Ireland get the TikTok Women’s Six nations Tournament underway tomorrow evening at the RDS with new head coach Greg McWilliams electing to start Sevens Captain Lucy Mulhall on the wing in place of star performer Beibhinn Parsons.
Aoibheann O’Reilly gets a first start at Scrum Half and two more debutants, Christy Haney and Anna McGann will hope to make a first appearance from the bench.
Parsons’ omission was the biggest surprise of the team announcement.
Six Nations Rugby had pinned her in their own media as the main player to watch on the Irish team having scored seven tries in her first 15 games and being named Guinness Rugby Writers of Ireland Women’s Player of the Year.
Parsons is fully fit and has taken part in full training but McWilliams has said that he wants to keep her in reserve and ‘do some damage’ from the bench.
The side finished third in last year’s Six Nations, the first to be played in a separate window to the Men’s tournament and a lot is riding on this season after the unexpected failure to qualify for the World Cup taking place this year.
Niamh Briggs has been appointed alongside Griggs on the new coaching ticket, with Gemma Crowley as Team Manager and there is a sense of anticipation that this will be a real fresh start for the team that has struggled to make a mark since hosting the Rugby World Cup in 2017.
Nichola Fryday will be leading her side into a Championship as Captain for the first time.
Since making her Test debut in November 2016 against Canada, the Ireland captain has been an ever-present for her national team, winning 22 caps and being named Player of the Match in the win over the USA in November.
The visibility of this year’s tournament will be greater than ever and initial signs in terms of media coverage are very positive.
All of the games will be televised live with tomorrow’s opener on Virgin Media One and the other four games shared with RTÉ.
The team will be travelling around Ireland as well and ticket sales are reported to be strong in Belfast in particular for the game against Scotland to end the tournament, and also in Musgrave Park in Cork.
Vodafone is hosting a special family fun zone to encourage young fans to come along and try to recreate the noisy buzz that is now part of the Irish Women’s Football team for their home games in Tallaght.
If Ireland can get off to a positive start the blocks are in place for creating real momentum behind the team and the tournament.
If you have been supporting the men throughout the last number of weeks and revelling in their success then stay focused on the players in green shirts and give them a chance to prove themselves in the spotlight.
