Ireland name World Cup squad

THE Ireland squad for the Women’s Rugby World Cup 2017 contains 12 players with previous World Cup experience. Ireland will face Australia, Japan and France in Pool C on August 9, 13 and 17 in the UCD Bowl and head coach Tom Tierney has named a 28-woman squad that will be captained by UL Bohs and Munster full-back Niamh Briggs. Ailis Egan, Heather O’Brien, Sophie Spence, Ashleigh Baxter, Paula Fitzpatrick, Alison Miller, Larissa Muldoon and Jenny Murphy were involved at France 2014, while Briggs, Claire Molloy, Marie-Louise Reilly and Nora Stapleton are all set to compete at their third World Cup, having been involved in both 2010 and 2014. Scrum-half Nicole Cronin is the only uncapped member of the squad and she is one of several with Rugby Sevens experience. Cronin, along with Hannah Tyrrell, Katie Fitzhenry, Sene Naoupu, Baxter and Miller, all made appearances on this season’s circuit of the World Rugby Women’s World Sevens Series.

IRELAND SQUAD — Forwards: Ashleigh Baxter, Anna Caplice, Ciara Cooney, Ailis Egan, Paula Fitzpatrick, Ciara Griffin, Leah Lyons, Claire Molloy, Cliodhna Moloney, Heather O’Brien, Ciara O’Connor, Ruth O’Reilly, Lindsay Peat, Marie-Louise Reilly, Sophie Spence; Backs: Niamh Briggs (capt), Eimear Considine, Mairead Coyne, Nicole Cronin *, Jeamie Deacon, Katie Fitzhenry, Claire McLaughlin, Alison Miller, Larissa Muldoon, Jenny Murphy, Sene Naoupu, Nora Stapleton, Hannah Tyrrell, *Denotes uncapped at this level