Women’s International: Ireland v Ausralia, Kingspan Stadium, Saturday, 2.30pm – Live on TG4
At the start of a slightly daunting but benchmark season for the Irish women’s team, this one-off Test to mark the IRFU’s 150th anniversary is perhaps the least important. But it marks another reset as the post-Olympic focus switches more firmly on to the 15-a-side game, and does so from a stronger base than was the case at the start of last season’s new dawn.
It could be argued that Ireland slightly exceeded expectations in finishing third in the last season’s Six Nations, despite a home loss to Italy, thanks to a redemptory 36-5 win at home to Wales and a hard-earned 15-12 victory against Scotland, as well as other results falling their way.
But securing World Cup qualification was a welcome boost, while also pitting the team into the top tier of WXV at the end of the month in Vancouver. With the latter in mind, this Test against the world’s fifth-ranked side looks like the ideal preparation for the upcoming games against New Zealand, Canada and the USA, ranked second, third and eighth in the world. Also mindful that England and France come calling in the Six Nations, the Irish women’s team are dining at the top table again.
Although making seven changes in the starting line-up might be potentially disruptive, head coach Scott Bemand has been as enthusiastic in welcoming the Irish Olympic Sevens players into the 15-a-side fold as he was about last April’s achievement when beating the Scots.
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Bemand sounded palpably excited about the return of the Olympians, with 21-year-old debutant Vicky Elmes Kinlan and Amee-Leigh Murphy Crowe giving a real cutting edge in the absence of the injured Beibhinn Parsons.
Completing a reconfigured back three, similar to Murphy Crowe, Eimear Considine also returns for her first Test at full-back since the 2022 Six Nations. In the meantime she has given birth and overcome an ACL injury, and, after two interpro games for Munster off the bench she is as surprised as anyone by her return.
The bench has also been sharpened by what Bemand calls the firepower provided by Olympians Erin King, Emily Lane, Eve Higgins and Stacey Flood. But, of course, their impact will hinge on the quality of Ireland’s set-piece. Linda Djougang has reverted to tight-head while in the absence of Sam Monaghan a big onus falls on another debutant, Ruth Campbell.
Although the 15s and 7s are relatively separate entities in Australia, the Wallabies have also been hit by injuries and likewise have made seven changes from their last outing, a 62-0 beating by New Zealand in July. They will afford debuts to three players off the bench in Alapeta Ngauamo, Lucy Dinnen and Tiarah Minns.
So, not dissimilarly, the Wallaroos coach Jo Yapp has said: “It’s a new-look side and it’s important with a few injuries to build depth in key areas and give players an opportunity.”
At loose-head will be the recalled 25-year-old Bridie O’Gorman, whose father hails from Tipperary and who will have an extended gathering of relatives from Cork, Limerick and London as well to support what she has called a return to her “homeland”.
That last Wallaroos’ outing demonstrates the gulf that exists between the elite and the rest in the women’s game, but the Aussies are more suited to dining at the top table. They competed strongly in the Pacific Four Series this year – losing 33-14 to Canada and 32-25 to the USA – and did beat both France and Wales in WXV1 last year.
All four previous meetings have been in World Cups, the last of them being in 2017, when Australia won at this same ground in a 5th-8th place semi-final playoff. Bemand describes this fixture as “a brilliant opportunity.”
“They’re up there in the top five or six in the world,” he said. “I think they were probably a little unlucky to miss out on WXV1 but they’ve been at that level for a good while. We’re going to have to get used to playing this calibre of opponent and to handling occasions.
“We’ve got a few new caps coming through here but there’s a group of girls for whom the last game they played in an Irish shirt was winning a game against Scotland. So, we’re going to have to keep building those levels of confidence, building those levels of performances, and everything I’ve seen so far, I’m optimistic that we’ll see a performance that make will the Irish public proud.”
Ireland: Eimear Considine (UL Bohemian/Munster); Vicky Elmes Kinlan* (Wicklow), Aoife Dalton (Old Belvedere/Leinster), Enya Breen (Blackrock College/Munster), Amee-Leigh Murphy Crowe (Railway Union/Munster); Dannah O’Brien (Old Belvedere/Leinster), Molly Scuffil-McCabe (Leinster); Niamh O’Dowd (Old Belvedere/Leinster), Neve Jones (Gloucester-Hartpury), Linda Djougang (Old Belvedere/Leinster); Dorothy Wall (Exeter Chiefs/Munster), Ruth Campbell (Old Belvedere/Leinster); Aoife Wafer (Blackrock College/Leinster), Edel McMahon (Exeter Chiefs/Connacht, capt), Brittany Hogan (Old Belvedere/Ulster). Replacements: Clíodhna Moloney (Exeter Chiefs), Siobhán McCarthy (Worcester Warriors/Munster), Christy Haney (Blackrock College RFC/Leinster), Fiona Tuite (Old Belvedere RFC/Ulster), Erin King* (Old Belvedere), Emily Lane (Blackrock College RFC), Eve Higgins (Railway Union), Stacey Flood (Railway Union).
Australia: Lori Cramer (University of Queensland); Maya Stewart (Nelson Bay Gropers), Georgina Friedrichs (Wests Bulldogs), Cecilia Smith (Leeton Dianas), Desiree Miller (Eastern Suburbs); Faitala Moleka (Blacktown Scorpions), Natalie Wright (Wests Bulldogs); Bridie O’Gorman (Sydney University), Ashley Marsters (Booroondarra), Eva Karpani (Onkaparinga), Kaitlan Leaney (CSU Marlins), Michaela Leonard (Tuggeranong Vikings), Siokapesi Palu (capt, Rockdale Rangers), Leilani Nathan (Hamilton Hawks), Tabua Tuinakauvadra (Tuggeranong Vikings). Replacements: Tiarna Molloy (Inverell Highlanders), Alapeta Ngauamo (Wests Bulldogs), Lydia Kavoa (Eastern Suburbs), Tiarah Minns (Melbourne Uni/Manly Mermaids), Lucy Dinnen (Wanneroo), Layne Morgan (Merewether Carlton), Arabella McKenzie (Lightning Ridge Tigers), Biola Dawa (Wagga Reddies).
Referee: Clara Munarini (Italy).
Previous meetings: 1998 (RWC) Australia 21 Ireland 0 (Amsterdam). 2006 (RWC) Australia 18 Ireland 14 (Edmonton, Canada). 2017 (RWC, pool) Ireland 19 Australia 17 (UCD Bowl). (RWC, 5th/8th play-offs) Australia 36 Ireland 24, (Kingspan Stadium).
Forecast: Australia to win.
