The Ireland Women got the performance but not the result they wanted against England, so they will be relishing this immediate return to the UCD Bowl to face more world-class opposition in the form of Canada.
2016 WOMEN’S NOVEMBER SERIES: Saturday, November 19
IRELAND WOMEN v CANADA WOMEN, UCD Bowl, 2pm (live on Irish Rugby TV)
Team News: Ireland Women’s head coach Tom Tierney has named the team, sponsored by Aon, to play Canada in their second game of the November Series at the UCD Bowl.
There are ten changes (including two new caps) to the side that narrowly lost out 12-10 to England last Sunday in Belfield, as Tierney continues to develop his squad ahead of the Women’s Rugby World Cup which takes place in Ireland next August.
Paula Fitzpatrick will again captain Ireland from number 8, supported in the back row by Railway Union’s Ciara Cooney and UL Bohemians’ Anna Caplice, who will win her first Ireland Women’s 15s cap, having previously represented her country in Sevens.
Second row Nichola Fryday will also made her debut this weekend. The 21-year-old UCD student, who plays her club rugby with Tullamore RFC, will be partnered by Blackrock’s Katie Norris, while the Munster trio of Fiona Hayes, Zoe Grattage and Fiona Reidy form a new-look Ireland front row.
Galwegians scrum half Mary Healy and Belfast-born out-half Nikki Caughey pair up at half-back, with Nicole Fowley continuing alongside Sene Naoupu in the centre. Fowley, who hails from Sligo, won her first cap against England, and the centre duo will have the same back-three outside centre as full-back Mairead Coyne and wingers Alison Miller and Niamh Kavanagh line out together for the second successive match.
In the replacements, hooker Leah Lyons, another of the newcomers against England, will be looking to add a second cap to her tally if she is required from the bench.
Also providing front row cover will be Ailis Egan and Lindsay Peat. Elaine Anthony and Chloe Pearse are the other forwards on the bench and Larissa Muldoon, Jackie Shiels and Claire McLaughlin are the reserve backs.
Looking forward to the second game of the November Series, head coach Tierney said: “There were lots of positives to take from last Sunday’s game against England. While the result didn’t go in our favour, the players will take a lot from the performance and we will be looking to build on this over the next two weeks against Canada and New Zealand.
“This weekend, Canada will present us with a new and different challenge. We know England well from playing them in the Six Nations, but this week’s opposition are less familiar to us.
“They have a very strong rugby programme in Canada and were runners-up at the last World Cup, so we will have to play smart rugby against them and stick to our game-plan. We’ve two more new caps this week as well, so we’re looking forward to seeing how Anna and Nichola get on in UCD.”
Tickets for the Women’s November Series are on sale at www.ticketmaster.ie/womensrugby. Individual match tickets – adults €;10 (seating) and €;5 (standing) and children (free – must be booked with adult ticket) – and two-game packs are available.
Meanwhile, the Canada team selected by head coach Francois Ratier will be captained by the returning Kelly Russell, who is also joined by fellow Rio 2016 bronze medallist Karen Paquin in the back row. Magali Harvey and Elissa Alarie also make their return to the 15s international action having not featured since the 2014 Women’s Rugby World Cup in France.
Canada’s front row is made up of Carolyn McEwen, Laura Russell and DaLeaka Menin, while Latoya Blackwood and Kayla Mack form a formidable pairing at lock. Jacey Grusnick and Paquin bolster the flanks with Russell at number 8.
Chelsea Guthrie starts at half-back with Emily Belchos. Harvey and Alarie will line up on the wings with Andrea Burk and Alex Tessier in the centre, and Julianne Zussman completes the starting side at full-back.
The Canadians comes into this game as the third ranked country in the world after a sublime Women’s Rugby Super Series in July where they completed a perfect 3-0 record with convincing wins over England, France and hosts USA.
Ireland and Canada have met twice before at Test level, with one win apiece. Canada stormed to a 57-0 win in the 2002 Women’s Rugby World Cup in Spain, while Ireland claimed a 15-8 victory at the Sportsground in Galway in April 2006.
IRELAND WOMEN: Mairead Coyne (Galwegians/Connacht); Niamh Kavanagh (UL Bohemians/Munster), Nicole Fowley (Galwegians/Connacht), Sene Naoupu (Aylesford Bulls), Alison Miller (Old Belvedere/Connacht); Nikki Caughey (Railway Union/Ulster), Mary Healy (Galwegians/Connacht); Fiona Hayes (UL Bohemians/Munster), Zoe Grattage (Highfield/Munster), Fiona Reidy (UL Bohemians/Munster), Katie Norris (Blackrock/Leinster), Nichola Fryday (Tullamore/Leinster), Ciara Cooney (Railway Union/Leinster), Anna Caplice (UL Bohemians/Munster), Paula Fitzpatrick (St. Mary’s/Leinster) (capt).
Replacements: Leah Lyons (Highfield/Munster), Lindsay Peat (Railway Union/Leinster), Ailis Egan (Old Belvedere/Leinster), Elaine Anthony (Highfield/Munster), Chloe Pearse (UL Bohemians/Munster), Larissa Muldoon (Railway Union), Jackie Shiels (Old Belvedere/Leinster), Claire McLaughlin (Cooke/Ulster).
CANADA WOMEN: Julianne Zussman (Castaway Wanderers); Elissa Alarie (Westshore), Alex Tessier (Montreal Barbarians), Andrea Burk (Capilano RFC), Magali Harvey (Club de Rugby Quebec); Emily Belchos (Westshore), Chelsea Guthrie (Stratchona Druids); Carolyn McEwen (Burnaby Lake Rugby Club), Laura Russell (Toronto Nomads), DaLeaka Menin (Calgary Hornets), Latoya Blackwood (Westshore), Kayla Mack (Wild Oats), Jacey Grusnick (Aurora Barbarians), Karen Paquin (Club de Rugby Quebec), Kelly Russell (Toronto Nomads) (capt).
Replacements: Gillian Boag (Capilano/UBC), Olivia DeMerchant (Woodstock Wildmen), Demi Stamatakis (SFU), Tyson Beukeboom (Aurora Barbarians), Barbara Mervin (Westshore), Brianna Miller (SAB RFC), Mackenzie Higgs (Aurora Barbarians), Brittany Waters (Castaway Wanderers).
Referee: Marie Lematte (France)
Assistant Referees: Helen O’Reilly, Susan Carty (both Ireland)
Pre-Match Quotes – Tom Tierney (Ireland Women’s head coach): “Canada will bring intensity at the breakdown, a desire to use the full width of the field and will also be very physical at the tackle area.
“It’s a very big test this weekend but that’s what we’re looking for, so that we can plan accordingly going into the New Year. There was a plan in place when we knew about the November Series, because we knew it would be great to test ourselves against arguably three of the four best teams in the world.
“Niamh (Briggs), with her hamstring, is almost back so we’re very confident that she’ll be involved for the final game of the series. But again it’s just a day-by-day monitoring process that we just have to make sure that she is 100% because once again with injuries like that we can’t be rushing them back just for the sake of one game. If she’s right, she’s going to be involved, if she’s not right, we’ll make sure that she’s right for the Six Nations.”
Shaun Allen (Canada Women’s assistant coach): “We’ve had a few really quality days of training, probably the best since I’ve been in the programme. High quality training sessions and we’re in a great facility here in Ireland.
“I think any time we get an opportunity to play some of the top teams in the world, it’s a tremendous opportunity for the players to test themselves, for the coaches to test what we’re doing. We know Ireland have a number of weapons, they have some really dynamic players that can attack in space and some players that can punch and attack tight.
“We’re expecting a very passionate Irish team. Obviously playing a team in their own country is always a tremendous feeling and it should be a special Saturday.”
Pre-Match Links –
In Pics: Ireland Women’s Captain’s Run At UCD Bowl
Stapleton And Fitzpatrick Looking Forward To ‘Physical’ Clash With Canada
First UCD Win Eludes Ireland Despite Strong Performance
Previous Meetings –
2002: Women’s Rugby World Cup Pool D: Canada 57 Ireland 0, Girona, Barcelona
2006: Women’s International: Ireland 15 Canada 8, the Sportsground
Support Ireland on www.irishrugby.ie/facebook or search #BringIt, #IREvCAN and #ShouldertoShoulder on www.twitter.com/irishrugby.
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