said Bemand on the IRFU website.
If you'd like to watch the game, you can do so via RugbyPass TV, while there will be live updates on Irish Rugby's social media channels.
Kick-off is at 5pm. local time/2 and 2pm. Irish time.
Ireland's Team to Face Spain:
Fullbacks: 15. Méabh Deely
Wingers: 14. Natasja Behan, 11. Béibhinn Parsons
Centres: 13. Eve Higgins, 12. Aoife Dalton
Half-backs: 10. Dannah O’Brien, 9. Molly Scuffil-McCabe
Front Row: 1. Linda Djougang; 2. Neve Jones; 3. Christy Haney
Second Row: 4. Dorothy Wall, 5. Sam Monaghan
Back Row: 6. Grace Moore, 7. Edel McMahon, 8. Brittany Hogan
Replacements: 16. Clara Nielson, 17. Niamh O’Dowd, 18. Sadhbh McGrath, 19. Eimear Corri, 20. Aoife Wafer, 21. Aoibheann Reilly, 22. Nicole Fowley, 23. Leah Tarpey
