The IRFU has announced the launch of a new women's under-20s program, aiming to bridge the gap between senior and underage levels in Irish rugby. As part of this initiative, Ireland's players will undergo a training camp and participate in games against Italy and Scotland next month, engaging in a series of training matches.
A group of 26 talented players will travel to Rome in July, where they will train alongside the Italian and Scottish teams. Additionally, they will have the opportunity to play two 40-minute training games against these teams, further enhancing their skills and experience.
Leading the squad will be head coach Neill Alcorn, with the invaluable support of assistant coaches Matt Gill and Larissa Muldoon.
Katie Fitzhenry, the National Talent Squad and Talent Identification Manager, recently supervised a screening camp at Dublin's high-performance center. This camp served as a platform for selecting players from various competitions, including this season's Energia All-Ireland League, Celtic Challenge, Vodafone Interprovincial Championship, as well as the 2022 U16 and U18 Sevens Interprovincial Championships and the U18 Women's Six Nations Festival.
We're delighted to announce that a 26-player Ireland Women's U20s squad will travel to Italy to play the host nation and Scotland in a series of training matches next month 🟢#FutureIsGreen | @PwCIreland
— Irish Rugby (@IrishRugby) June 27, 2023
Fitzhenry expressed her delight at the launch of this program, stating, "We're delighted to be adding another important layer to our Women's Pathway with an Ireland Women's U20s squad coming together for the first time this summer. The National and Provincial Talent Coaches have been working hard to identify players from all levels of our Pathway structure in recent months, and we had 44 players come together last weekend for a really positive screening camp."
Feargal O'Rourke, PwC Ireland Managing Partner, also voiced support for the development of the Ireland Women's U20s team, emphasizing the importance of nurturing and recognizing talent for the future success of the community.
"At PwC we fully support the addition and development of the Ireland Women’s U20s team. Nurturing and recognising excellence in talent is paramount to the future success of all of our communities," he added.
The Ireland Women's U20s squad will be announced on Wednesday, 5th July, adding further anticipation and excitement to this groundbreaking program.
