Ireland Women's head coach Adam Griggs has named a squad of 37 ahead of their busy November schedule, which will see them travel to Scotland and France for training and practice games ahead of a November 10 Test against Wales at the UCD Bowl.
There are 10 uncapped players who have been included after an impressive IRFU Women's Interprovincial Championship which saw Leinster overcome Connacht in a hard-fought final at Energia Park last Saturday evening.
Leinster's Judy Bobbett, Victoria Dabanovich-O'Mahony, Grace Miller, Niamh Ni Dhroma and Katie O'Dwyer have all earned Ireland selection. They are joined by Shannon Touhey from Connacht and Munster's Dorothy Wall who also make their first appearances in a national squad.
Mary Healy, a former Leinster Under-18 player who is currently studying at Lindenwood University in Missouri, USA, was invited to national training camps throughout the summer while home and, as part of the IQ Rugby programme, has been tracked and identified to come back into the IRFU national set-up.
Speaking about the squad announcement, Griggs said:
We are really excited to announce our squad for the season ahead. The Interpros have identified some brilliant talent, and with the extended games and finals series, players had the opportunity to show their skill and grow throughout the competition. "It has been a very tough selection process and we have picked players purely on form. We are confident we have a really strong group to take us through this autumn. Shannon Touhey from Connacht had an outstanding series, helping them to the final, and she now gets the opportunity to come into the national squad to develop her all round game. "Leinster's Hannah O'Connor, who has been part of the national set-up now for over a year, also stood out for her performances during the Interpros and will be striving to earn her first cap for country. "There's a good mix of youth and experience throughout the squad which will drive our standards and make sure there is high quality competition for places as we head towards the Six Nations and the 2021 Rugby World Cup qualifiers next summer."The Ireland Women have a busy few weeks ahead, preparing for the November 10 clash with Wales at the UCD Bowl (kick-off 1pm). They have two away training camps, which will include training games against Scotland (October 26-27) and France (November 2-3).