# Ireland women's national rugby union team

The Ireland women's national rugby union team represents Ireland in international women's rugby union competitions such as the Women's Six Nations Championship and the Women's Rugby World Cup. They have also represented Ireland in the FIRA Women's European Championship. Ireland won the 2013 and 2015 Women's Six Nations Championships. In 2013 they also achieved both a Triple Crown and Grand Slam. They finished fourth in the 2014 Women's Rugby World Cup after defeating New Zealand in the pool stages. Ireland hosted the 2017 Women's Rugby World Cup. The team was originally organised by the Irish Women's Rugby Football Union. However, since 2009, it has been organised by the Irish Rugby Football Union.

## History
### Early years

The Irish Women's Rugby Football Union was established in 1991. Ireland made their international debut on 14 February 1993 with an away friendly against Scotland. This was also Scotland's first international. The match was played at Raeburn Place in front of a crowd of over 1,000. The Ireland team was coached by Alain Rolland while the Scotland coaches included Sandy Carmichael. Scotland won 10–0 with two tries from their captain, Sandra Colamartino. Ireland's first captain was Jill Henderson. A year later, on 13 February 1994, Ireland made their home international debut when a return match was played at Ravenhill. This time Scotland won 5–0. In 2001 the IWRFU became affiliated to the Irish Rugby Football Union, in 2008 it effectively merged with the IRFU and since 2009 the IRFU has managed the women's national team.

### Rugby World Cup

Ireland have competed in every Women's Rugby World Cup since making their debut in the second tournament in 1994. They made their World Cup debut on 13 April 1994 with an 18–5 win against a Scottish Students XV. This was also Ireland's first competitive match in any competition.
Ireland's best performance at a World Cup tournament came in 2014 when they finished fourth after defeating New Zealand and winning Pool B. After defeating the United States 23–17 in their opening pool game, Ireland faced New Zealand, the 2010 Women's Rugby World Cup winners in their second game. With tries from Heather O'Brien and Alison Miller and two conversions and a penalty from Niamh Briggs, Ireland defeated New Zealand 17–14. It was just the second match New Zealand had lost in a World Cup tournament. It was the first time the Ireland women had played New Zealand and they became only the second Irish team, after Munster in 1978, to defeat a New Zealand national rugby union team. The result has been described as "one of the biggest upsets in the tournament's history". Ireland subsequently qualified for the semi-finals with a 40–5 win against Kazakhstan. Ireland eventually finished fourth in the tournament after losing 18–25 to France in the third place play-off.
They failed to qualify for the 2022 Rugby World Cup, after ending in third place of the qualifying round of September 2021 in Italy.

### Six Nations Championship

Ireland made their debut in the Women's Six Nations Championship, then known as the Women's Home Nations Championship, in the inaugural 1996 competition. They played their first game against Scotland on 21 January 1996. During the 1990s and early 2000s, Ireland never challenged for the championship. They regularly finished in the wooden spoon position at the bottom of the table. Before winning their first championship in 2013, the highest position they ever finished in the competition was third. They did not enter in 2000 and 2001 and were replaced by Spain. When Ireland returned in 2002, the competition became known as the Six Nations for the first time. In 2002 Ireland also suffered their biggest ever defeat when they lost 79–0 to England. Ireland won their first Six Nations match in 2005 when they defeated Wales 11–6. Ireland defeated Scotland for the first time on 10 March 2007 with an 18–6 win at Meggetland. In 2009 Ireland defeated France for the first time.
Ireland won their first championship in 2013, winning both a Triple Crown and a Grand Slam at the same time. In their opening match of the campaign, Ireland beat Wales 12–10. Then on 9 February 2013 they defeated England for the first time. Alison Miller scored a hat-trick of tries as Ireland won 25–0. On 23 February 2013 they clinched their first Triple Crown with a 30–3 win against Scotland. On 8 March 2013 Ireland effectively won the championship after they defeated France 15–10. It was confirmed the following day after Italy failed to defeat England. Ireland eventually finished four points clear of runners-up France. Ireland secured the Grand Slam with a 6–3 away win against Italy on Saint Patrick's Day. Two penalties from Niamh Briggs gave Ireland their fifth win in a row.
In 2015, Ireland won their second championship and second Triple Crown in three years. They won the championship on points difference over France, after both teams had won four of their five matches. Ireland had to win their final game, against Scotland, by a margin of 27 points or more to win the title and achieved this with a 73–3 win. The result is also Ireland's biggest ever win.

### FIRA Women's European Championship

Ireland has also competed in the FIRA Women's European Championship. They first played in the tournament in 1997. Their best performance in this tournament was a third-place finish in 2008. In 2004 they won the Plate competition after defeating Spain 20–12 in the final.

## Players
### Current squad

On 17 September 2024, Ireland announced their 30-player squad for the WXV 1 competition in Canada.
| Player | Position | Date of birth (age) | Caps | Club/province |
| Sophie Barrett | Prop | (2004-01-27)27 January 2004 (aged 20) | 0 | Railway Union RFC / Ulster |
| Ruth Campbell | Second row | (2003-06-27)27 June 2003 (aged 21) | 1 | Old Belvedere RFC / Leinster |
| Linda Djougang | Prop | (1996-05-17)17 May 1996 (aged 28) | 38 | Old Belvedere RFC / Leinster |
| Brittany Hogan | Back row | (1998-09-19)19 September 1998 (aged 26) | 24 | Old Belvedere RFC / Ulster |
| Neve Jones | Hooker | (1998-12-26)26 December 1998 (aged 25) | 27 | Gloucester-Hartpury / Ulster |
| Erin King | Back row | (2003-10-21)21 October 2003 (aged 20) | 1 | Old Belvedere RFC / Leinster |
| Siobhán McCarthy | Prop | (1995-09-05)5 September 1995 (aged 29) | 1 | Worcester Warriors / Munster |
| Sadhbh McGrath | Prop | (2004-08-30)30 August 2004 (aged 20) | 13 | Cooke RFC / Ulster |
| Edel McMahon | Back row | (1994-03-25)25 March 1994 (aged 30) | 29 | Exeter Chiefs / Munster |
| Cliodhna Moloney | Hooker | (1993-05-31)31 May 1993 (aged 31) | 35 | Exeter Chiefs / Connacht |
| Grace Moore | Back row | (1996-05-21)21 May 1996 (aged 28) | 15 | Ealing Trailfinders / Leinster |
| Deirbhile Nic a Bháird | Number 8 | (1995-09-22)22 September 1995 (aged 29) | 9 | Old Belvedere RFC / Munster |
| Niamh O'Dowd | Prop | (2000-04-21)21 April 2000 (aged 24) | 8 | Old Belvedere RFC / Leinster |
| Andrea Stock | Prop | (1999-08-09)9 August 1999 (aged 25) | 0 | Ealing Trailfinders / Munster |
| Fiona Tuite | Second row | (1996-12-27)27 December 1996 (aged 27) | 7 | Old Belvedere RFC / Ulster |
| Aoife Wafer | Back row | (2003-03-25)25 March 2003 (aged 21) | 8 | Blackrock College RFC / Leinster |
| Dorothy Wall | Second row | (2000-05-04)4 May 2000 (aged 24) | 29 | Exeter Chiefs / Munster |
| Enya Breen | Outside-half | (1999-04-23)23 April 1999 (aged 25) | 22 | Blackrock College RFC / Munster |
| Eimear Considine | Wing | (1991-05-08)8 May 1991 (aged 33) | 27 | UL Bohemian RFC / Munster |
| Aoife Dalton | Centre | (2003-05-03)3 May 2003 (aged 21) | 15 | Old Belvedere RFC / Leinster |
| Vicky Elmes Kinlan | Wing | (2003-02-21)21 February 2003 (aged 21) | 1 | Wicklow RFC / Munster |
| Caitríona Finn | ?? | (2006-06-04)4 June 2006 (aged 18) | 0 | UL Bohemian RFC / Munster |
| Stacey Flood | Outside-half | (1996-08-05)5 August 1996 (aged 28) | 11 | Railway Union RFC / Leinster |
| Nicole Fowley | Outside-half | (1992-12-23)23 December 1992 (aged 31) | 12 | Galwegians RFC / Connacht |
| Katie Heffernan | Centre | (1998-09-08)8 September 1998 (aged 26) | 0 | Railway Union RFC / Leinster |
| Eve Higgins | Centre | (1999-06-23)23 June 1999 (aged 25) | 18 | Railway Union RFC / Leinster |
| Emily Lane | Scrum-half | (1999-01-10)10 January 1999 (aged 25) | 7 | Blackrock College RFC / Munster |
| Amee-Leigh Murphy Crowe | Wing | (1995-04-26)26 April 1995 (aged 29) | 10 | Railway Union RFC / Munster |
| Molly Scuffil-McCabe | Scrum-half | (1998-03-15)15 March 1998 (aged 26) | 17 | Railway Union RFC / Leinster |
| Dannah O'Brien | Outside-half | (2003-09-22)22 September 2003 (aged 21) | 16 | Old Belvedere RFC / Leinster |

### Award winners
#### World Rugby Awards

The following Ireland players have been recognised at the World Rugby Awards since 2001:
World Rugby Player of the Year :
| Year | Nominees | Winners |
| 2014 | Niamh Briggs | — |
| 2015 | Sophie Spence | — |
World Rugby Breakthrough Player of the Year :
| Year | Nominees | Winners |
| 2024 | Erin King | Erin King |
World Rugby Dream Team of the Year :
| Year | No. | Players |
| 2024 | 6. | Aoife Wafer |

#### Six Nations Awards

The following Ireland players have been recognised in the Women's Six Nations Awards since 2020:
Six Nations Team of the Championship :
| Year | Forwards | Forwards | Backs | Backs | Total |
| Year | No. | Players | No. | Players | Total |
| 2022 | 1. | Linda Djougang | 13. | Eve Higgins | 4 |
| 2022 | 2. | Neve Jones | 13. | Eve Higgins | 4 |
| 2022 | 5. | Sam Monaghan | 13. | Eve Higgins | 4 |
| 2023 | — | — | — | — | 0 |
| 2024 | 2. | Neve Jones (2) | — | — | 2 |
| 2024 | 6. | Aoife Wafer | — | — | 2 |
Six Nations Player of the Championship :
| Year | Nominees | Winners |
| 2024 | Aoife Wafer | — |

## Records
### Overall

See List of Ireland women's national rugby union team matches

#### Full internationals only

Correct as of 11 October 2024
| Against | First game | Played | Won | Drawn | Lost | Win % |
| Australia | 1998 | 5 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 40% |
| Canada | 2002 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 25.00% |
| Colombia | 2023 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 100.00% |
| England | 1996 | 32 | 2 | 0 | 30 | 6.25% |
| France | 1993 | 32 | 3 | 1 | 28 | 9.38% |
| Germany | 1997 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 100.00% |
| Italy | 1997 | 23 | 19 | 0 | 4 | 82.61% |
| Japan | 1994 | 7 | 5 | 0 | 2 | 71.43% |
| Kazakhstan | 1998 | 7 | 4 | 0 | 3 | 57.14% |
| Netherlands | 1998 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 100.00% |
| New Zealand | 2014 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 66.67% |
| Samoa | 2002 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0.00% |
| Scotland | 1993 | 33 | 16 | 0 | 17 | 48.48% |
| South Africa | 2006 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 100.00% |
| Spain | 1997 | 11 | 5 | 0 | 6 | 45.45% |
| United States | 1994 | 9 | 4 | 0 | 5 | 44.44% |
| Wales | 1996 | 31 | 14 | 0 | 17 | 45.16% |
| Total | 1993 | 206 | 85 | 1 | 120 | 41.26% |

### World Cup

Rugby World Cup :
| Year | Round | Position | GP | W | D | L | PF | PA |
| 1991 | Did not compete | Did not compete | Did not compete | Did not compete | Did not compete | Did not compete | Did not compete | Did not compete |
| 1994 | 7th place playoff | 7th | 5 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 32 | 125 |
| 1998 | Bowl final | 10th | 5 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 57 | 82 |
| 2002 | 13th place playoff | 14th | 4 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 18 | 97 |
| 2006 | 7th place playoff | 8th | 5 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 72 | 96 |
| 2010 | 7th place playoff | 7th | 5 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 94 | 90 |
| 2014 | 3rd place playoff | 4th | 5 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 105 | 101 |
| 2017 | 7th place playoff | 8th | 5 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 89 | 115 |
| 2021 | Did not qualify | Did not qualify | Did not qualify | Did not qualify | Did not qualify | Did not qualify | Did not qualify | Did not qualify |
| 2025 | Qualified | Qualified | Qualified | Qualified | Qualified | Qualified | Qualified | Qualified |
| Total | 7/9 | 4th | 34 | 14 | 0 | 20 | 467 | 706 |
| Champions Runners-up Third place Fourth place Home venue |||||||||

### Six Nations

| | England | France | Ireland | Italy | Scotland | Spain | Wales |
| Tournaments | 29 | 26 | 27 | 18 | 29 | 7 | 29 |
| Outright Wins | 18 | 6 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Grand Slams | 16 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Triple Crowns | 22 | — | 2 | — | 1 | — | 1 |
| Wooden Spoons | 0 | 0 | 5 | 3 | 9 | 2 | 8 |

## Head coaches

| Coach | Years |
| Alain Rolland | 1993 |
| Johnnie Neary | 1998 |
| Philip Doyle | 2003–2006 |
| John O'Sullivan | 2006–2008 |
| Steven Hennessy | 2009–2010 |
| Kevin West | 2010–2012 |
| Philip Doyle | 2012–2014 |
| Tom Tierney | 2014–2017 |
| Adam Griggs | 2017–2021 |
| Greg McWilliams | 2021–2023 |
| Scott Bemand | 2023– |

## Honours

* Women's Six Nations Championship
** Winners: 2013, 2015
* Grand Slam
** Winners: 2013
* Triple Crown
** Winners: 2013, 2015
* WXV
** WXV3 Winners: 2023
* FIRA Women's European Championship Plate
** Winners: 2004