Ireland v France
Donnybrook, Sunday 12.45pm – Live on RTÉ 2
The optics are all wrong here. Women’s rugby is being televised live, six months out from a World Cup on home soil, and genuine concerns exist about whether Ireland coach Tom Tierney has any idea of his best starting XV.
Even if he does, he can’t have them. Three key players – Sene Naoupu, Ali Miller and Hannah Tyrrell – are away to play a Sevens tournament in Las Vegas, a decision that has damaged morale in the 15s camp.
Naoupu seemed to be the creative rock Ireland would build upon in their bid to win the Six Nations and World Cup. Miller is arguably the country's greatest ever female winger while Tyrrell secured the bonus point in Italy with a meandering 80-metre gallop.
These unavailable backs are the very talent that might just drag people outdoors for this early lunchtime kick-off, or at least prompt them to switch on RTÉ 2, but Ireland women’s director of rugby Anthony Eddy feels the overall strategy would be better served by prioritising Sevens over the Six Nations.
No captain either, as Niamh Briggs remains worryingly hamstrung, so France might just make Ireland and Eddy – who asked for more “professionalism” from these amateur players – pay a heavy toll.
Welcome return
There are some positives. Sophie Spence finally returns to the second row after a long-term issue with concussion, along with Ailis Egan, Claire Molloy, Maz Reilly and Paula Fitzpatrick. So the usual brave resistance is guaranteed in the face of a huge French pack.
But this still feels like an opportunity lost. France return to Dublin in August to face Ireland in the Pool stages. Eddy and Tierney have spoken about the need to build a 28-woman squad to ensure Ireland are competitive in a tournament that saw them place fourth under the leadership of Fiona Coghlan in 2014.
Not much point in building depth if the certain starters are unfamiliar with each other. This decision could be justified by a decent performance by those who remain, and maybe the masterplan will eventually reveal the private grumblings of the past week were an overreaction.
The result will provide some clarity.
But, all told, this Test match makes for compelling viewing and demands an analytical examination of where Tierney’s Ireland stand ahead of a huge few months for the sport on this island.
Ireland: M Coyne; K Flood, J Murphy, C McLaughlin, E Considine; N Stapleton, M Healy; L Peat, L Lyons, A Egan; S Spence, ML Reilly; C Griffin, C Molloy, P Fitzpatrick (capt). Replacements: C O'Connor, I Van Staden, R O'Reilly, C Cooney, N Fryday, L Muldoon, N Caughey, L Galvin.
