It is a rejigged Ireland team showing seven changes in the starting line-up and a few more on the bench. There are four in line to make their debuts and a clutch of others who haven’t played a Test at 15-a-side in over two years. At first glance, hiccups would seem inevitable.
However, head coach is convinced that the quality of Ireland’s returning Olympians will far outweigh any lack of cohesion in Saturday’s IRFU 150th Anniversary Test against Australia at Kingspan Stadium (kick-off 2.30pm).
The focus thus intensifies on the women’s 15s team at the outset of a season which looks both exciting and demanding. After Saturday comes the upcoming venture into the WXV1 at the end of the month with games against New Zealand, Canada and the USA in Vancouver, followed by a Six Nations in which England and France come to Dublin.
Béibihinn Parsons is one of three significant absentees along with scrumhalf Aoibheann Reilly and lock Sam Monaghan, while the Ireland Sevens international Vicky Elmes Kinlan will make her Test debut on the right wing.
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The 21-year-old is part of a revamped back three featuring Eimear Considine at fullback and prolific Sevens winger Amee-Leigh Murphy Crowe. Both are making their first appearance at Test level in the 15s game since the 2022 Six Nations, Considine having become a mother for the first time and overcome an ACL injury.
The bench includes Erin King, Emily Lane, Eve Higgins and Stacey Flood, all of whom were part of the Ireland Women’s Sevens squad at the Olympics. Lock Ruth Campbell, whom Bemand described as “an absolute grafter”, makes her debut in the secondrow, with Siobhán McCarthy and King in line to do so from the bench.
“What I’ve seen so far from the girls is they’ve been absolutely brilliant. They’ve genuinely come in, they’ve rolled their sleeves up, they bought into what we’re about,” said Bemand, who admitted that the Olympians spent the first two sessions at the outset of their two-week build-up to this seasonal opener readjusting to new calls and systems.
“There was definitely a period of two sessions just working it out and we’re absolutely seeing it come to life this week. Obviously we’ve named a few of the girls who’ve come in to start, a few have come on to the bench. It’s been an unbelievable opportunity to bring some firepower on as the game breaks up. And you can see the telepathy of these players in training.
“They’ve obviously played with each other for a good few years and are able to bounce off each other, interplay with each other and get the team on the front foot.
“I think as Sevens has grown it’s evolved,” said Bemand in further playing down the difference in the two games. “A good while ago there would have been a definitive Sevens style. If you look at how people attack and defend now, the systems have become advanced.
“I’ve always believed that Sevens is an absolutely outstanding tool for developing. So, everything you can say might be a nuance or a problem, there’s an opportunity with it. We’ve just come off the training paddock now and we’ve seen some of the Sevens girls, from the 22, rip it to an edge and go the length and score.
“So, they’ve put themselves into a position that make them unbelievably good scanners of pictures and they’ve got the decision-making skills to execute that. I think there’s more opportunities and threats going on here.
“We’ve had two really, really good training weeks in what it’s been like to come from a Sevens pitch to a 15s pitch, and from everything I’ve seen so far they’ve taken to it like ducks to water.”
Other changes from the gritty 15-12 win over Scotland at the same venue on the final day of the Six Nations, which secured both World Cup qualification and a place in the top tier of the WXV, see Aoife Dalton, a replacement against Scotland, start in midfield, and likewise Molly Scuffil-McCabe is promoted at scrumhalf.
Niamh O’Dowd, another replacement against the Scots, starts at loose head, with Linda Djougang shifting to tight head. The team is captained by Edel McMahon in an unchanged backrow alongside Aoife Wafer and Brittany Hogan.
Ireland (v Australia, Saturday, Kingspan Stadium, 2.30pm): Eimear Considine (UL Bohemian/Munster); Vicky Elmes Kinlan* (Wicklow), Aoife Dalton (Old Belvedere/Leinster), Enya Breen (Blackrock College/Munster), Amee-Leigh Murphy Crowe (Railway Union/Munster); Dannah O’Brien (Old Belvedere/Leinster), Molly Scuffil-McCabe (Leinster); Niamh O’Dowd (Old Belvedere/Leinster), Neve Jones (Gloucester-Hartpury), Linda Djougang (Old Belvedere/Leinster); Dorothy Wall (Exeter Chiefs/Munster), Ruth Campbell* (Old Belvedere/Leinster); Aoife Wafer (Blackrock College/Leinster), Edel McMahon (Exeter Chiefs/Connacht) (capt), Brittany Hogan (Old Belvedere/Ulster).
Replacements: Clíodhna Moloney (Exeter Chiefs), Siobhán McCarthy* (Worcester Warriors/Munster), Christy Haney (Blackrock College RFC/Leinster), Fiona Tuite (Old Belvedere RFC/Ulster), Erin King* (Old Belvedere), Emily Lane (Blackrock College RFC), Eve Higgins (Railway Union), Stacey Flood (Railway Union).
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