Scott Bemand’s side looking to bounce back from defeat to hosts Canada in their final game

Daire Walsh

WXV 1: Ireland v USA, BC Place, Vancouver, Friday, 8.30pm Irish time

The Ireland women’s rugby team will be looking to end their encouraging debut campaign in WXV 1 on a high when they face USA at BC Place in Vancouver on Friday (kick-off 12.30pm local time/8.30pm Irish time).

Having competed in WXV 3 during the maiden season of this women’s international group tournament in 2023 – winning the third-tier crown with consecutive wins against Kazakhstan, Colombia and Spain – there was a fear Scott Bemand’s side might struggle in the top division this year.

Yet Ireland dispelled any notion that it was going to be too much of a step up by securing a shock victory over world champions New Zealand in the opening round of the second edition of the tournament a little under a fortnight ago. Although host nation Canada had the measure of them in Vancouver last Saturday, the Maple Leafs are currently ranked second in the world and there were still a number of positives for the Irish to take from an eventual 21-8 reversal.

The visiting side had held their own in defence, until the almost simultaneous sin-binnings of props Linda Djougang and Niamh O’Dowd left them significantly hamstrung. However, having found themselves 18 points adrift at the interval, Ireland kept their opponents scoreless in the second half and managed to grab a try through Eimear Considine in the third quarter of the game.

Although head coach Bemand will be seeking a strong performance from his side, he will also want a return to winning ways – particularly when you consider that the New Zealand game was preceded by triumphs over Scotland and Australia.

Given eighth-place USA are currently two spots below them in the world rankings, Friday’s game is certainly one that Ireland can target for a victory. Additionally, the Eagles are rooted to the bottom of the WXV 1 table in advance of this tie, following their consecutive defeats to date at the hands of England and France.

The fact that only 24 players have been used to date by Bemand in the tournament (Ruth Campbell will become the 25th if she is used against the USA) suggests there hasn’t been a massive amount of experimentation and Ireland are set to finish WXV 1 with 10 players who have started all three games.

Included among this cohort is inside centre Enya Breen, who captains the team for the second game in succession. Edel McMahon led Ireland from openside flanker against New Zealand – and served as co-captain with the currently injured Sam Monaghan during the Six Nations – but Erin King, Aoife Wafer and Brittany Hogan are once again the preferred backrows for this game.

Aoife Dalton, Nicole Fowley (making her first start of the tournament) and Neve Jones have all come into the Irish starting line-up for this encounter, replacing Eve Higgins, Dannah O’Brien and Cliodhna Moloney respectively. The latter triumvirate will provide cover on the bench, however, and can expect to be called upon at some point in the action.

IRELAND: S Flood; E Considine, A Dalton, E Breen, A-L Murphy Crowe; N Fowley, E Lane; N O’Dowd, N Jones, L Djougang; D Wall, F Tuite; E King, A Wafer, B Hogan.

Replacements: C Moloney, S McCarthy, A Stock, R Campbell, D Nic a Bháird, M Scuffil-McCabe, D O’Brien, E Higgins.

USA: B Mataitoga; C Emba, A Kelter, G Cantorna, L Sharp; M Hawkins, C Bargell; H Rogers, K Treder, C Jacoby; E Jarrell, H Taufoou; T Brody, K Zackary, R Johnson.

Replacements: P Stathopoulos, M Learned, K Mae Sagapolu, R Ehrecke, T Hann, T Tukuafu, E Henrich, T Feury.