New era set for tough start in France

And so, the latest new era begins.

It’s just under 11 months since Irish women’s rugby hit rock bottom. We thought the World Cup qualification disaster of 2021 was as low as it could go, but a first Six Nations wooden spoon for 19 years saw the former champions and World Cup semi-finalists go through the floorboards, and into a basement we never knew existed.

It will take a long time before we can start talking about Ireland as potential Guinness Women’s Six Nations winners like we did back in 2013 and 2015, but a year on from their painful 2023 championship, there’s hope for this group that they can begin a slow ascent.

More winnable games will arrive later in the tournament, when Ireland host Italy, Wales and then Scotland, but for now Scott Bemand’s side face a difficult start away to last year’s runners-up France, with a crowd of around 15,000 people expected at Stade Marie-Marvingt in Le Mans.

Bemand and his players have openly stated their goal for this tournament; qualification for the next Rugby World Cup in England in 2025. If they’re to do so in this championship they would likely require a third-place finish, which would represent a huge leap and major progress.

The reality is that a fourth or fifth-place finish would almost certainly be enough for them to secure qualification later this year through the WXV.

With Italy due to visit the RDS on Easter Sunday, Ireland will have modest expectations in Le Mans against the French.

It’s seven years since Ireland last beat them in the Six Nations, while they’ve never won in France. In their last two meetings, Les Bleues have defeated them 93-8 on aggregate.

An Irish win would represent one of the all-time Six Nations shocks, and the Irish coaches and players are realistic enough to recognise that. What Bemand does want to see this weekend, is for Ireland to “fire some shots” at their opponents.

In 2023, Ireland struggled to “fire some shots” in any of their five games, scoring just three tries and a total of 25 points in 400 minutes of rugby.

Two of those tries were scored by the now retired captain Nichola Fryday, while the other was a penalty try, with the remaining eight points coming from the boot of Dannah O’Brien.

If Ireland want to improve that scoring return, finding new attacking weapons will have to be Bemand’s top priority.

Deirbhile Nic a Bháird finished second in the championship’s carry-count last season with 70, but is missing for this championship due to long-term injury. Sam Monaghan was next on the list with 69, but the co-captain is ruled out due to injury this week, while Fryday was Ireland’s third-highest ballcarrier with 55.

Monaghan will at least be back for the visit of Italy, but in the absence of Nic a Bháird and Fryday, the likes of Dorothy Wall, Hannah O’Connor and Brittany Hogan (below) will be expected to step up and make the hard yards.

It’s likely that Ireland will also carry less and kick more compared to 2023. In last year’s championship, Greg McWilliams’ side had the lowest number of kicks in play (49) and the lowest average distance per kick (25.8m), seeing them struggle to advance their ball up the pitch.

With that in mind, Bemand has gone for the experience of Nicole Fowley at out-half, ahead of 20-year-old Dannah O’Brien, who had been carrying an ankle injury in the lead-up to this championship.

For Fowley, it’s a first Six Nations appearance since 2019, although she did feature for Ireland during the successful WXV3 campaign in October in Dubai.

When Ireland did get good field position in the 2023 Six Nations, particularly in the Round 3 defeat to Italy in Parma, an inconsistent set-piece hurt them. In Linda Djougang, Neve Jones and Christy Haney Ireland had one of the stronger front rows in the championship and their scrum produced consistently, but at lineout they struggled, with a 69% success rate.

Responsibility for that repairing that lineout will have fallen into the hands of senior coach John McKee, and it will be fascinating to see how Ireland will fare on their own throw in 2024, particularly in the absence of Fryday, who was the target of 35 of their 41 successful throws.

With Monaghan injured this week, Wall is expected to be tasked with calling the lineouts this weekend in Le Mans, having done so for the Clovers in the recent Celtic Challenge.

While she is still just 23-years-old, Wall is already one of the most experienced heads in this Irish team, with only Djougang (32) having more caps than the Tipperary native. Having won most of her caps in the back row, her move to lock has dovetailed nicely with the retirement of Fryday.

Joining her in the second row on Saturday is O’Connor, who takes the place of Monaghan. The 33-year-old was initially only included in the Six Nations squad as a ‘training panelist’, but it’s telling that Bemand has called upon her experience for the trip to France.

In total, Ireland’s starting line-up for this opening game shows just six survivors from the final game of the 2023 championship in Edinburgh.

The front row of Jones, Djougang and Haney is intact, while Hogan is the other forward retained. In the backline, Aoife Dalton and Lauren Delany are the only two to keep their places.

The headline news for this Six Nations is the availability of some of Ireland’s core Sevens stars, and in particular Béibhinn Parsons and Eve Higgins.

Both Parsons and Higgins start in France this week, for what will be their first Six Nations appearances since the third-round win against Italy in 2022, although they did line out in the WXV for Ireland in the autumn. Between them they scored 10 tries.

Parsons (above) starts on the left wing, while Higgins continues her promising partnership with Aoife Dalton in the centre, after they started all three games together in midfield in the WXV. Dalton has been one of the few bright sparks of the last two years for this team, and makes her 10th consecutive start since her debut in Japan in 2022.

The Ireland head coach has leaned heavily on experience for the opening game of this championship, but there is an eye on the future, with 18-year-old Katie Corrigan selected on the right wing.

Corrigan, who earned her rugby education at Tullow RFC, is given a chance to impress after scoring 11 tries for the Wolfhounds in their Celtic Challenge title win.

France also debut an 18-year-old on the right wing as Toulouse’s Kelly Arbey comes in, one of five changes to their side from their most recent outing, a 29-20 defeat to Canada in the WXV.

Gaelle Mignot and David Ortiz’s side disappointed in the global tournament, winning just one of three games, but that came off the back of an excellent Six Nations, in which they almost pulled off a comeback for the ages to defeat England in the final round, losing 38-33 having been 33-0 down at half time.

Of the starting XV named by the coaches for Le Mans this afternoon, seven of their team have more Test caps than Ireland’s most experienced player – Djougang.

They’re simply further down the road for this Irish side to conceivably cause a shock.

However, if Ireland can – as Bemand suggests – “fire some shots”, it will give them some confidence ahead of their meeting with Italy on Easter Sunday.

Verdict: France

France: Emilie Boulard; Kelly Arbey, Nassira Konde, Gabrielle Vernier, Marine Menager; Lina Queyroi, Pauline Bourdon Sansus; Annaelle Deshaye, Agathe Sochat, Assia Khalfaoui; Manae Feleu (capt), Madoussou Fall; Charlotte Escudero, Gaelle Hermet, Romane Menager

Replacements: Elisa Riffonneau, Ambre Mwayembe, Clara Joyeux, Kiara Zago, Emeline Gros, Alexandra Chambon, Lina Tuy, Morgane Bourgeois

Ireland: Lauren Delany; Katie Corrigan, Eve Higgins, Aoife Dalton, Béibhinn Parsons; Nicole Fowley, Aoibheann Reilly; Linda Djougang, Neve Jones, Christy Haney; Dorothy Wall, Hannah O’Connor; Aoife Wafer, Edel McMahon (capt), Brittany Hogan.

Replacements: Sarah Delaney, Niamh O’Dowd, Sadhbh McGrath, Fiona Tuite, Grace Moore, Molly Scuffil-McCabe, Dannah O’Brien, Méabh Deely.

Referee: Kat Roche (USAR)

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Watch France v Ireland in the Women’s Six Nations on Saturday from 1.45pm on RTÉ2 and RTÉ Player, follow a live blog on rte.ie/sport and the RTÉ News app and listen to commentary on Saturday Sport on RTÉ Radio 1