Welcome, everyone, to The 42′s live coverage of Ireland’s Women’s World Cup opener against Japan.
Well, after an eight-year wait, Ireland are back at the big show. They face Japan today before subsequent meetings with Spain and New Zealand. Two wins will earn a quarter-final.
Scott Bemand’s side kick off at Franklin’s Gardens at 12pm.
Strap in, sit back, and relax. It’s Gavan Casey with you here and I’ll bring you live updates from the game throughout the afternoon!
Sam Monaghan. Ben Brady / INPHO
Ben Brady / INPHO / INPHO
Co-captains Sam Monaghan and Edel McMahon return to Ireland’s starting team as Bemand makes four changes to his side who lost out to World Cup contenders Canada in their final warm-up game.
The Asian champions were on a five-game win streak until they ran into Italy last day, and have been building towards this for a long time in their own right. In that five-game run, they beat pool rivals Spain twice and earned a first ever win over the USA.
A huge game for both sides in Northampton this afternoon.
Edel McMahon and Sam Monaghan. Ben Brady / INPHO
Ben Brady / INPHO / INPHO
IRELAND: Stacey Flood (Railway Union RFC); Béibhinn Parsons (Blackrock College RFC/Connacht), Aoife Dalton (Old Belvedere RFC/Leinster), Eve Higgins (Railway Union RFC), Amee-Leigh Costigan (Railway Union RFC/Munster); Dannah O’Brien (Old Belvedere RFC/Leinster), Aoibheann Reilly (Blackrock College RFC/Connacht); Niamh O’Dowd (Old Belvedere RFC/Leinster), Neve Jones (Gloucester-Hartpury), Linda Djougang (Old Belvedere RFC/Leinster), Ruth Campbell (Old Belvedere RFC/Leinster), Sam Monaghan (Gloucester-Hartpury/IQ Rugby) (co-capt), Fiona Tuite (Old Belvedere RFC/Ulster), Edel McMahon (Exeter Chiefs/Connacht) (co-capt), Brittany Hogan (Old Belvedere RFC/Ulster).
Replacements: Clíodhna Moloney-MacDonald (Exeter Chiefs), Ellena Perry (Gloucester-Hartpury/IQ Rugby), Sadhbh McGrath (Cooke RFC/Ulster), Eimear Corri Fallon (Blackrock College RFC/Leinster), Grace Moore (Trailfinders Women/IQ Rugby), Emily Lane (Blackrock College RFC), Enya Breen (Blackrock College RFC/Munster), Anna McGann (Railway Union RFC/Connacht).
1′ – IRE 0-0 JPN: Dannah O’Brien kicks off and Ireland’s World Cup campaign is underway!
24 Aug 2025
12:02PM
2′ – IRE 0-0 JPN: Ireland win a pen inside the Japanese 22′ for hands in the ruck. Some huge carries by Linda Djougang in the build-up. O’Brien goes to touch.
Big chance for Ireland here.
24 Aug 2025
12:04PM
3′ – IRE 0-0 JPN: Aoibheann Reilly spills forward over the line under pressure from Otoka Yoshimura! Chance missed but Japan can only clear to near their own five-metre line.
Ireland then lose the lineout, so Japan get a proper escape and exit up to halfway.
What a great score. The Tipp woman finishes well down the left after some heavy work by the forwards and a nice backs move, from right to left, with Stacey Flood providing the final pass to put Costigan away.
Dannah O’Brien converts from an acute angle, too, so Ireland lead by seven!
24 Aug 2025
12:10PM
9′ – IRE 7-0 JPN: Ireland utterly dominant here. Some lovely attacking sets. Japan have few answers.
Ireland win the pen and go to touch in the Japanese 22′. Another big chance here!
10′ – TRRRRYYYYYYYYYYY FOR IRELAND AGAIN! Neve Jones!
Excellent body position from the hooker who burrows over after Japan had initially done a solid job of slowing the Irish attacking maul.
O’Brien is again on the money from wide left. 14-zip in Northampton. Great start by Ireland!
24 Aug 2025
12:18PM
18′ – IRE 14-0 JPN: Two crooked lineouts in a row by Ireland. Japan earn a scrum deep in the Irish 22′. Their first real chance to get on the board!
24 Aug 2025
12:20PM
19′ – IRE 14-0 JPN: Ireland have driven Japan back to the 22′. Excellent defence. Japan showing their ball skills but perhaps their lack of physical heft, too.
24 Aug 2025
12:22PM
22′ – IRE 14-0 JPN: Savage work by Niamh O’Dowd who creates a choke tackle in her own 22′ and wins a turnover with some help from her front-row partners.
Ah, that’s another great team score. Great work by Eve Higgins and Costigan off the scrum to put Parsons away down the right. She takes one to the house from just inside the Japanese half.
A cruel blow for Japan after a period of sustained pressure, which Ireland dealt with well.
O’Brien nails the afters once more, this time from the right!
53′ – TRYYYYYYYY FOR IRELAND! EVE HIGGINS! OUT OF NOWHERE!
It began with a brilliant Japanese attack and they came within five metres of narrowing the gap further. Incredible interception by Higgins under her own posts, and she takes it to the house to effectively kill this game off.
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Ireland v Japan, Women's Rugby World Cup
Welcome, everyone, to The 42′s live coverage of Ireland’s Women’s World Cup opener against Japan.
Well, after an eight-year wait, Ireland are back at the big show. They face Japan today before subsequent meetings with Spain and New Zealand. Two wins will earn a quarter-final.
Scott Bemand’s side kick off at Franklin’s Gardens at 12pm.
Strap in, sit back, and relax. It’s Gavan Casey with you here and I’ll bring you live updates from the game throughout the afternoon!
Co-captains Sam Monaghan and Edel McMahon return to Ireland’s starting team as Bemand makes four changes to his side who lost out to World Cup contenders Canada in their final warm-up game.
The Asian champions were on a five-game win streak until they ran into Italy last day, and have been building towards this for a long time in their own right. In that five-game run, they beat pool rivals Spain twice and earned a first ever win over the USA.
A huge game for both sides in Northampton this afternoon.
IRELAND: Stacey Flood (Railway Union RFC); Béibhinn Parsons (Blackrock College RFC/Connacht), Aoife Dalton (Old Belvedere RFC/Leinster), Eve Higgins (Railway Union RFC), Amee-Leigh Costigan (Railway Union RFC/Munster); Dannah O’Brien (Old Belvedere RFC/Leinster), Aoibheann Reilly (Blackrock College RFC/Connacht); Niamh O’Dowd (Old Belvedere RFC/Leinster), Neve Jones (Gloucester-Hartpury), Linda Djougang (Old Belvedere RFC/Leinster), Ruth Campbell (Old Belvedere RFC/Leinster), Sam Monaghan (Gloucester-Hartpury/IQ Rugby) (co-capt), Fiona Tuite (Old Belvedere RFC/Ulster), Edel McMahon (Exeter Chiefs/Connacht) (co-capt), Brittany Hogan (Old Belvedere RFC/Ulster).
Replacements: Clíodhna Moloney-MacDonald (Exeter Chiefs), Ellena Perry (Gloucester-Hartpury/IQ Rugby), Sadhbh McGrath (Cooke RFC/Ulster), Eimear Corri Fallon (Blackrock College RFC/Leinster), Grace Moore (Trailfinders Women/IQ Rugby), Emily Lane (Blackrock College RFC), Enya Breen (Blackrock College RFC/Munster), Anna McGann (Railway Union RFC/Connacht).
JAPAN: Sora Nishimura (Mie Pearls); Misaki Matsumara (Tokyo Sankyu Phoenix), Mana Furuta (Tokyo Sankyu Phoenix), Haruka Hirotsu (Nanairo Prism Fukuoka), Komachi Imakugi (Arukas Queen Kumagaya); Ayasa Otsuka (Arukas Queen Kumagaya), Moe Tsukui (Yokogawa Musashino Artemi-Stars); Sachiko Kato (Yokogawa Musashino Artemi-Stars), Asuka Kuge (Arukas Queen Kumagaya), Wako Kitano (Mie Pearls), Yuna Sato (Tokyo Sankyu Phoenix), Otoka Yoshimura (Arukas Queen Kumagaya), Masami Kawamura (Yokogawa Musashino Artemi-Stars), Iroha Nagata (Arukas Queen Kumagaya) (capt), Seina Saito (Mie Pearls).
Replacements: Kotomi Taniguchi (Yokogawa Musashino Artemi-Stars), Manami Mine (Nippon Sport Science University), Nijiho Nagata (Mie Pearls), Ayana Sakurai (Yokogawa Musashino Artemi-Stars), Kyoko Hosokawa (Mie Pearls), Megumi Abe (Arukas Queen Kumagaya), Minori Yamamoto (Yokohama TKM), Sakurako Hatada (Nippon Sport Science University).
Referee: Clara Munarini (FIR)
Two years into Scott Bemand’s reign, and Ireland are in a decent place having spent the previous six years in the doldrums.
The women in green are heavy favourites today, and it’s essential that they start their tournament on the right foot.
Big crowd in Northampton Saints’ home stadium. Temperature in the low to mid-20s but with a nice breeze.
Ireland’s Call on the way now. Let’s go!
1′ – IRE 0-0 JPN: Dannah O’Brien kicks off and Ireland’s World Cup campaign is underway!
2′ – IRE 0-0 JPN: Ireland win a pen inside the Japanese 22′ for hands in the ruck. Some huge carries by Linda Djougang in the build-up. O’Brien goes to touch.
Big chance for Ireland here.
3′ – IRE 0-0 JPN: Aoibheann Reilly spills forward over the line under pressure from Otoka Yoshimura! Chance missed but Japan can only clear to near their own five-metre line.
Ireland then lose the lineout, so Japan get a proper escape and exit up to halfway.
5′ – TRYYYYYYY FOR IRELAND! Amee-Leigh Costigan!
What a great score. The Tipp woman finishes well down the left after some heavy work by the forwards and a nice backs move, from right to left, with Stacey Flood providing the final pass to put Costigan away.
Dannah O’Brien converts from an acute angle, too, so Ireland lead by seven!
9′ – IRE 7-0 JPN: Ireland utterly dominant here. Some lovely attacking sets. Japan have few answers.
Ireland win the pen and go to touch in the Japanese 22′. Another big chance here!
10′ – TRRRRYYYYYYYYYYY FOR IRELAND AGAIN! Neve Jones!
Excellent body position from the hooker who burrows over after Japan had initially done a solid job of slowing the Irish attacking maul.
O’Brien is again on the money from wide left. 14-zip in Northampton. Great start by Ireland!
18′ – IRE 14-0 JPN: Two crooked lineouts in a row by Ireland. Japan earn a scrum deep in the Irish 22′. Their first real chance to get on the board!
19′ – IRE 14-0 JPN: Ireland have driven Japan back to the 22′. Excellent defence. Japan showing their ball skills but perhaps their lack of physical heft, too.
22′ – IRE 14-0 JPN: Savage work by Niamh O’Dowd who creates a choke tackle in her own 22′ and wins a turnover with some help from her front-row partners.
24′ TRYYYYYY FOR IRELAND! Beibhinn Parsons!
Ah, that’s another great team score. Great work by Eve Higgins and Costigan off the scrum to put Parsons away down the right. She takes one to the house from just inside the Japanese half.
A cruel blow for Japan after a period of sustained pressure, which Ireland dealt with well.
O’Brien nails the afters once more, this time from the right!
29′ – TRYYYY FOR JAPAN! They deserve that.
Haruka Hirotsu with her third try for her country after a period of sustained Japanese pressure in the Irish 22′.
It all came from an Irish lineout, which is malfunctioning at the moment.
37′ – TRYYYYYYYYYYY FOR IRELAND! Fiona Tuite finishes it off but Eve Higgins, take a bow!
Beautiful step inside by the centre who breaches the Japanese defensive line and pops a pass to Tuite for the score.
Tuite, with her first Ireland try, goes in under the posts. O’Brien can chip over. Wonderful Irish score!
Ireland are firmly in charge at the break, bonus point secure. Japan all heart but very little bite.
A super start to this World Cup for the women in green.
Catch you in 15!
42′ – IRE 28-7 JPN: Immediate chance for the Japanese upon the resumption: they have a five-metre lineout!
44′ – TRYYYYYYY FOR JAPAN! Masami Kawamura burrows over!
A spell of intense Japanese pressure, and initially great Irish defence, eventually yields a converted score.
Game on?
48′ – IRE 28-14 JPN: Linda Djougang with an unreal poach in her own 22′. Wins the pen and Ireland get a platform up near halfway.
Have settled well again since that last Japanese try.
53′ – TRYYYYYYYY FOR IRELAND! EVE HIGGINS! OUT OF NOWHERE!
It began with a brilliant Japanese attack and they came within five metres of narrowing the gap further. Incredible interception by Higgins under her own posts, and she takes it to the house to effectively kill this game off.
What a swing. Wow. And what a player!
O’Brien chips over from beneath the posts.
60′ – TRYYYYYY FOR IRELAND! Penalty try as Japan take down an Irish maul near their own line.
It’s party time for Scott Bemand’s side!
After the penalty try is awarded, the TMO spots an Irish infraction in the maul which led to Japan’s infringement.
The try is chalked off and Japan have a yellow card rescinded.
Disappointing for Ireland but they had clear blockers in their attacking lineout.
63′ – TRYYYYY FOR IRELAND! THIS ONE STANDS! Enya Breen!
The replacement back crosses after relentless Irish pressure. O’Brien converts from close range.
You can stick a fork in this one, folks!
75′ – IRE 42-14 JPN: Ireland still prodding away but nothing major happening .
A job very well done by Ireland.
They’re up and running!
Thanks for joining us for live updates! Ciarán Kennedy will have a full match report and reaction from Northampton.
Catch you soon!
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