With a Women’s Rugby World Cup on home soil now less than nine months away, it is fitting that one of the tournament venues, the UCD Bowl, will play host to the Ireland Women’s opening November Series clash with England on Sunday (kick-off 2pm).
2016 WOMEN’S NOVEMBER SERIES: Sunday, November 13
IRELAND WOMEN v ENGLAND WOMEN, UCD Bowl, 2pm (live on Irish Rugby TV)
Team News: This is the first of Ireland’s November Series games, with Canada to follow on Saturday, November 19 and New Zealand on Sunday, November 27. Tickets for the Women’s November Series are on sale at www.ticketmaster.ie/womensrugby.
Ireland Women’s head coach Tom Tierney is without some of his more experienced players this weekend due to injuries. Captain Niamh Briggs is one of those sidelined as she continues to rehab a hamstring injury she picked up in a recent club game, however he has named an exciting squad with one new cap in the starting line-up, and two more new caps on the bench.
Nicole Fowley of Galwegians will win her first cap as she partners Sene Naoupu in the centre, while forwards Leah Lyons (Highfield) and Chloe Pearse (UL Bohemians) will be looking to win their first Ireland caps from the bench.
In the front row, Lindsay Peat will make her first start for Ireland at loosehead prop, winning her fifth cap in the process. She will be joined by her Railway Union club-mate Cliodhna Moloney at hooker and Old Belvedere’s Ailis Egan at tighthead.
The experienced Marie Louise Reilly is joined by Orla Fitzsimons in the second row, and the back row is made up of Ciara Griffin, Claire Molloy and Paula Fitzpatrick. St. Mary’s star Fitzpatrick will captain the side from number 8.
The dynamic half-back partnership of Larissa Muldoon and Nora Stapleton leads a back-line that includes centres Naoupu and Fowley, Ireland Sevens international Alison Miller and UL Bohemians’ Niamh Kavanagh on the wings and Galwegians’ Mairead Coyne at full-back.
In the replacements, the aforementioned Lyons and Pearse will be looking to win their first Ireland caps if they are called upon. They are joined on the bench by fellow Munster players Fiona Hayes and Fiona Reidy, as well as Katie Norris from Blackrock. Mary Healy, Nikki Caughey and Jackie Shiels are the reserve backs.
Meanwhile, England Women’s head coach Simon Middleton has made five changes to his side following their midweek 10-5 victory over France at the Twickenham Stoop.
Prop Rochelle Clark will start on Sunday to overtake Jason Leonard’s record and become England’s most-capped player with 115 international appearance, equalling Donna Kennedy’s record in the Women’s game.
Amy Cokayne moves to the bench with Vicky Fleetwood coming into the starting line-up alongside Harriet Millar-Mills, La Toya Mason and Emily Scott. Bristol flanker Poppy Cleall has been added to the bench.
IRELAND WOMEN: Mairead Coyne (Galwegians/Connacht); Niamh Kavanagh (UL Bohemians/Munster), Nicole Fowley (Galwegians/Connacht), Sene Naoupu (Aylesford Bulls), Alison Miller (Old Belvedere/Connacht); Nora Stapleton (Old Belvedere/Leinster), Larissa Muldoon (Railway Union); Lindsay Peat (Railway Union/Leinster), Cliodhna Moloney (Railway Union/Leinster), Ailis Egan (Old Belvedere/Leinster), Marie Louise Reilly (Old Belvedere/Leinster), Orla Fitzsimons (St. Mary’s/Leinster), Ciara Griffin (UL Bohemians/Munster), Claire Molloy (Bristol/Connacht), Paula Fitzpatrick (St. Mary’s/Leinster) (capt).
Replacements: Leah Lyons (Highfield/Munster), Fiona Hayes (UL Bohemians/Munster), Fiona Reidy (UL Bohemians/Munster), Katie Norris (Blackrock/Leinster), Chloe Pearse (UL Bohemians/Munster), Mary Healy (Galwegians/Connacht), Nikki Caughey (Railway Union/Ulster), Jackie Shiels (Old Belvedere/Leinster).
ENGLAND WOMEN: Danielle Waterman (Bristol); Kay Wilson (Richmond), Claire Allan (Saracens), Rachael Burford (Aylesford Bulls), Fiona Pocock (Aylesford Bulls); Emily Scott (Saracens), La Toya Mason (Darlington Mowden Park Sharks); Rochelle Clark (Worcester Valkyries), Vicky Fleetwood (Saracens), Laura Keates (Worcester Valkyries), Tamara Taylor (Darlington Mowden Park Sharks), Harriet Millar-Mills (Lichfield), Alex Matthews (Richmond), Marlie Packer (Bristol), Sarah Hunter (Bristol) (capt).
Replacements: Amy Cokayne (Lichfield), Vickii Cornborough (Aylesford Bulls), Sarah Bern (Bristol), Poppy Cleall (Bristol), Izzy Noel-Smith (Bristol), Natasha Hunt (Lichfield), Katy Mclean (Darlington Mowden Park Sharks), Ceri Large (Worcester Valkyries).
Referee: Amy Perrett (Australia)
Assistant Referees: Beatrice Benvenuti (Italy), Helen O’Reilly (Ireland)
Pre-Match Quotes – Tom Tierney (Ireland Women): “This weekend marks the first game of what is arguably going to be the biggest season in the history of Irish Women’s rugby.
“The Women’s Rugby World Cup is now less than nine months away, and while there’s a lot of rugby to be played between now and then, the players are very eager to run out at UCD this Sunday and get things underway in our first ever November Series.
“We’re without some of our more experienced players this weekend, but this gives other members of the squad the opportunity to develop their game and get some much-needed experience themselves.
“Starting this weekend, we’ll play three games in three weeks against some very competitive opposition and this is important as we prepare for the pool games of the World Cup in UCD.”
Simon Middleton (England Women): “This series is about replicating a World Cup environment with its tight turnarounds and world class competition. Our plan was always to rotate the squad and look at different player combinations and I am confident that, with the quality and strength of our squad, whatever combination we use we can produce a positive result.
“We were by no means perfect (against France) but we showed immense pride in our performance and a real will to win. It did have the feel of the first game of the season with players who hadn’t played alongside each other for a long time.
“However, I thought some of our game management and game-plan execution was outstanding, as was our defence which came under great pressure at times. We look forward to building on that performance this Sunday.”
Pre-Match Links –
Ireland Women Drawn In Pool C For Next Year’s World Cup
‘In Touch’ November Issue Out Now
Recent Meetings –
2014: Women’s RBS 6 Nations: England Women 17 Ireland Women 10, Twickenham; Women’s Rugby World Cup Semi-Final: Ireland Women 7 England Women 40, Stade Jean Bouin, Paris
2015: Women’s RBS 6 Nations: Ireland Women 11 England Women 8, Ashbourne RFC; Autumn Test: England Women 8 Ireland Women 3, Twickenham Stoop
2016: Women’s RBS 6 Nations: England Women 13 Ireland Women 9, Twickenham
Support Ireland on www.irishrugby.ie/facebook or search #BringIt, #IREvENG and #ShouldertoShoulder on www.twitter.com/irishrugby.
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