O’Brien set to start again as Ireland make seven changes for Spain clash

A 28-point win over Japan was the dream start for Ireland last week as Head Coach Scott Bemand saw his side run in six tries to begin the 2025 Rugby World Cup with a bonus-point victory. Up next for Ireland is the challenge of Spain, where another bonus-point win would be enough to guarantee Bemand’s team a place in the quarter-finals.

Ireland’s opening game was held in a packed Franklin’s Gardens and the girls in green will once again line out in the home of renowned English club Northampton this weekend. That is where the continuity ends, however, as Bemand has made seven changes to the starting XV that faced Japan.

Carlow’s Dannah O’Brien is one of the eight players to keep her place as she once again lines out in the Number 10 jersey. The Tullow fly half kicked all six conversions last week but will have a new half-back partner with Molly Scuffil-McCabe coming in to replace Aoibheann Reilly at scrum half.

Another change with a somewhat local flavour sees Laois lock Eimear Corri-Fallon come in to replace her Kildare counterpart Ruth Campbell in the second row, alongside Sam Monaghan who captains the side.

The other changes see Ellena Perry, Clíodhna Moloney-MacDonald, Grace Moore and Claire Boles coming into the pack while and Anna McGann replaces Béibhinn Parsons on the wing. Ireland will go into the game as favourites and having failed to qualify for the 2021 World Cup it would be a magnificent accomplishment to reach the knockout stages this time around.

The changes give Ireland’s a chance to rest and rotate players ahead of their final crunch pool game on Sunday, September 7, against the reigning World Champions New Zealand at the AmEx Stadium, home of Premier League club Brighton.

The Black Ferns face Japan right after the Ireland/Spain game where a bonus-point win would also see New Zealand guaranteed of a place in the quarter-finals and would mean their game with Ireland would potentially be a playoff for top spot in Pool C.

The team to face Spain is as follows:

Ireland: Stacey Flood; Anna McGann, Aoife Dalton, Eve Higgins, Amee-Leigh Costigan; Dannah O'Brien, Molly Scuffil-McCabe; Ellena Perry, Clíodhna Moloney-MacDonald, Linda Djougang; Eimear Corri-Fallon, Sam Monaghan; Fiona Tuite, Claire Boles, Grace Moore.

Replacements: Neve Jones, Siobhán McCarthy, Sadhbh McGrath, Ruth Campbell, Brittany Hogan, Emily Lane, Enya Breen, Nancy McGillivray.