In the upcoming final match of the WXV 1 tournament, Ireland’s line-up will feature some alterations. Aoife Dalton and Nicole Fowley will be among the changes, as announced by head coach Scott Bemand, with Dalton slated to play as an outside centre. Meanwhile, Eve Higgins will take a seat on the substitutes’ bench.
Fowley has been brought into the team as outhalf, joining forces with scrumhalf Emily Lane, who retains her spot despite the team’s 21-8 loss to Canada on Sunday. The rest of the backline, featuring Amee-Leigh Murphy Crowe, Eimear Considine, and Stacey Flood, is unchanged from the Canada match. Team captain, Enya Breen, will continue to act as inside centre.
Further modifications are observed in the forward division as Neve Jones replaces Clíodhna Moloney as hooker and teams up with Niamh O’Dowd and Linda Djougang in the front row. The remainder of the pack, which includes Dorothy Wall, Fiona Tuite, Erin King, Aoife Wafer, and Brittany Hogan, remains static from the previous game.
Ranked above the USA, their next opponent, Ireland looks to conclude the tournament with a victory, following an initial triumphant run against New Zealand and the recent loss to the host team, WXV 1. The match against the USA is scheduled to kick-off at 8.30 pm Irish time on Friday.
For the bench, the squad has Clíodhna Moloney, Siobhán McCarthy, Andrea Stock, Ruth Campbell, Deirbhile Nic a Bháird, Molly Scuffil-McCabe, Dannah O’Brien, and Eve Higgins in their roster.