Ireland Women’s Team To Play France

Ireland Women’s coach Kevin West has made five changes to the starting line-up from the team that started against Italy. The girls in green travel to Stade des Allées in Blois this weekend to take on their French counterparts in the second round of the RBS Women’s 6 Nations Championship.

For the pivotal trip to France, Ireland coach Kevin West has made five changes to to the team that defeated Italy 22 -5 last weekend.

The experienced trio of Orla Brennan, Amy Davis and Sinead Ryan make their first appearances of the 2010 Championship, while Gillian Bourke and Caroline Mahon have been promoted from the replacements bench.  

Those five players have over 60 international caps between them and will bring a level of experience to the side as they face a tough French outfit that lost 10-8 to Scotland in their opener.

Brennan and Ryan come into the back row for Carol Staunton and Claire Molloy, while Mahon moves into the second row to replace Kate O’Loughlin.

Bourke starts at hooker with Chris Fanning named among the replacements, and the pacy Davis starts on the right wing with Nora Stapleton reverting to the bench having earned her first cap last Friday.

IRELAND WOMEN’S Team & Replacements (v France Women, RBS Women’s 6 Nations Championship, Stade Allés, Blois, Friday, February 12, kick-off 7pm local time/ 6pm Irish time):

15 – Niamh Briggs (Clonmel/Munster)
14 – Amy Davis (Blackrock/Leinster)
13 – Grace Davitt (Blackrock/Leinster)
12 – Shannon Houston (Blackrock/Leinster)
11 – Alison Miller (Portlaoise/Connacht)
10 – Joanne O’Sullivan (Richmond/Exile)
9 – Tania Rosser (Blackrock/Leinster)
1 – Fiona Coghlan (UL Bohemians/Leinster) (capt)
2 – Gillian Bourke (UL Bohemians/Munster)
3 – Emer McManamly (Blackrock/Leinster)
4 – Caroline Mahon (UL Bohemians/Leinster)
5 – Marie Louise Reilly (Navan/Leinster)
6 – Orla Brennan (Blackrock/Leinster)
7 – Sinead Ryan (Navan/Leinster)
8 – Joy Neville (UL Bohemians/Munster)

Replacements:

16 – Chris Fanning (Highfield/Munster)
17 – Lauren Day (Cooke/Ulster)
18 – Kate O’Loughlin (Clonmel/Munster)
19 – Claire Molloy (Bristol/Connacht)
20 – Louise Beamish (UL Bohemians/Munster)
21 – Helen Brosnan (Highfield/Munster)
22 – Nora Stapleton (Old Belvedere/Leinster)