Ireland will play their three home matches in the 2022 Women's Six Nations in Dublin, Cork and Belfast for what will be the first tournament to be played in full over five rounds separately from its men's equivalent in a dedicated six-week March/April window.
The Irish team, under incoming head coach Greg McWilliams, will get their 2022 campaign underway against Wales on March 26th (kick-off 4.45pm) at the RDS in Dublin, where almost 3,000 fans supported the team during their recent autumn Test win over Japan.
Ireland will then travel to France for round two on April 2nd, before their second home game of the 2022 championship, against Italy, is played at Musgrave Park on April 10th (kick-off 5pm). The Cork venue has been hosting the Ireland under-20s since 2019.
After just one week’s respite, the penultimate weekend sees Ireland travel to play England on Sunday, April 24th (kick-off 12pm), before the final home game against Scotland is staged at the Kingspan Stadium on April 30th (kick-off 8pm), the first senior international to be played at the Belfast venue since the 2017 Women’s Rugby World Cup final
Thanks to what tournament organisers have hailed as “a massive increase in coverage on broadcast networks in the UK, Ireland and Italy and a confirmed standalone slot in the calendar”, all 15 matches will be televised on RTÉ and Virgin Media in Ireland, on BBC in the UK and Sky Italia for the Italian market. Details for France will be communicated in due course.
Commenting on today's news, IRFU chief executive Philip Browne said: "We are delighted to announce that it will be even easier for fans around the county to support our women's team in the 2022 Six Nations as we look at increasing the accessibility, profile and interest in our women's rugby team across the country.
“Support for the team has grown strongly as they moved from Ashbourne, to Energia Park and the RDS and we hope that by bringing the team closer to the provincial clubs that are developing womens’ and girls’ rugby, we can encourage even more female involvement, at all levels.
“The three provincial venues deliver top-flight facilities and playing surfaces that will allow for the best of international women’s rugby, and we are optimistic that our 2022 Six Nations will be one of the best supported campaigns ever.”
The championship will end with a Super Saturday with Wales v Italy, Ireland v Scotland and France v England taking place on the same day.
Six Nations chief executive Ben Morel commented: "Increased visibility is key for the growth of the women's game. We are delighted to have enhanced broadcast partnerships in place along with a continuation of the dedicated window from which we saw such success last year.
“These two key developments along with continued investment in many other areas including performance, commercial and marketing will enhance the Women’s Six Nations for fans and players alike.”
Ireland’s 2022 Women’s Six Nations fixtures
Saturday, March 26th: Ireland v Wales, RDS, 4.45pm
Saturday, April 2nd: France v Ireland, 3.15pm
Sunday, April 10th: Ireland v Italy, Musgrave Park, 5pm
Sunday, April 24th: England v Ireland, 12pm
Saturday,April 30th: Ireland v Scotland, Kingspan Stadium, 8pm
