Greg McWilliams has named his Ireland Match Day Squad for Saturday's TikTok Women's Six Nations clash against France at Musgrave Park.
In total, he has made five changes to the starting 15 for the fixture, while two uncapped players are named on the bench.
Introducing the Ireland Match Day Squad to face France at Musgrave Park! 🟢#NothingLikeIt | #TikTokW6N
— Irish Rugby (@IrishRugby) March 30, 2023
Vicky Irwin and Dannah O'Brien are selected to start in the Ireland backline, with the latter starting at out-half.
The trio of Christy Haney, Grace Moore and Deirbhile Nic a Bháird are all named in the pack.
Kathryn Buggy and Clara Nielson are in line to make their Ireland debuts off the bench.
Getting Match Ready! 💪#NothingLikeIt | #TikTokW6N pic.twitter.com/KX1PIVZmiG
— Irish Rugby (@IrishRugby) March 30, 2023
The back three remains unchanged with Méabh Deely continuing at fullback. Aoife Doyle and Natasja Behan are named on the wings. Irwin comes into the midfield to partner Aoife Dalton, in place of the injured Enya Breen.
O'Brien is promoted off the bench for her first Six Nations start at out-half, with her Leinster team-mate Molly Scuffil-McCabe retained at scrum-half.
➖ Turning the page
➖ A positive training week
➖ Playing in CorkWatch today's media session with Dannah O'Brien and Hannah O'Connor ⬇️#NothingLikeIt | #TikTokW6N
— Irish Rugby (@IrishRugby) March 29, 2023
The brilliant Linda Djougang switches to loosehead to pack down alongside Neve Jones and Haney.
Captain Nichola Fryday and Sam Monaghan make up the second-row pairing, with Dorothy Wall joined in the back row by Nic a Bháird at number eight and Moore at openside flanker.
Speaking ahead of this mammoth fixture, McWilliams said: "Last week was a disappointing start to the campaign for us but we turned the page quickly and were honest with ourselves.
"We know this journey is going to take time and require patience, and we are working hard as a group to learn those lessons and make positive progress every time we step on the field.
"Saturday is another opportunity for us to do that and returning to Musgrave Park is an exciting prospect for us all.
"The support of our home crowd, family and friends is so important to us, and with the backing of the Irish people, we can make strides in the right direction."
Saturday's match gets underway at 3.15 pm at Musgrave Park and tickets can still be purchased here.
