Ireland head coach Scott Bemand has made five changes to his starting XV for Sunday’s Guinness Women’s Six Nations match against Wales in Newport, including the return of key players Edel McMahon and Enya Breen from injury.
McMahon, who takes over as captain, replaces Erin King in the back row after King was ruled out for the remainder of the season with a knee injury. The experienced flanker will join Brittany Hogan and Aoife Wafer at the back of the scrum, as Ireland look to bounce back from last week’s heavy defeat to England in Cork.
In response to Ireland’s struggles in the scrum during that game — which included a yellow card for prop Niamh O’Dowd — Bemand has dropped the loosehead and handed a first Test start to Munster’s Siobhán McCarthy. She joins Neve Jones and Linda Djougang in the front row.
There’s also a reshuffle in the second row, with Ruth Campbell returning to partner Dorothy Wall. Fiona Tuite drops to the bench, where she is joined by Claire Boles, set for her first international appearance since 2019 after a spell with the Sevens squad. Another notable returnee is Sadhbh McGrath, who has not featured since last year’s championship finale against Scotland.
The half-back pairing sees a change as well, with Molly Scuffil-McCabe making her first appearance of this year’s tournament at scrum-half, linking up with out-half Dannah O’Brien.
In the backline, Enya Breen gets her first start of the campaign, lining up in the centre alongside Aoife Dalton. Eve Higgins shifts to the bench. The back three remains unchanged for the fourth consecutive match, with Amee-Leigh Costigan, Anna McGann, and Stacey Flood continuing in the starting roles.
Wales, meanwhile, have made two changes to the side that lost to France in Brive. Vice-captain and number 8 Alex Callender returns from a foot injury, replacing Gwen Crabb, with Georgia Evans moving into the second row. Kelsey Jones is brought into the starting lineup at hooker ahead of Carys Phillips, who is named among the replacements. Lleucu George and Catherine Richards also return to the bench.
Sunday’s match is expected to be a key fixture for both sides, with Ireland seeking their first win of the tournament and Wales aiming to recover from consecutive losses.
Kick-off in Newport is scheduled for 3:15pm, and the game will be available on RTÉ and various streaming platforms.
