IRELAND HAVE named their team for Saturday’s final round of the WXV3 against Spain at the Sevens Stadium (Kick-off 5pm local time/2pm Irish time).
Scott Bemand’s side are bidding to make it three wins from three, having already got the better of Kazakhstan and Colombia in the opening rounds of the campaign in Dubai.
This weekend’s clash will determine the overall winners of the inaugural WXV3 title.
Ireland currently have a points difference of +131 and sit top of the standings, a point ahead of their Spanish rivals, so a draw would be enough to claim a first-ever WXV3 title.
Co-captains Sam Monaghan and Edel McMahon start in the second row and back row respectively.
The pack also includes Linda Djougang, Neve Jones and Christy Haney in the front row, while Dorothy Wall, Grace Moore and Brittany Hogan are also named among the forwards.
The back three comprises of Meabh Deely, Beibhinn Parsons and Natasja Behan, while Aoife Dalton and Eve Higgins will form a centre partnership.
Molly Scuffil-McCabe and Dannah O’Brien complete the backline.
“Competition for places in this final round squad has been high, this is exactly where we want to be,” Bemand said ahead of the game. “It has taken 31 players to get to this point and both this squad and individuals have grown over these three weeks.
“We have previous history with Spain and we know this will be a level up of competition that this squad needs to test itself against.
“It’s great to see Aoife Wafer back in the group, after some time away from international rugby and looking forward to seeing what this team’s best performance can look like.”
The match is available to stream for free on RugbyPass TV.
Ireland (v Spain)
- 15. Méabh Deely
- 14. Natasja Behan
- 13. Eve Higgins
- 12. Aoife Dalton
- 11. Béibhinn Parsons
- 10. Dannah O’Brien
- 9. Molly Scuffil-McCabe
- 1. Linda Djougang
- 2. Neve Jones
- 3. Christy Haney
- 4. Dorothy Wall
- 5. Sam Monaghan
- 6. Grace Moore
- 7. Edel McMahon
- 8. Brittany Hogan
Replacements:
- 16. Clara Nielson
- 17. Niamh O’Dowd
- 18. Sadhbh McGrath
- 19. Eimear Corri
- 20. Aoife Wafer
- 21. Aoibheann Reilly
- 22. Nicole Fowley
- 23. Leah Tarpey
