Clovers & Wolfhounds
This season marks another major step forward for women’s rugby across Ireland, Scotland and Wales, as the ultimate cross-border competition continues to showcase the next generation of talent while welcoming back established internationals fresh from World Cup action.
The Road to the Final
At the conclusion of the 10-round regular season, the top four seeded teams will progress to the play-offs.
- The two highest-ranked sides will host the semi-finals, with 1st vs 4th and 2nd vs 3rd battling for a place in the inaugural final.
- The winners of the semi-finals will then meet in the Celtic Challenge Final, where they will compete for the honour of becoming the Celtic Challenge Champions.
The Clovers
The Clovers are mainly comprised of players from the Irish provinces of Munster and Connacht.The players will come from the Ireland national team, from the Irish Women’s National Talent Squad (WNTS) pathway and also players identified from the Interprovincial Series and the Energia Women’s All Ireland League.
In an effort to develop depth for the national team, on occasion players from Leinster and Ulster (the other Irish provinces) will join the Clovers. The WNTS is structured around centres of excellence at the University of Galway, Atlantic Technological University Sligo, Dublin City University, Southeast Technological University Carlow, University of Limerick, and Queen’s University in Belfast.
Head Coach: Denis Fogarty
Assistant Coaches: Niamh Briggs (National Talent Coach – Munster), Leah Lyons (Munster Women & Ballincollig RFC Assistant Coach)
The Wolfhounds
The Wolfhounds are mainly comprised of players from the Irish provinces of Leinster and Ulster. The players will come from the Ireland national team, from the Irish Women’s National Talent Squad (WNTS) pathway and also players identified from the Interprovincial Series and the Energia Women’s All Ireland League.
In an effort to develop depth for the national team, on occasion players from Connacht and Munster (the other Irish provinces) will join the Wolfhounds. The WNTS is structured around centres of excellence at the University of Galway, Atlantic Technological University Sligo, Dublin City University, Southeast Technological University Carlow, University of Limerick, and Queen’s University in Belfast.
Head Coach: Neill Alcorn
Assistant Coaches: Ben Martin (Leinster Women’s Head Coach) Matt Gill (National Talent Coach – Leinster)
Where To Watch
Matches will be shown on TG4, BBC (Northern Ireland, Scotland & Wales) and Celtic Challenge YouTube Channel
