Bemand Urges Ireland To ‘Get On The Front Foot Early’

Scott Bemand has backed Ruth Campbell and Nancy McGillivray to both make a big splash as Ireland’s Green Wave reaches Galway Bay for a first ever Guinness Women’s Six Nations match at Dexcom Stadium.

Ticket sales for Saturday evening’game against Italy in Galway have passed the 8,500 mark, meaning it is set to eclipse the record for a standalone Ireland Women’s home international which saw 7,754 fans watch last year’s clash with England in Cork.

As of this morning, Connacht Rugby confirmed that there were less than 1,000 tickets available, at either the Bohermore Terrace or College Road Terrace ends of the ground. Supporters are in for a treat as, in addition, the Ireland and Italy Under-21 Women will play each other at 2.20pm, as part of a double header.

For the senior fixture, which kicks off at 5.40pm, head coach Bemand have brought Campbell, McGillivray, and debutant winger Robyn O’Connor into the team, following on from last week’s 33-12 defeat to England on the 2026 Championship’s opening day.

Former co-captain Sam Monaghan also returns from a minor injury to be part of an experienced and power-packed bench, as Ireland look to crown their first trip out west with a momentum-building performance and result.

Asked about dealing with the pressure of being favourites this week on home soil, Bemand said: “The mindset of, if you want to call it favourites, but certainly playing at home, is slightly different. But we go after a performance as much as anything.

“What we’ve got this time is 8,500 people (at Dexcom Stadium) so far, so we understand how this can feel a bit different. Again, we said last week, it needs to become an energising factor rather than a daunting factor.

“We’re hunting down that 10,000 people, giving us the extra player, the 16th player. So we’re pretty excited to get there and bring the Green Wave to Galway. We’re excited for it to be a record crowd.

“We didn’t get the start that we wanted against England at Twickenham, but we’re absolutely in the right space now that we’ve got the expectation on ourselves to start big rather than find our way into the game.”

The Ireland coaching group have made some notable changes in personnel, preferring McGillivray over Eve Higgins at inside centre as the 23-year-old IQ Rugby player comes in for just her second international start, and her first in the Six Nations.

McGillivray put in a lively 30-minute shift after being introduced during the second half at Allianz Stadium last Saturday. She will be hoping to make more impact on both sides of the ball, alongside the ever-influential Aoife Dalton who will make her twelfth consecutive competitive appearance for Ireland.

Meanwhile, Bemand has opted for the same second row pairing from last year’s record 54-12 victory over Italy, backed up by the fit-again Dorothy Wall. Campbell will team up with new vice-captain Fiona Tuite, the Old Belvedere duo having started together previously against the Azzurre, Scotland, and Canada in 2025.

The 22-year-old Campbell, who made four Six Nations starts last season and captained the Clovers more recently, is known for her athleticism, a valuable asset at lineout time, and her physicality around the pitch, particularly in the tackle area and at the breakdown.

“I thought Ruth came on and brought the physicality that we needed, that we perhaps didn’t have from the off against the English last week. So I think she has played her way in,” acknowledged the Ireland boss.

“I thought Nancy came on last week and brought an element of directness, of intensity, that we needed. I think those guys have earned the right to say they get the nod.

“It’s a 23-player game now. I’ve never taken the viewpoint that the 15 starters are the best and the others are not quite there. We know that this game’s got the capability to sort of still be a ‘live’ game.

“We want dynamism and impact to come on from the bench. We’ve got a group that I believe can come on and do that. They’re absolutely itching to get on the pitch and play. Sam Monaghan (is) back fit, gets to come on.

“And if judging by the intensity that we saw in training yesterday (Wednesday) is anything to go by, the girls have taken to heart the start, the one that we didn’t want last week. They are definitely going to make some impact when they get on this time.”

That bench, with 196 international caps between them, contains plenty of punch and game-breaking ability. Like Monaghan, young prop Sadhbh McGrath is poised for her first run-out of the 2026 Six Nations, while Higgins, Anna McGann, a try-scoring replacement against England, and newly-capped scrum half Katie Whelan are the back-line options.

Go back to Parma just over twelve months, and Ireland’s most recent meeting with Italy. The bench that day had a big say, especially Wall and Brittany Hogan who came on for the final half an hour, scoring a try each and making 18 carries between them. Wall’s late ball-dislodging tackle also led to McGann’s hat-trick score.

While confident that he has a strong hand to play in terms of the replacements, Bemand has urged his starting XV to set the tone with a much-improved start compared to last week. They will need to do so, as Italy, in Fabio Roselli’s second Six Nations campaign, look like a team on an upward trajectory.

“Hopefully we get that fast start that we’re after. Getting on the front foot early is important. We didn’t get that right last week, and we’ve looked at it, acknowledged it, took the learnings from it and now we’ve got to get it right.

“I think the Italians are better than they were. They’re a well-coached group. You can see they have a plan. It wasn’t that long ago when the Italians maybe played in a slightly more chaotic way.

“But rugby over there, it is probably shown in the Men’s side, it’s improving across the board and we say about a rising tide floats all boats. And the Italian Women’s team are more organised, understand the plan and what they’re trying to do,” he added.