Women's

Ireland announce squad for Women’s Six Nations

Inpho
Ireland women have named five uncapped players in their squad for the 2020 Women’s Six Nations as they look to build on their autumn internationals.

Ireland women have named five uncapped players in their squad for the 2020 Women’s Six Nations as they look to build on their autumn internationals.

As well as the five newcomers, Claire Keohane, Grace Miller, Shannon Touhey, Katie O’Dwyer and Dorothy Wall, there is also a return for Aoife Doyle from the Sevens side, having not featured for the XVs team since 2015.

Ireland are set for weekly training camps in the build-up to the Championship, as well as a warm-up game against Wales.

And coach Adam Griggs believes the squad has the right combination of experience and youth to improve on last year’s fifth-place finish.

He said: “There is some good continuity coming from our Autumn squad into the Six Nations. We have a core group of players that have been involved now for a number of years so it’s important that they use their experience to drive our standards of play and make sure we produce quality performances from the start.

“We also have some exciting talent coming through who are getting better with each training camp. It’s great that we are starting to build that quality depth in the squad which will be needed in such a tough and physical tournament like the Six Nations.”

Backs:

Enya Breen (UL Bohemian/ Munster) Michelle Claffey (Blackrock/ Leinster) Eimear Considine (UL Bohemian/ Munster) Nicole Cronin (UL Bohemian/ Munster) Kathryn Dane (Old Belvedere/ Ulster) Lauren Delany (Firwood Waterloo/ IQ Rugby) Aoife Doyle (Railway Union/ Munster) Katie Fitzhenry (Blackrock/ Leinster) Ailsa Hughes (Railway Union/ Leinster) Claire Keohane (Railway Union/ Munster)* Grace Miller (Old Belvedere/ Leinster)* Larissa Muldoon (Railway Union/ Leinster) Ellen Murphy (Gloucester-Hartpury/ IQ Rugby) Sene Naoupu (Old Belvedere/ Leinster) Beibhinn Parsons (Balinasloe/ Connacht) Laura Sheehan (UL Bohemian/ Munster) Shannon Touhey (Tullamore/ Connacht)* Hannah Tyrrell (Old Belvedere/ Leinster)

Forwards:

Judy Bobbett (Blackrock/ Leinster) Claire Boles (Railway Union / Ulster) Anna Caplice (Harlequins/ IQ Rugby) Ciara Cooney (Railway Union/ Leinster) Victoria Dabanovich O’Mahony (Old Belvedere/ Leinster) Linda Djougang (Old Belvedere/ Leinster) Laura Feeley (Galwegians/ Connacht) Nichola Fryday (Old Belvedere/ Connacht) Ciara Griffin (UL Bohemian/ Munster) Leah Lyons (Harlequins/ IQ Rugby) Anne Marie O’Hora (Galwegians/ Connacht) Aoife McDermott (Railway Union/ Leinster) Claire McLaughlin (Old Belvedere/ Ulster) Edel McMahon (Wasps/ IQ Rugby) Cliodhna Moloney (Wasps/ IQ Rugby) Niamh Ni Dhroma (Old Belvedere/ Leinster) Hannah O’Connor (Blackrock/ Leinster) Katie O’Dwyer (Railway Union/ Leinster)* Lindsay Peat (Railway Union/ Leinster) Dorothy Wall (Railway Union/ Munster)*