The Ireland Women will bid to get back to winning ways when they tackle England on Saturday, taking part in an eagerly-awaited RBS 6 Nations double header at the world famous Twickenham Stadium.
2016 WOMEN’S RBS 6 NATIONS CHAMPIONSHIP: Saturday, February 27
ENGLAND WOMEN (2nd) v IRELAND WOMEN (3rd), Twickenham, 7.15pm (live on England Rugby YouTube Channel)
Team News: Ireland Women’s head coach Tom Tierney has made two personnel changes and one positional switch to the team that lost to France in Perpignan last time out.
In the pack, Tralee’s Ciara Griffin, who won her second cap against the French, is handed her first Six Nations start at flanker. Paula Fitzpatrick shifts to number 8 and Heather O’Brien moves to the replacements.
In the backs, there is a straight swap at out-half where the experienced Nora Stapleton comes in for Nikki Caughey who will provide back-up from the bench.
Prop Fiona Hayes, who was last involved in Ireland’s final game of the 2015 Six Nations, has been added to the replacements.
Tierney is looking forward to the challenge that awaits his team at Twickenham, saying: “While the result in France didn’t go our way, I thought there were a lot of positives to take from that game and we will be looking to carry them into this fixture. We made too many unforced errors in Perpignan, so if we can rectify that I think we have got a very good chance on Saturday.
“Twickenham is a special place to play, so it will be a great experience for the girls, but it is important that we go there looking to perform and hopefully come away with a result.”
The England v Ireland Women’s clash will be streamed live on YouTube via England Rugby. Click here to watch from 7pm on Saturday night.
Meanwhile, England Women’s captain Sarah Hunter is looking forward to welcoming Ireland to Twickenham but recognises that taking on the reigning Six Nations champions presents a ‘tough challenge’.
Lead coach Scott Bemand has made one change to the starting line-up, with Richmond hooker Emma Croker coming in for Lichfield’s Amy Cokayne. Tamara Taylor from Darlington also returns to the squad on the bench and could earn her 89th England cap.
The England Women are two from two so far in this campaign, having started the tournament with a 32-0 win against Scotland, followed by a hard fought 33-24 victory away to Italy.
The England v Ireland Women’s fixture will kick off at 7.15pm, following the men’s RBS 6 Nations match which gets underway at 4.50pm. Selected gates will be open at the end of the men’s game to allow free access to view the Women’s clash.
England Women v Ireland Women Ticket Details
Women’s RBS 6 Nations Fixtures/Results
ENGLAND WOMEN: Katie Mason (Bristol); Lydia Thompson (Worcester), Lauren Cattell (Saracens), Ceri Large (Worcester), Lotte Clapp (Saracens); Amber Reed (Bristol), La Toya Mason (Darlington Mowden Park); Rochelle Clark (Worcester), Emma Croker (Richmond), Vickii Cornborough (Richmond), Abbie Scott (Darlington Mowden Park), Emily Braund (Lichfield), Harriet Millar-Mills (Lichfield), Izzy Noel-Smith (Bristol), Sarah Hunter (Bristol) (capt).
Replacements: Amy Cokayne (Lichfield), Heather Kerr (Darlington Mowden Park), Bee Dawson (Wasps), Tamara Taylor (Darlington Mowden Park), Poppy Leitch (Bristol), Bianca Blackburn (Worcester), Ruth Laybourn (Darlington Mowden Park), Leanne Riley (Richmond).
IRELAND WOMEN: Niamh Briggs (UL Bohemians/Munster) (capt); Elise O’Byrne White (Old Belvedere/Leinster), Aine Donnelly (Cill Dara/Leinster), Sene Naoupu (Galwegians/Connacht), Mairead Coyne (Galwegians/Connacht); Nora Stapleton (Old Belvedere/Leinster), Larissa Muldoon (Skewen); Ruth O’Reilly (Galwegians/Connacht), Cliodhna Moloney (Railway Union/Leinster), Ailis Egan (Old Belvedere/Leinster), Sophie Spence (Old Belvedere/Leinster), Marie Louise Reilly (Old Belvedere/Leinster), Ciara Griffin (Tralee/Munster), Claire Molloy (Bristol), Paula Fitzpatrick (Toulouse).
Replacements: Zoe Grattage (Tralee/Munster), Fiona Hayes (UL Bohemians/Munster), Fiona Reidy (UL Bohemians/Munster), Ciara Cooney (Railway Union/Leinster), Heather O’Brien (Toulouse), Mary Healy (Galwegians/Connacht), Nikki Caughey (Railway Union/Ulster), Jackie Shiels (Richmond).
Referee: Alhambra Nievas (Spain)
Pre-Match Quotes – Cliodhna Moloney (Ireland Women): “It was a bad day at the office for us (against France) and we regrouped in camp last weekend. I suppose some of the decisions didn’t go our way but we didn’t help ourselves.
“It was a great experience to play over there (in Perpignan) in front of a crowd that big and for most of us that was the biggest crowd we’ve played against. We had a couple of video sessions to look at Wales and France. We did have a lot of areas to work on and we’re hopeful we can fix them.
“We know we can beat them (England) and it will be about which team learns more from our previous encounters and we’d like to think we’ve learned more. We’ve worked hard and looked at their game.
“We’re going over there to play rugby and throw everything at them because we know we can make history (as the first Ireland Women’s team to beat England away from home).”
Scott Bemand (England Women): “We have had the time to get together since Italy and work on our game. There were areas where things went well, but there were also things which we will need to improve.
“Ireland is going to present a tough challenge this weekend and there will be no margin for error. Recent history testifies that our games have been fiercely contested and, as a group, we are very excited to play at the home of England rugby where we look forward to having the support of a home crowd on Saturday.”
Pre-Match Links –
Ireland Women Enjoy Winning Start Against Wales
Ireland Women Fall To Two-Try France
Match Facts –
– The England Women have won their opening two matches, against Scotland and Italy, representing their best start in the Six Nations since 2012
– England’s only home defeat in their last nine Tests was 21-15 to France at Twickenham in round 5 last year
– The Ireland Women were defeated by France in Perpignan in the last round and have not lost successive matches in the tournament since 2012
– The two nations have met on 22 previous occasions with Ireland’s only two victories both being at Ashbourne, in 2013 and 2015
– This is the 14th Women’s Test match at Twickenham, two of those have featured Ireland, with England winning 51-10 in 2004 and 17-10 in 2014
Recent Meetings –
2013: Women’s RBS 6 Nations: Ireland Women 25 England Women 0, Ashbourne RFC
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
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