Ireland Women Squad
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Elaine Anthony
Elaine Anthony
DoB1991-08-30 BirthplaceCork Height1.86 m (6' 1") Weight83 kg (13 st 1 lb) PositionSecond Row
Elaine Anthony -
Niamh Briggs
Niamh Briggs
DoB1984-09-30 BirthplaceWaterford Height1.68 m (5' 6") Weight78 kg (12 st 4 lb) PositionFull-Back
A native of Waterford, Niamh began her rugby career aged 21 in Dungarvan before moving to Clonmel RFC and then to U.L Bohemians. She made her Munster debut in 2006 and has won a number of interprovincial titles with her province.
She has represented Waterford in Gaelic football, winning the Munster Intermediate Championship final in 2010.
Niamh took over the captaincy of the Ireland Women’s team at the beginning of the 2014/15 campaign and guided Ireland to the Six Nations title in 2015.
In 2014, Niamh was named in the IRB Team of the Year and was a member of the Irish team that finished in fourth place at the 2014 IRB Women’s World Cup.
She has also represented Ireland in Rugby Sevens.
@niamhbriggs15Niamh Briggs -
Anna Caplice
Anna Caplice
DoB1989-03-13 BirthplaceMallow, Co.Cork Height1.68 m (5' 6") Weight73 kg (11 st 7 lb) PositionBack Row
Anna Caplice -
Nikki Caughey
Nikki Caughey
DoB1992-09-03 BirthplaceBelfast Height1.72 m (5' 8") Weight71 kg (11 st 2 lb) PositionOut Half / Centre
Caughey has been involved with the Irish national side since 2012. She is a member of the Irish Sevens programme as well as playing club rugby with Railway Union, having previously played with her local club Belfast Harlequins.
Nikki is comfortable at both out-half and centre and is also known for her physicality in defence.
@nikkicaughey92Nikki Caughey -
Eimear Considine
Eimear Considine
DoB1991-05-08 BirthplaceKilmihill Height1.74 m (5' 9") Weight70 kg (11 st 0 lb) PositionWing
Eimear hails from Clare, where she represented her county in football and camogie for a number of years before taking up the sport of Sevens.
Eimear studied PE and Irish teaching in the University of Limerick and teaches both subjects in Dublin.
Twitter: @eimearconsidineEimear Considine -
Ciara Cooney
Ciara Cooney
DoB1988-01-18 Birthplace Height1.70 m (5' 7") Weight75 kg (11 st 11 lb) PositionSecond Row
Second Row Cooney studies in I.T Carlow and plays her club rugby with Railway Union, having previously played for Tullow. She made her debut for her country in Ireland’s first ever Autumn International against England in November 2015.
@CooneyCiaraCiara Cooney -
Mairead Coyne
Mairead Coyne
DoB1988-10-12 BirthplaceGalway Height1.70 m (5' 7") Weight73 kg (11 st 7 lb) PositionWing / Full Back
Coyne is a powerful and abrasive winger, who can also cover full back. She plays her rugby with Galwegians.
She made her Ireland debut against England at The Stoop in November 2015.
Mairead played GAA county football with Galway before joining the Irish set up.
Mairead Coyne -
Ailis Egan
Ailis Egan
DoB1984-04-02 BirthplaceBath, Somerset Height1.72 m (5' 8") Weight86 kg (13 st 7 lb) PositionProp
Experienced prop Egan plays her club rugby with Old Belvedere and provincially with Leinster.
She holds two Six Nations medals in her collection, having won the Grand Slam in 2013 and Ireland’s second title in 2015. She was also a member of the Ireland World Cup squad in 2014.
Egan, who is originally from Bath works as a fundraiser.
@AilisEganAilis Egan -
Paula Fitzpatrick
Paula Fitzpatrick
DoB1985-08-12 BirthplaceDublin Height1.75 m (5' 9") Weight70 kg (11 st 0 lb) PositionFlanker / Back Row
Dubliner Fitzpartrick currently plays her club rugby in the South of France with Toulouse.
The back-rower previously played with St.Mary’s College in Dublin and with Leinster.
She picked up a Six Nations winners medal in 2015.
Paula owns her own applied sports science testing and research company called STRIVE.
@Paula_FitzPaula Fitzpatrick -
Orla Fitzsimons
Orla Fitzsimons
DoB1981-08-22 Birthplace Height1.81 m (5' 11") Weight80 kg (12 st 8 lb) PositionSecond Row
Orla Fitzsimons -
Kim Flood
Kim Flood
DoB1989-11-01 BirthplaceDublin Height1.66 m (5' 5") Weight70 kg (11 st 0 lb) PositionWing / Full Back
Kim Flood -
Nichola Fryday
Nichola Fryday
DoB1995-06-02 BirthplacePortlaoise Height1.79 m (5' 10") Weight73 kg (11 st 7 lb) PositionSecond Row/Back Row
Nichola Fryday -
Ciara Griffin
Ciara Griffin
DoB1994-01-10 Birthplace Height1.70 m (5' 7") Weight76 kg (11 st 13 lb) PositionFlanker
“Junior” (as she is known to team mates) plays her club rugby with Tralee and provincially with Munster.
She made her international debut against Wales during the 2016 Six Nations.
Griffin works as a teacher, but is a keen farmer as well.
Ciara Griffin -
Mary Healy
Mary Healy
DoB1990-08-08 BirthplaceAlexandria, Virginia, USA Height1.59 m (5' 3") Weight63 kg (9 st 13 lb) PositionScrum Half
Mary made her Ireland debut against England in the first ever Autumn International between the sides in 2015.
She plays her club rugby with Galwegians and provincially with Connacht.
Mary previously played hockey before taking up rugby in 2012.
@MarySHealy1Mary Healy -
Ailsa Hughes
Ailsa Hughes
DoB1991-04-18 BirthplaceTullamore Height1.64 m (5' 5") Weight68 kg (10 st 10 lb) PositionScrum Half
Ailsa Hughes -
Jemma Jackson
Jemma Jackson
DoB1994-08-19 BirthplaceBelfast Height1.60 m (5' 3") Weight72 kg (11 st 4 lb) PositionOut-half
Jemma Jackson -
Niamh Kavanagh
Niamh Kavanagh
DoB1987-07-30 Birthplace Height1.77 m (5' 10") Weight77 kg (12 st 1 lb) PositionWing
Niamh Kavanagh -
Leah Lyons
Leah Lyons
DoB1994-11-27 BirthplaceCork Height1.76 m (5' 9") Weight105 kg (16 st 7 lb) PositionProp
Leah Lyons -
Claire McLaughlin
Claire McLaughlin
DoB1991-11-21 Birthplace Height1.69 m (5' 7") Weight70 kg (11 st 0 lb) PositionCentre
Claire is a medical student in Queens University and balances her studies with training and playing with Ireland.
@claire__mcl
Claire McLaughlin -
Alison Miller
Alison Miller
DoB1984-10-30 BirthplacePortlaoise,Co.Laois Height1.65 m (5' 5") Weight67 kg (10 st 7 lb) PositionWing
Alison Miller -
Claire Molloy
Claire Molloy
DoB1988-06-22 BirthplaceGalway Height1.64 m (5' 5") Weight68 kg (10 st 10 lb) PositionFlanker
Claire is a doctor, based in Wales and plays her club rugby with Bristol.
She won the Grand Slam with Ireland in 2013 and picked up her second Six Nations medal in 2015.
Molloy also represented Galway in Gaelic football.
@claire_molClaire Molloy -
Cliodhna Moloney
Cliodhna Moloney
DoB1993-05-31 BirthplaceGalway Height1.73 m (5' 8") Weight82 kg (12 st 12 lb) PositionHooker
Leinster and Railway Union hooker Moloney made her Ireland debut against England in November 2015.
@cmoloney3Cliodhna Moloney -
Jenny Murphy
Jenny Murphy
DoB1989-05-30 BirthplaceKildare Height1.80 m (5' 11") Weight80 kg (12 st 8 lb) PositionCentre
Jenny Murphy -
Sene Naoupu
Sene Naoupu
DoB1984-02-02 Birthplace Height1.66 m (5' 5") Weight63 kg (9 st 13 lb) Position
Sene has been playing rugby since the age of 13, having played with North Otago and Hawkes Bay in her native New Zealand before continuing the game in Ireland.
She is part of a strong sporting family, with her husband George playing for Connacht, having previously played Sevens for New Zealand and her sister playing with Otago back in New Zealand. Sene has several caps for the Irish Women’s team and is a qualified health and fitness coach.
In 2016 she was named the Guinness Rugby Writers Women's Player of the Year and the IRUPA Women's Player of the Year.
Sene is one of a number of players in the Ireland Women's programme who has represented Ireland in both 7s and 15s.
@SeneNaoupu
Sene Naoupu -
Katie Norris
Katie Norris
DoB1989-01-20 BirthplaceDonegal Height1.77 m (5' 10") Weight82 kg (12 st 12 lb) PositionSecond Row
Katie Norris -
Ciara O'Connor
Ciara O'Connor
DoB1988-12-16 BirthplaceCo.Kerry Height1.64 m (5' 5") Weight90 kg (14 st 2 lb) PositionProp
Ciara O'Connor -
Ruth O'Reilly
Ruth O'Reilly
DoB1981-08-12 BirthplaceTralee Height1.65 m (5' 5") Weight88 kg (13 st 12 lb) PositionProp
Tralee born O’Reilly plays her club rugby in with Galwegians, of whom she is captain and led to All-Ireland title victory in 2014.
She has been involved in the Irish set up since 2012 and won a 2015 Six Nations medal.
Ruth is a former pupil of St John's Secondary School, in Balloonagh, and is also involved in the coaching set up in Galwegians.
@littlemissROR
Ruth O'Reilly -
Lindsay Peat
Lindsay Peat
DoB1980-11-05 BirthplaceDublin Height1.73 m (5' 8") Weight83 kg (13 st 1 lb) PositionFront Row
Lindsay won her first cap for Ireland against England at The Stoop in November 2015.
She is multi-talented when it comes to sports and has won an All-Ireland title with Dublin Ladies GAA and co-captained the Irish senior women’s basketball team.
She is a PE teacher as well as basketball coach.
Lindsay Peat -
Marie Louise Reilly
Marie Louise Reilly
DoB1980-04-01 BirthplaceLeeds, Yorkshire Height1.94 m (6' 4") Weight82 kg (12 st 12 lb) PositionSecond Row
“Maz” Reilly has been playing in the second-row for her country for several years.
She has won the Six Nations in 2013 (Grand Slam) and 2015.
Maz also played in the 2014 Women’s Rugby World Cup in France, when Ireland finished in 4th place.
By day, Maz works with Dublin City Council.
She was born in Leeds, but moved to Moynalvey in County Meath (also where Ireland men’s second-row Devin Toner hails from).
@MazzieReillyMarie Louise Reilly -
Sophie Spence
Sophie Spence
DoB1987-02-26 BirthplaceSouth Shiels, UK Height1.80 m (5' 11") Weight84 kg (13 st 3 lb) PositionSecond Row / Back Row
Spence was nominated for World Rugby Women’s Player of the Year in 2015 following on from Ireland second Six Nations title win earlier that year.
Previously she had played with Ireland in the 2014 Women’s Rugby World Cup and also won a Six Nations medal in 2013 when Ireland won the Grand Slam.
Sophie is happy to play in second-row or in the back row and is an important ball-carrier for her country.
She was born in South Shiels in England, but her family come from Belfast and she made the decision to move across the water in order to pursue playing for Ireland. She currently works with DCU on rugby development, as well as coaching several age-grade sides.
@spence_87Sophie Spence -
Nora Stapleton
Nora Stapleton
DoB1983-07-05 BirthplaceDonegal Height1.70 m (5' 7") Weight68 kg (10 st 10 lb) PositionOut Half
Donegal-woman Stapleton gives a lot of experience to the Ireland squad.
She won the Grand Slam in 2013 and picked up her second Six Nations medal in 2015. Nora also wore the number 10 jersey when Ireland defeated the All Blacks at the 2014 World Cup.
She attended UCD and plays her club rugby for Old Belvedere RFC whom she has helped to league success in recent seasons.
Nora works as Women’s Rugby Development Executive with the IRFU and has played a key role in promoting the women’s game in Ireland.
Before taking up rugby, Nora played GAA with Donegal and won the All-Ireland Intermediate Football Championship with them in 2010.
@NoraStapletonNora Stapleton -
Ilse van Staden
Ilse van Staden
DoB1983-03-25 BirthplaceSouth Africa Height1.74 m (5' 9") Weight95 kg (14 st 13 lb) PositionProp
Ilse van Staden