RUGBY:IRELAND GO into their first home game of this year's Six Nations Championship with a little more hope against the French than expectation. France represents a tough challenge for Ireland coach Philip Doyle, who is currently rebuilding the side after last season.
Doyle remains faithful to the side that earned a 26-5 win over the Italians last week and with so many new faces he is hoping to build up some continuity. The highly experienced loosehead prop from UL Bohemians, Fiona Coghlan, again leads the side.
“We have a brand new squad this season and we capped a lot of new players last weekend. We have a very short turnaround time this week and we felt the need for continuity and to bed in the combinations,” said Doyle. “The French are a big challenge and it will be a stern test for some of the new girls but we are looking forward to playing in Ashbourne as we have been getting great support there in recent seasons”
Debutant winger Niamh Kavanagh, who ran in a 40-yard try last week to start the ball rolling was followed in by Gillian Bourke, Claire Molloy and Mairéad Kelly in a day deemed a success for the seven newcomers.
But France represent a much bigger threat than the Italians did and in 17 meetings between the two countries have won just once, which was two years ago in Ashbourne. But the French were quite sublime in their one-way win over Scotland with fullback Elodie Poublan running in five tries on the night.
IRELAND: N Briggs (Munster); N Kavanagh (Munster), L Cantwell (Exile), G Rea (Munster), M Kelly (Munster); N Stapleton (Leinster), A Davis (Leinster); F Coghlan (Leinster), G Bourke (Munster), L Day (Ulster), M Louise Reilly (Leinster), L Guest (Munster), C Staunton (Connacht), C Molloy (Connacht), J Neville (Munster). Replacements: S Kennedy (Ulster) E McManamly (Leinster), D O’Brien (Leinster), H O’Brien (Munster), L Muldoon (Exile), G Nolan (Leinster), J Shiels (Leinster).
FRANCE: C Ladagnous; L Fourcade, E Poublan, S Agricole, D Aguerre; N Casenave, A Yahe; L Arricastre, L Salles, C Chobet, S Rabier, C Bouisset, K Djossouvi, A Bi, S Hebel. Replacements: G Mignot, H Ezzano, C Barthelemy, M De Nadai, M Loyez, A Parra, A Bailon.
