WHEN IRELAND STAR Aoife Wafer signed for Harlequins last May, one line from Head of Women’s Performance & Pathways,Gillian McDarby, in the IRFU press release jumped out.
“We’re pleased for Aoife as she takes this next step in her career with Harlequins, where she will have the opportunity to further her development in a high-performance environment,” McDarby said.
It’s unthinkable that the IRFU would welcome a similar move for any of it’s men’s players, but this is the reality of where the women’s game stands in Ireland. While the introduction of centralised contracts for women’s players in Ireland has helped boost the fortunes of the national team, it remains the case that if the best women’s players want to get better, many feel their best option is to leave. A good World Cup could put even more Ireland players in the shop window for English clubs.
In total, eight of Ireland’s 32-player World Cup squad play their club rugby overseas. Seven of those are forwards, with Neve Jones, Edel McMahon, Clíodhna Moloney-MacDonald, Sam Monaghan, Grace Moore and Ellena Perry all based in the UK, while Wafer will join Harlequins after the tournament. Only one of Ireland’s 14 World Cup-bound backs, Nancy McGillivray, does not play their club rugby here.
It’s fair to suggest that number might be higher if so many of Ireland’s star backs, such as Beibhinn Parsons, Amee-Leigh Costigan and Stacey Flood, had not been so heavily involved with the Ireland Sevens ahead of the 2024 Paris Olympics.
In England, players have the opportunity to play in the highly competitive Women’s Premiership (PWR), which contains some of the best players in the world and is a significant step up from the AIL, women’s interpros and Celtic Challenge competitions on offer at home.
Ireland hooker Neve Jones joined Gloucester-Hartpury from Ulster three years ago at the age of 23, taking up an invite on short notice after the club were left light in the position. She immediately felt the benefits of entering a high performance environment. The combative hooker is now one of Ireland’s most important players and recently collected her third straight Premiership medal, with the club seeing off Saracens, Bristol Bears and Exeter Chiefs in the last three finals.
Jones is joined in Gloucester by two of her Ireland teammates, Sam Monaghan and Ellena Perry.
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Monaghan moved to Gloucester a couple of months after Jones in 2022, but was already based in the Premiership, having spent the previous two seasons at Wasps.
A talented Gaelic footballer who represented Meath at underage level, Monaghan took up rugby to make friends after moving to Brighton. Her talent led to trials at Wasps and after joining the club at 27, Monaghan soon caught the eye of scouts with the IRFU’s IQ talent identification programme. Gloucester then snapped up Monaghan at a time when the lock was enjoying some of her best rugby, having been named Women’s Player of The Year at the 2022 Rugby Players Ireland Awards.
Perry is the third Irish forward at Gloucester, and one of the newer additions to Scott Bemand’s squad.
Ellena Perry was previously capped for England. Alamy Stock Photo
Alamy Stock Photo
The loosehead won 11 caps for England between 2018 and 2020 – during which time current Ireland head coach Bemand was on the England coaching ticket – but qualifies for Ireland through her maternal grandfather, from Derry, and debuted in green against Canada earlier this month. Formerly of Saracens, Perry retired from rugby following the birth of her son but was coaxed back into the game by Gloucester boss Sean Lynn in 2019.
Clare’s Edel McMahon had become frustrated by her travel commitments when she swapped Connacht for Wasps in 2019, a move prompted by Claire Molloy and the flanker’s desire to develop her game. McMahon, who missed the 2017 World Cup due to injury, moved on to Exeter in 2022.
The back row will be Ireland co-captain alongside Sam Monaghan at the World Cup.
Galway native Clíodhna Moloney-MacDonald spent three years away from the international scene between 2021-2024 after criticising then-IRFU Women’s Director of Rugby Anthony Eddy for “slurry spreading” following his comments that the women’s game in Ireland was receiving sufficient support, despite disappointing returns on the pitch at the time.
Clíodhna Moloney-MacDonald is the only member of this Ireland squad to play at the 2017 World Cup. Ben Brady / INPHO
Ben Brady / INPHO / INPHO
The only member of this Ireland squad to play in the 2017 World Cup, the hooker joined Wasps from Railway Union in 2018 and made the move to Exeter Chiefs in 2022, remaining a standout talent in the league throughout her international exile. Capped 45 times for Ireland, she travels to the World Cup as the second most-capped player in Bemand’s squad, behind Linda Djougang (48 caps).
Back row Grace Moore has also moved around in the UK. Born in London, Moore has represented Richmond, Saracens and Ealing Trailfinders.
She was scouted through the IQ programme while playing with Richmond, and spent time with Railway Union and the Ireland Sevens before concentrating on 15s, debuting for Ireland in 2021 Six Nations.
Aoife Wafer has yet to make her Premiership bow but will be aiming to become a marquee name in the league. Earlier this year the Wexford native became the first Irish woman to be named Women’s Six Nations Player of the Year, and a stunning season led to her catching the eye of the London side. Wafer has outlined that she hopes her move across the water helps her achieve her ambition of becoming “the best player in the world.”
Aoife Wafer will join Harlequins after the World Cup. Tom Maher / INPHO
Tom Maher / INPHO / INPHO
Currently recovering from a knee injury and set to miss the opening pool against Japan on Sunday, the 22-year-old flanker could still have a big say in Ireland’s World Cup hopes and has a highly-promising future ahead of her.
Nancy McGillivray is the only Irish back based in the UK, and is another who was identified through the IQ programme.
The centre took up rugby as an eight-year-old in Hong Kong and played for Kowloon Rugby in the Hong Kong Women’s Premiership before coming to the UK to study at Exeter University at 18.
She joined Exeter and impressed to the point where she trained with England ahead of the 2024 Six Nations, where she first met Bemand, before coming into the Irish system, qualifying through her Irish father. It’s been a whirlwind summer, linking up with Ireland on 1 July following the completion of her England transition contract on 30 June, and scoring a try on her debut against Scotland earlier this month.
Ireland players based in England:
Neve Jones (Gloucester Hartpury) (37 caps)
Edel McMahon (Exeter Chiefs) (34) – co-captain
Nancy McGillivray (Exeter Chiefs) (1)
Clíodhna Moloney MacDonald (Exeter Chiefs) (45)
Sam Monaghan (Gloucester Hartpury) (23) – co-captain
Grace Moore (Trailfinders Women) (22)
Ellena Perry (Gloucester Hartpury) (1)
Aoife Wafer (Blackrock College) *will join Harlequins after RWC (15)
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Why some of Ireland's best women's rugby players are based in England
WHEN IRELAND STAR Aoife Wafer signed for Harlequins last May, one line from Head of Women’s Performance & Pathways, Gillian McDarby, in the IRFU press release jumped out.
“We’re pleased for Aoife as she takes this next step in her career with Harlequins, where she will have the opportunity to further her development in a high-performance environment,” McDarby said.
It’s unthinkable that the IRFU would welcome a similar move for any of it’s men’s players, but this is the reality of where the women’s game stands in Ireland. While the introduction of centralised contracts for women’s players in Ireland has helped boost the fortunes of the national team, it remains the case that if the best women’s players want to get better, many feel their best option is to leave. A good World Cup could put even more Ireland players in the shop window for English clubs.
In total, eight of Ireland’s 32-player World Cup squad play their club rugby overseas. Seven of those are forwards, with Neve Jones, Edel McMahon, Clíodhna Moloney-MacDonald, Sam Monaghan, Grace Moore and Ellena Perry all based in the UK, while Wafer will join Harlequins after the tournament. Only one of Ireland’s 14 World Cup-bound backs, Nancy McGillivray, does not play their club rugby here.
It’s fair to suggest that number might be higher if so many of Ireland’s star backs, such as Beibhinn Parsons, Amee-Leigh Costigan and Stacey Flood, had not been so heavily involved with the Ireland Sevens ahead of the 2024 Paris Olympics.
In England, players have the opportunity to play in the highly competitive Women’s Premiership (PWR), which contains some of the best players in the world and is a significant step up from the AIL, women’s interpros and Celtic Challenge competitions on offer at home.
Ireland hooker Neve Jones joined Gloucester-Hartpury from Ulster three years ago at the age of 23, taking up an invite on short notice after the club were left light in the position. She immediately felt the benefits of entering a high performance environment. The combative hooker is now one of Ireland’s most important players and recently collected her third straight Premiership medal, with the club seeing off Saracens, Bristol Bears and Exeter Chiefs in the last three finals.
Jones is joined in Gloucester by two of her Ireland teammates, Sam Monaghan and Ellena Perry.
Monaghan moved to Gloucester a couple of months after Jones in 2022, but was already based in the Premiership, having spent the previous two seasons at Wasps.
A talented Gaelic footballer who represented Meath at underage level, Monaghan took up rugby to make friends after moving to Brighton. Her talent led to trials at Wasps and after joining the club at 27, Monaghan soon caught the eye of scouts with the IRFU’s IQ talent identification programme. Gloucester then snapped up Monaghan at a time when the lock was enjoying some of her best rugby, having been named Women’s Player of The Year at the 2022 Rugby Players Ireland Awards.
Perry is the third Irish forward at Gloucester, and one of the newer additions to Scott Bemand’s squad.
The loosehead won 11 caps for England between 2018 and 2020 – during which time current Ireland head coach Bemand was on the England coaching ticket – but qualifies for Ireland through her maternal grandfather, from Derry, and debuted in green against Canada earlier this month. Formerly of Saracens, Perry retired from rugby following the birth of her son but was coaxed back into the game by Gloucester boss Sean Lynn in 2019.
Clare’s Edel McMahon had become frustrated by her travel commitments when she swapped Connacht for Wasps in 2019, a move prompted by Claire Molloy and the flanker’s desire to develop her game. McMahon, who missed the 2017 World Cup due to injury, moved on to Exeter in 2022.
The back row will be Ireland co-captain alongside Sam Monaghan at the World Cup.
Galway native Clíodhna Moloney-MacDonald spent three years away from the international scene between 2021-2024 after criticising then-IRFU Women’s Director of Rugby Anthony Eddy for “slurry spreading” following his comments that the women’s game in Ireland was receiving sufficient support, despite disappointing returns on the pitch at the time.
The only member of this Ireland squad to play in the 2017 World Cup, the hooker joined Wasps from Railway Union in 2018 and made the move to Exeter Chiefs in 2022, remaining a standout talent in the league throughout her international exile. Capped 45 times for Ireland, she travels to the World Cup as the second most-capped player in Bemand’s squad, behind Linda Djougang (48 caps).
Back row Grace Moore has also moved around in the UK. Born in London, Moore has represented Richmond, Saracens and Ealing Trailfinders.
She was scouted through the IQ programme while playing with Richmond, and spent time with Railway Union and the Ireland Sevens before concentrating on 15s, debuting for Ireland in 2021 Six Nations.
Aoife Wafer has yet to make her Premiership bow but will be aiming to become a marquee name in the league. Earlier this year the Wexford native became the first Irish woman to be named Women’s Six Nations Player of the Year, and a stunning season led to her catching the eye of the London side. Wafer has outlined that she hopes her move across the water helps her achieve her ambition of becoming “the best player in the world.”
Currently recovering from a knee injury and set to miss the opening pool against Japan on Sunday, the 22-year-old flanker could still have a big say in Ireland’s World Cup hopes and has a highly-promising future ahead of her.
Nancy McGillivray is the only Irish back based in the UK, and is another who was identified through the IQ programme.
The centre took up rugby as an eight-year-old in Hong Kong and played for Kowloon Rugby in the Hong Kong Women’s Premiership before coming to the UK to study at Exeter University at 18.
She joined Exeter and impressed to the point where she trained with England ahead of the 2024 Six Nations, where she first met Bemand, before coming into the Irish system, qualifying through her Irish father. It’s been a whirlwind summer, linking up with Ireland on 1 July following the completion of her England transition contract on 30 June, and scoring a try on her debut against Scotland earlier this month.
Ireland players based in England:
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