Combined Provinces Proves Fruitful Ahead Of 2023 Women’s Six Nations

Following the conclusion of the Celtic Challenge tournament, Greg McWlliams has named a 32-player squad ahead of the TikTok Women’s Six Nations, here is a detailed look at those named from that Combined Provinces setup.

Preparations are still ongoing as the 2023 Women’s Six Nations is coming thick and fast with the opener against Wales set for March 25th, the squad has had plenty of game time in recent months, a host of players playing in the Women’s AIL, while also featuring in the Vodafone Women’s Interprovincial Championship.

In it’s inaugural season The Celtic Challenge served as a valuable experience for players to get gametime, before the competition began Gillian McDarby, IRFU Head of Women’s Performance and Pathways said: 

“This pilot tournament will give us an opportunity to expose a wider group of players to cross border competition. We have ambition to grow this competition to include more Irish representative sides over the next three to five years and I am looking forward to seeing how the first edition unfolds over the coming weeks.”

Head Coach McWilliams said: 

“This is an exciting new competition that provides a really excellent opportunity for our extended squad of players to prepare for the TikTok Women’s Six Nations and gain valuable competitive experience and exposure to high level competition.

The Celtic Challenge provides us as a national coaching group with a window to work closely with players we’ve been tracking throughout the Women’s Energia All-Ireland League and the recent Vodafone Women’s Interprovincial Championship.

It is an exciting group of players, combining youth and experience, and it will be invaluable for us to come together as a group for an extended period to build cohesion and connections ahead of the Six Nations campaign. We’re looking forward to the challenge over the coming weeks.”

Following on from that out of the 32 player squad that was named 20 players who featured in that series are named, while a further 10 form an additional training panel, here is a closer look at those players who made it into the squad and those who join the training group.

Forwards Niamh O’Dowd, Sadhbh McGrath, Fiona Tuite and Molly Boyne have all impressed for the Combined Provinces during their unbeaten Celtic Challenge campaign and earn a first Ireland call up, while plenty of experience exists in the squad as Hannah O’Connor had skippered the team throughout the series having started every game, a leader in the team she also got a try against the Thistles, but Nichola Fryday has been named as captain once again, while O’Connor will hope to feature once again in green.

Christy Haney and Linda Djougang also are well experienced players and will look to bolster the front row as both had quality performances in the Celtic Challenge and race stiff competition to start. While McGrath hopes to earn her first gap after impressing in the series, having started one of the four games, she failed to feature in the last game the only occasion where she wouldn’t get minutes in the competition.

Niamh O’Dowd started twice and came off the bench twice in the Celtic Challenge and is one of a host of players bidding to line out in the front row, but when she featured looked a real natural in that prop position, Mary Healy made one start and one substitute appearance in the series and is named on the additional panel but eyes up a place in the front row, as too does Megan Collis who came off the bench in the series and will try and impress in that training camp.

Emma Hooban is another of the additional panel who looked a solid asset in the series, she featured from the off in Cardiff and scored a try but failed to make another appearance as Chloe Blackmore and Jess Keating got minutes in that number 2 role, while Deirbhile Nic a Bhaird can also feature in that role and started the final two games.

O’Connor moved to the second row in the final tie with the Thistles, while Tuite started three out of four ties on the second row, Claire Bennet impressed in the second row managing a try against the Thistles, two starts from the opening two games, saw her come of the bench in the other two games, great cover if needed but would also make a great starting addition, while India Daley is also out for a selection having just featured once will take part in that training camp with a view to getting Six Nations minutes.

Deirbhile Nic a Bhaird was another standout performer, playing either in the back row or front row, the Munster and Old Belvedere player was a key performer in the series also featuring in every game in the series from the off, scoring three tries she added to her tally of four tries from the Interpros.

She formed a great back row partnership with Maeve Og O’Leary and Dorothy Wall in that series, both were named to feature in that series but Wall never made an appearance. Maeve Og started three out of the four games coming off the bench against the Welsh in Belfast, but also bagged a try against the Scottish Thistles.

Boyne is anther aiming for a first cap having started the last two games on the flanks, her only appearances but looked a great addition and will now look to impress ahead of the Six Nations, Brittany Hogan is the final addition from the named selection of forwards to have featured in the Celtic Challenge, featuring in the latter stages she played on the flanks against the Welsh Development selection in Belfast, while at 8 in the final day win over the Thistles in Edinburgh, showing her versatility in forward line.

In the back line, both Molly Scuffil-McCabe and Ailsa Hughes will try to nail down the number 9 jersey, Hughes started the opening round win in Cardiff getting a try in that win, but only made a cameo of the bench when the Welsh came to Belfast, Katie Whelan given the nod in those ties on the bench to get her valuable gametime as she is named on the extended panel.

Scuffil-McCabe missed the opener in Cardiff but was selected at scrum-half for the remainder of the series, while also moving into full-back, the Leinster and Railway Union star is no stranger to playing in different positions in the backline.

Dannah O’Brien featured at out-half in all of the Celtic series ties and will look to take the number 10 jersey off the more experienced Nicole Cronin, Cronin was not named in any of the squads for the series but had a fantastic Interpros and will look to regain her spot as the starting out-half, O’Brien meanwhile also started for Leinster in the Interpros, did well for Belvo too in the AIL and kicked 20 points off the tee during the Celtic Challenge, despite only making her Test debuts during the historic Summer Tour of Japan, she was named as vice captain in the series.

Enya Breen was named as a co-captain to O’Connor but only managed to play one game after returning from injury, she bagged a brace of tries in the recent win over the Thistles and also performed well for Munster in their unbeaten Interpro series, also an AIL winners medal in the pocket.

Plenty of competition has came from that Centre position in the series, Aoife Dalton featured in three out of four games as the starting midfield combination, notching two tries, the other Aoife, Aoife Wafer also bagged the same amount on her return from injury, a sensational run having came off the bench against the Welsh in Belfast brought the first, while she finished a terrific move out wide against the Thistles. 

More competition exists in the extended training group as Leah Tarpey and Kayla Waldron also bagged tries in the series when operating in the midfield, Tarpey made one appearance while Waldron made two with one coming off the bench.

The back three selection consists of four players who each bring different qualities to their position, Ella Roberts was one of the stars of the Celtic Challenge campaign and off the back of her performances for the Combined Provinces is in line for a first cap in the series, the Wicklow native scored four tries in the series one of the top scorers in her two starts, while could have added a fifth of the bench against the Thistles only for a deliberate knock on to kill the chance.

Roberts featured heavily at 15 for Wicklow in the AIL and Leinster In the Interpros, but was chosen to play on the wing in the Celtic Challenge which proved fruitful, showcasing her pace and scoring ability.

Aoife Doyle and Natasja Behan are amongst the other names selected in the backline who could feature in the back three, Doyle made one appearance out wide in the series, while Behan started the final two games of the series, Clare Gorman started the final game against the Thistles in her only appearance, named in the training panel she is out to impress before the opener against Wales.

Last but not least Connacht and Blackrock full-back Meabh Deely aims to earn her first appearance in the Six Nations, the full-back missed the opening two games recovering from a groin injury but featured in the second half against the Welsh out wide, while starting at 15 against the Thistles, she can feature across the back three and was the top scorer in Blackrock’s unbeaten AIL title winning run.

Her club teammate Ella Durkan made two starts in the Celtic Challenge and her recent form with Blackrock having returned to the Women’s AIL cup competition, has her in good form ahead of the training camp, Durkan brings experience and quality and will also stake a claim for minutes.

Ireland Squad, TikTok Women’s Six Nations

Forwards (18):

Niamh O’Dowd (Old Belvedere RFC/Leinster)*

Sadhbh McGrath (City of Derry/Cooke RFC/Ulster)*

Kathryn Buggy (Gloucester-Hartpury/IQ Rugby)*

Christy Haney (Blackrock College RFC/Leinster)

Linda Djougang (Old Belvedere RFC/Leinster)

Neve Jones (Gloucester-Hartpury/Ulster)

Clara Nielson (Exeter Chiefs/IQ Rugby)*

Deirbhile Nic a Bhaird (Old Belvedere RFC/Munster)

Nichola Fryday (Exeter Chiefs/Connacht) (Captain)

Sam Monaghan (Gloucester-Hartpury/IQ Rugby)

Fiona Tuite (Old Belvedere RFC/Ulster)*

Hannah O’Connor (Blackrock College RFC/Leinster)

Dorothy Wall (Blackrock College RFC/Munster)

Grace Moore (Saracens/IQ Rugby)

Maeve Óg O’Leary (Blackrock College RFC/Munster)

Edel McMahon (Exeter Chiefs/Connacht)

Brittany Hogan (Old Belvedere RFC/Ulster)

Molly Boyne (Railway Union RFC/Leinster)*

Backs (14):

Molly Scuffil-McCabe (Railway Union RFC/Leinster)

Emma Swords (Harlequins/IQ Rugby)*

Ailsa Hughes (Railway Union RFC/Leinster)

Dannah O’Brien (Old Belvedere RFC/Leinster)

Nicole Cronin (UL Bohemian RFC/Munster)

Enya Breen (Blackrock College RFC/Munster)

Aoife Wafer (Blackrock College RFC/Leinster)

Aoife Dalton (Old Belvedere RFC/Leinster)

Vicky Irwin (Sale Sharks/Ulster)

Méabh Deely (Blackrock College RFC/Connacht)

Aoife Doyle (Railway Union RFC/Munster)

Natasja Behan (Blackrock College RFC/Leinster)

Ella Roberts (Wicklow RFC/Leinster)*

Lauren Delany (Sale Sharks/IQ Rugby).

*Denotes uncapped players