It will be the seventh occasion that James Ryan will take the captain’s armband and he will be partnered in the second row by Iain Henderson, who makes his first start for Ireland since the final game of last year’s Championship against Scotland.

Ronan Kelleher is retained at hooker having come off the bench against France with Andrew Porterand Finlay Bealham either side of him in the front row. In the back row, Jack Conan comes in at number eight with Caelan Doris switching to the blindside flank and Josh van der Flier at openside.

Craig Casey and Ross Byrne are set to make their first Six Nations starts and Bundee Aki is introduced to the midfield having started from the bench in the opening two rounds. Garry Ringrose is set to make his 50th appearance for Ireland while the back three of Hugo Keenan, James Lowe and Mack Hansen is unchanged from the opening two rounds.

Dan Sheehan has returned to fitness to take his place among the replacements alongside Dave Kilcoyne, Tom O’Toole, Ryan Baird, Peter O’Mahony, Conor Murray, Jack Crowley and Stuart McCloskey.

The match will be broadcast live on RTE and ITV television and on RTE and BBC NI radio.

IRELAND team to play Italy – Round 3, 2023 Guinness Six Nations Championships, Stadio Olimpico, Rome, Saturday 25th February, 2023, KO 14.15 (IST)

15. Hugo Keenan (Leinster/UCD) 27 caps
14. Mack Hansen (Connacht/Corinthians) 11 caps
13. Garry Ringrose (Leinster/UCD) 49 caps
12. Bundee Aki (Connacht/Galwegians) 43 caps
11. James Lowe (Leinster) 17 caps
10. Ross Byrne (Leinster/UCD) 16 caps
9. Craig Casey (Munster/Shannon) 9 caps

1. Andrew Porter (Leinster/UCD) 50 caps
2. Ronan Kelleher (Leinster/Lansdowne) 19 caps
3. Finlay Bealham (Connacht/Buccaneers) 29 caps
4. Iain Henderson (Ulster/Academy) 70 caps
5. James Ryan (Leinster/UCD) 50 caps (c)
6. Caelan Doris (Leinster/St Mary’s College) 25 caps
7. Josh van der Flier (Leinster/UCD) 47 caps
8. Jack Conan (Leinster/Old Belvedere) 35

Replacements
16. Dan Sheehan (Leinster/Lansdowne) 14 caps
17. Dave Kilcoyne (Munster/UL Bohemians) 50 caps
18. Tom O’Toole (Ulster/Ballynahinch) 6 caps
19. Ryan Baird (Leinster/Dublin University) 8 caps
20. Peter O’Mahony (Munster/Cork Constitution) 91 caps caps
21. Conor Murray (Munster/Garryowen) 102 caps
22. Jack Crowley (Munster/Cork Constitution) 2 caps
23. Stuart McCloskey (Ulster/Bangor) 11 caps

2023 Guinness Six Nations Fixtures & Result

Wales 10 IRELAND 34
Principality Stadium, Saturday 4th February 2023

IRELAND 32 France 19
Aviva Stadium, Saturday 11th February 2023

Italy v IRELAND
Saturday 25th February 2023, KO 14:15 (IST)
RTE TV / ITV / RTE Radio / BBC Radio

Scotland v IRELAND
Sunday 12th March 2023, KO 15:00 (IST)
RTE TV / BBC / RTE Radio / BBC Radio

IRELAND v England
Saturday 18th March 2023, KO 17:00 (IST)
VIRGIN / ITV / RTE Radio / BBC Radio

The post Italy v Ireland – Preview, Teams, Where To Watch appeared first on SportsNewsIreland.

Northern Ireland currently sit third in Group C on goal difference ahead of Bulgaria and need to match or better their result against Switzerland to consolidate their position.

Italy, on the other hand, need to do the same with Switzerland to finish in first place and automatically qualify for the World Cup in Qatar next year.

Pride is on the line for Ian Baraclough’s men while Roberto Mancini’s European Champions will want to avoid the embarrassment of being forced to take part in a play-off.

Northern Ireland earned themselves a 1-0 win in the first of a double-header at Windsor Park on Friday night against Lithuania.

However, they did not pick up a point in their reverse fixture against the Italians in the first match of their quest for qualification.

The home crowd at Windsor Park will be behind the Green and White Army for the fixture with a big result needed to end the campaign on a high.

Italy will aim to curb their form of three draws in a row that has allowed Switzerland back into the hunt for automatic progression to the World Cup.

The team have stagnated since their Euro 2020 victory in Wembley, winning only twice since then – a 5-0 victory over Lithuania and a 2-1 win over Belgium in the third-place play-off of the UEFA Nations League.

Mancini and co. have one final chance to reignite the fire before their preparations for the tournament in Qatar begins, should they finish first of course, and being massive favourites, an upset could see them spiral further.

Teams

Northern Ireland: TBA

Italy: TBA

Odds

Northern Ireland 13/1

Draw 9/2

Italy 1/5

Where To Watch

The match will kick-off at 7:45 pm and will be available to watch live on Sky Sports Premier League from 7 pm.

The post Northern Ireland v Italy – Preview, Teams, Odds, TV appeared first on SportsNewsIreland.

West Ham United’s Armstrong Oko-Flex receives a first call-up to the U21s while Southampton’s Will Smallbone and Derby County’s Festy Ebosele also return to the squad following injury.

Ireland take on Italy at Tallaght Stadium on Friday, November 12 before hosting Sweden four days later on Tuesday, November 16.

Ireland’s two opponents occupy the top two spots of Group F while Crawford and co.sit in fourth behind them and Montenegro.

The Republic of Ireland are hoping to bounce back from their loss to the Balkan nation in Podgorica and keep themselves in contention for a spot at 2023’s UEFA European U-21 Championship in Romania and Georgia.

Both matches will be shown live on RTÉ 2.

Tickets to both European Championship qualifiers are now on sale with admission for both games available for €15 for adults, €8 for children and €30 for a family ticket (two adults and two children) – Ticketmaster service charges apply.

Goalkeepers: Brian Maher (Bray Wanderers), David Odumosu (Drogheda United), Luke McNicholas (Cliftonville, on loan from Sligo Rovers)

Defenders:  Joel Bagan (Cardiff City), Festy Ebosele (Derby County), Andy Lyons (Bohemians) Oisin McEntee (Greenock Morton, on loan from Newcastle United), Mark McGuinness (Cardiff City), Jake O’Brien (Crystal Palace), Lee O’Connor (Tranmere Rovers, on loan from Celtic)

Midfielders: Conor Coventry (Peterborough United, on loan from West Ham United) Dawson Devoy (Bohemians), Ryan Johansson (Fortuna Sittard, on loan from Seville), Gavin Kilkenny (Bournemouth), Ollie O’Neill (Fulham), Conor Noss (Borussia Möchengladbach), Will Smallbone (Southampton), Ross Tierney (Bohemians)

Forwards: Evan Ferguson (Brighton & Hove Albion), Will Ferry (Crawley Town, on loan from Southampton), Joshua ‘JJ’ Kayode (Rotherham United), Liam Kerrigan (UCD), Armstrong Oko-Flex (West Ham United), Colm Whelan (UCD), Tyreik Wright (Salford City, on loan from Aston Villa)

UEFA Under-21 European Championship Qualifiers – Group F

2022 UEFA Under-21 European Championship Qualifier
Republic of Ireland v Italy
Friday, November 12
Tallaght Stadium
KO 5:30 pm
LIVE on RTÉ2

2022 UEFA Under-21 European Championship Qualifier
Republic of Ireland v Sweden
Tuesday, November 16
Tallaght Stadium
KO 7 pm
LIVE on RTÉ2

The post Ireland Men’s U21 squad named for Italy and Sweden qualifiers appeared first on SportsNewsIreland.

The qualification tournament is being played at the Sport Wales National Centre in Cardiff and features eight teams looking for the final European spot at the 2023 World Cup.

The national team need to win their first two games to land a place at the 2023 showpiece event to be played in India.

Ireland will be looking to reach a second successive World Cup and their fourth overall after appearing at their first in 28 years in 2018.

They come into the competition as the second-highest ranked side, one place behind France in 14th.

Their opponents, Russia, are yet to qualify for the World Cup, with this qualification tournament acting as a golden ticket for the second-lowest ranked team out of the eight competing.

If Ireland beat Russia, they will face either Wales or Italy on Saturday, October 23 for a place at the World Cup.

Mark Tumilty’s side qualified for the eight-team tournament after finishing third at the 2021 Men’s EuroHockey Championship II in Poland back in August.

Since then, Olympian Conor Harte has returned to the side while Luke Madeley, Jamie Carr and Lee Cole are also available having missed out on playing time at the Euros when they were deemed close contacts in the lead-up to the event.

11 of the team that saw game time in Poland have been called up for the qualifiers at the end of the month.

Russia earned their spot after qualifying for the 2021 Men’s EuroHockey Championship, at which they finished last after conceding 33 goals in six games.

Ireland will head into the qualifiers after sharing a series on short notice with Malaysia in Lisnagarvey at the start of October.

Team News

Ireland men’s squad for World Cup qualifiers (club/caps)
Jamie Carr (GK, KHC Leuven, 34)
Mark Ingram (GK, Pembroke, 27)
Tom Cross (Annadale, 22)
Luke Madeley (KHC Leuven, 23)
Lee Cole (Monkstown, 90)
Conor Harte (KHC Dragons, 254)
Peter McKibbin (Lisnagarvey, 8)
Kyle Marshall (Old Georgians, 7)
Shane O’Donoghue (Glenanne, 197)
Sean Murray (captain, KHC Leuven, 85)
Neal Glassey (Crefelder HTC, 67)
Daragh Walsh (KHC Leuven, 58)
Michael Robson (Annadale, 120)
Johnny McKee (Banbridge, 49)
Conor Empey (SCHC, 2)
Sam Hyland (YMCA, 2)
Ben Walker (Braxgata, 42)
Jeremy Duncan (Monkstown, 63)

Travelling reserves
Matthew Nelson (Lisnagarvey, 69)
Kevin O’Dea (UCD, 7)

Where To Watch

The match will begin at 4 pm and will be shown live on EuroHockeyTV.

The post Ireland v Russia – Preview, Team News, Where To Watch appeared first on SportsNewsIreland.

World number 14 ranked Ireland need to win their first two games – starting off against Russia on Thursday, October 21st in the quarter-final – to land a place at the 2023 showpiece event to be played in India.

Should Ireland win that tie, they will face either Wales or Italy on Saturday, October 23 for a place at the World Cup.

France are the only side rated higher than Ireland that will be competing for a spot at the World Cup but they are on the other side of the draw.

Ireland earned a spot in the qualifier after coming third in August’s EuroHockey Championship II in Poland.

Since then, Olympian Conor Harte has returned to the side while Luke Madeley, Jamie Carr and Lee Cole are also available having missed out on playing time at the Euros when they were deemed close contacts in the lead-up to the event.

11 of the team that saw game time in Poland have been called up for the qualifiers at the end of the month.

The side will head into the qualifiers after sharing a series on short notice with Malaysia in Lisnagarvey last week.

To see the women’s squad for their World Cup qualifiers, click here.

Ireland men’s squad for World Cup qualifiers (club/caps)
Jamie Carr (GK, KHC Leuven, 34)
Mark Ingram (GK, Pembroke, 27)
Tom Cross (Annadale, 22)
Luke Madeley (KHC Leuven, 23)
Lee Cole (Monkstown, 90)
Conor Harte (KHC Dragons, 254)
Peter McKibbin (Lisnagarvey, 8)
Kyle Marshall (Old Georgians, 7)
Shane O’Donoghue (Glenanne, 197)
Sean Murray (captain, KHC Leuven, 85)
Neal Glassey (Crefelder HTC, 67)
Daragh Walsh (KHC Leuven, 58)
Michael Robson (Annadale, 120)
Johnny McKee (Banbridge, 49)
Conor Empey (SCHC, 2)
Sam Hyland (YMCA, 2)
Ben Walker (Braxgata, 42)
Jeremy Duncan (Monkstown, 63)

Travelling reserves
Matthew Nelson (Lisnagarvey, 69)
Kevin O’Dea (UCD, 7)

Head Coach: Mark Tumilty
Assistant coach: Jason Klinkradt
Manager: Neil Irwin
Physical trainer: Eoin Cunniffe
Physio: Cameron Steele
Video technician: Ross Willis

 
FIH Men’s World Cup 2023 – European qualifier (Cardiff, October 21-24, 2021)
Thursday, October 21: Ireland v Russia, 4pm
Saturday, October 23: semi-final
Sunday, October 24: final/classification matches

The post Ireland head coach Tumilty announces experienced side for WC qualifiers appeared first on SportsNewsIreland.

Italy v Spain kicks off at 19:45 tonight, Wednesday, 6th October in the Stadio Giuseppe Meazza in Milan, Italy. Russian referee Sergei Karasev will take charge of the game.

To watch the match, it will be shown live on Virgin Media Two and Virgin TV Go.

Roberto Mancini’s Italy has become the team to beat in Europe. With 25 unbeaten matches at home, they are a force to be reckoned with. Although, their form in the last international break was not as stellar as usual after drawing with Switzerland and Bulgaria before beating Lithuania.

The national team is still striving to make their team better even by the smallest margins. For this match, Puma has designed a jersey for the Azzuri that only weighs 72 grams. Maybe these tiny details could make the difference.

Spain has had an up-and-down summer. Their very young team surprised many by reaching the Euro 2020 semi-finals after not looking too convincing in the early stages of the competition.

Now, Luis Enrique and his team will want to build. Last month they won two of their three matches, beating off Kosovo and Georgia but falling to Sweden.

This has been a very even affair in recent years. In their last ten meetings, there have been five draws, while Spain was victorious on three occasions, most recently in 2017. Their most recent match was the Euro 2020 semifinal which Italy claimed the win in a penalty shootout.

Italy Ultraweave

In tonight's game vs Spain, Italy will wear a new version of their home shirt featuring 'Ultraweave' technology.

The shirt features less panels and less seams which means it weighs in at just 72 grams. It's Puma's lightest ever football shirt. pic.twitter.com/KYKUC4KiFz

— Classic Football Shirts (@classicshirts) October 6, 2021

Italy v Spain Probable Starting Teams

Italy

Formation

4-3-3

Probable Starting 11

Donnarumma (GK), Emerson, Chiellini, Bonucci, Di Lorenzo, Veratti, Jorginho, Insigne, Kean, Chiesa.

Injuries / Suspensions

Pessina (Hamstring injury), Immobile (Muscle injury)

Spain

Formation

4-3-3

Probable Starting 11

Simon (GK), Reguilon, Garcia, Laporte, Azpilicueta, Merino, Busquets, Koke, Oyarzabal, Torres, Sarabia.

Injuries / Suspensions

None

"We will try to manage the game better."

Spain boss Luis Enrique previews their UEFA Nations League semi-final against Italy. pic.twitter.com/ZgzTE37QLN

— Football Daily (@footballdaily) October 6, 2021

Betting

Italy 6/5

Draw 19/10

Spain 13/5

Score Prediction

It would be next to impossible to bet against the European Champions when they are at home. With the unbelievable record of going 37 matches and counting unbeaten, it seems that they are unstoppable and this inexperienced Spain team will not change that.

Expect this game to end 2-0 to the Italians, setting themselves up for another final this year.

OFFICIAL: Ciro Immobile has sustained a muscle injury and his recovery time will be assessed in the coming days.

… Moise Kean to replace him in Italy.#JFC | #ITA pic.twitter.com/mIfaCecoHV

— Max Statman (@emaxstatman) October 2, 2021

To read more in-depth and up-to-date international and club football news, click here.

The post Italy v Spain – Preview, Betting, Probable Starting Teams, Where to Watch appeared first on SportsNewsIreland.

Griggs has selected an unchanged starting XV for the Round 3 clash at Stadio Sergio Lanfranchi, as Ireland bid to book their ticket to next year’s Rugby World Cup in New Zealand.

Heading into the final round of fixtures, Ireland, hosts Italy, Spain and Scotland are all locked on five points in the standings.

Saturday’s double-header is set to determine which side secures their spot in New Zealand and who progresses through to the final Repechage tournament as the second-ranked team.

Griggs has maintained consistency in selection for the meeting with Six Nations rivals Scotland, rewarding the players who produced a measured performance to defeat Italy in Round 2.

Eimear Considine, Amee-Leigh Murphy Crowe and Beibhinn Parsons continue in the back three, with Eve Higgins and Sene Naoupu retained in the Ireland midfield.

Kathryn Dane and Stacey Flood are named as the half-back pairing for the clash.

Laura Feely, Cliodhna Moloney and Linda Djougang pack down in the front row, with Nichola Fryday partnered by Sam Monaghan in the second row once again.

Dorothy Wall starts at blindside flanker, with Edel McMahon at seven and captain Ciara Griffin at number eight.

There is one change on the Ireland replacements bench from last week, with Lucy Mulhall coming into the 23 in place of Enya Breen, who unfortunately was ruled out through injury.

Commenting ahead of the game, Griggs said: “It has been another good week of preparation, and the group have maintained that laser-focus on the task ahead.

“We’re under no illusions of the challenge facing us but also the prize on offer, and have not shied away from embracing the pressure Saturday will inevitably bring.

“We have received huge support from home throughout this tournament and are looking forward to having more green in Parma on Saturday. Hopefully, we can deliver the result we’re all striving to achieve.”

The match will kick-off at 5 pm and will be shown live on RTÉ 2, the World Rugby Youtube and Facebook channels and on the Rugby World Cup website.

Ireland Squad v Scotland

15. Eimear Considine (UL Bohemian/Munster)(20)
14. Amee-Leigh Murphy Crowe (Railway Union/Munster)(4)
13. Eve Higgins (Railway Union/Leinster)(4)
12. Sene Naoupu (Old Belvedere/Leinster)(43)
11. Beibhinn Parsons (Ballinasloe/Blackrock College/Connacht)(13)
10. Stacey Flood (Railway Union/Leinster)(5)
9. Kathryn Dane (Old Belvedere/Ulster)(15)

1. Laura Feely (Blackrock College/Connacht)(21)
2. Cliodhna Moloney (Wasps/IQ Rugby)(28)
3. Linda Djougang  (Old Belvedere/Leinster)(14)
4. Nichola Fryday (Blackrock College/Connacht)(20)
5. Sam Monaghan (Wasps/IQ Rugby)(2)
6. Dorothy Wall (Blackrock College/Munster)(9)
7. Edel McMahon (Wasps/IQ Rugby)(11)
8. Ciara Griffin (UL Bohemian/Munster)(Captain)(38)

Replacements:

16. Neve Jones (Malone/Ulster)(4)
17. Lindsay Peat (Railway Union/Leinster)(36)
18. Leah Lyons (Sale/IQ Rugby)(27)
19. Brittany Hogan (DCU/Old Belvedere/Ulster)(6)
20. Claire Molloy (Wasps/IQ Rugby)(72)
21. Emily Lane (Blackrock College/Munster)(5)
22. Lucy Mulhall (Rathdrum/Leinster)(1)
23. Lauren Delany  (Sale Sharks/IQ Rugby)(15).

The post Ireland Squad Named For Final Qualifier Against Scotland appeared first on SportsNewsIreland.

The side suffered a shock defeat to the 2019-20 Rugby Europe Championship winners in their first game of the Rugby World Cup 2021 Europe Qualifier tournament and needed a win to ensure that their qualification hopes stayed alive for the final round.

Ireland came away with a 15-7 victory that showcased an improved team performance after a shocking display in the loss to Spain.

Parsons shone on the day with her two highlights being a try to open the scoring and a dazzling run that led to Ireland’s second one of the day.

The head coach heaped praise on the 19-year-old back: “She’s outrageous. She had a really good game, she’s so hard to beat one-on-one.

“The beauty of her collecting that ball at the back, having time and space to pick out players one-on-one meant she was able to use her feet, bounce them off and get into space quickly with that acceleration that she has.

“The pleasing aspect for me of the try was that once she was brought to ground we recycled the ball quickly.”

Ireland’s backs worked well together to produce their second try following Parsons’ superb run.

The side looked much better as a whole throughout the game, although their set-piece still let them down at times.

Italy struggled to make their mark on the game and only got on the scoreboard when full-back Eimear Considine was in the bin.

Griggs said: “I’m happy that we got the result we were after. I thought we did a really good job of keeping Italy at bay and forcing pressure on them through our defence.

“It was something we spoke about this week, putting a real emphasis on closing down their space and not giving them time on the ball and I thought we did a really good job of that and it showed. Them struggling to exit kept us in the right areas of the field.

“It would have been nice to execute a couple more of those opportunities but at the same time we were after the result and we’re happy with that.”

Ireland will face Scotland next Saturday at 5 pm with a win and a bucketload of points needed to earn automatic qualification, should Italy beat Spain.

The post Ireland Women’s Boss Adam Griggs Praises Parsons After Italy Win appeared first on SportsNewsIreland.

Ireland looked a much-improved side compared to their match against Spain last Monday and came away with a much-improved result to complement that.

Tries from Beibhinn Parsons and Amee-Leigh Murphy Crowe put Adam Griggs’ side in the driver’s seat in the game and gives them a fighting chance next Saturday in the final round of games.

Parsons scored the first points of the game after 28 minutes when she got her side’s first try of the day after a maul was stopped short of the Italian line.

An Italian sin-bin gave Ireland a numerical advantage but Parsons made it seem as if there was a far bigger advantage on the hour mark when she danced through the defence, with her carry leading to a second try courtesy of Murphy Crowe.

Italy did have moments throughout the match where they threatened the Irish defence but it held up under pressure.

Ireland captain Ciara Griffin produced a superb last-ditch tackle to deny the hosts a try five minutes from the end of the first half.

Italy struggled mostly, however, failing to mount a sustained period of pressure consistently when the ball was in their hands.

Their one score of the match – a converted try – came when Irish full-back Eimear Considine sat in the bin following a poor tackle.

Beatrice Rigoni crossed the line for her side before seeing yellow for a deliberate knock-on while Michela Sillari added the extra points from the tee.

However, Ireland’s place-kicking on the day proved to be enough as Stacey Flood slotted a penalty over to restore the Irish lead following her earlier misses and put her second conversion between the posts to seal an important win for the girls in green.

Ireland will face Scotland in their final game of the qualifiers with a big score needed to qualify automatically if Italy beat Spain.

Ireland: Eimear Considine (UL Bohemians/Munster); Amee-Leigh Murphy Crowe (Railway Union/Munster), Eve Higgins (Railway Union/Leinster), Sene Naoupu (Old Belvedere/Leinster), Beibhinn Parsons (Ballinasloe/Blackrock College/Connacht); Stacey Flood (Railway Union/Leinster), Kathryn Dane (Old Belvedere/Ulster); Laura Feely (Blackrock College/Connacht), Cliodhna Moloney (Wasps/IQ Rugby), Linda Djougang  (Old Belvedere/Leinster), Nichola Fryday (Blackrock College/Connacht), Sam Monaghan (Wasps/IQ Rugby), Dorothy Wall (Blackrock College/Munster), Edel McMahon (Wasps/IQ Rugby), Ciara Griffin (UL Bohemians/Munster) (capt).

Replacements: Neve Jones (Malone/Ulster), Lindsay Peat (Railway Union/Leinster), Leah Lyons (Sale Sharks/IQ Rugby), Brittany Hogan (DCU/Old Belvedere/Ulster), Claire Molloy (Wasps/IQ Rugby), Emily Lane (Blackrock College/Munster), Enya Breen (UL Bohemians/Munster), Lauren Delany (Sale Sharks/IQ Rugby).

Italy: Vittoria Ostuni Minuzzi (Valsugana Rugby Padova); Manuela Furlan (Arredissima Villorba) (capt), Michela Sillari (Valsugana Rugby Padova), Beatrice Rigoni (Valsugana Rugby Padova), Maria Magatti (CUS Milano); Veronica Madia (Rugby Colorno), Sara Barattin (Arredissima Villorba); Gaia Maris (Valsugana Rugby Padova), Melissa Bettoni (Stade Rennais), Lucia Gai (Valsugana Rugby Padova), Valeria Fedrighi (Stade Toulousain), Giordana Duca (Valsugana Rugby Padova), Ilaria Arrighetti (Stade Rennais), Francesca Sgorbini (ASM Romagnat), Elisa Giordano (Valsugana Rugby Padova).

Replacements: Vittoria Vecchini (Valsugana Rugby Padova), Michela Merlo (Rugby Colorno), Sara Seye (Rugby Calvisano), Isabella Locatelli (Rugby Monza 1949), Giada Franco (Rugby Colorno), Sofia Stefan (Valsugana Rugby Padova), Alyssa D’Incá (Arredissima Villorba), Aura Muzzo (Arredissima Villorba).

The post Parsons Helps Ireland To Keep Qualification Hopes Alive With Win Over Italy appeared first on SportsNewsIreland.

Griggs has made four changes in personnel to his starting XV from the Round 1 defeat to Spain at Stadio Sergio Lanfranchi, with Laura Feely, Sam Monaghan, Edel McMahon and Eve Higgins coming into the side.

Ciara Griffin captains Ireland for the Round 2 clash against the host nation, as Griggs’ side bid to bounce back and keep their hopes of automatic qualification for next year’s Rugby World Cup from this tournament alive.

Higgins’ return to the Ireland midfield alongside Sene Naoupu – restoring their partnership from the Women’s Six Nations – is the only change to the backline from last weekend, with Eimear Considine, Amee-Leigh Murphy Crowe and Beibhinn Parsons continuing in an unchanged back three.

Lucy Mulhall, the Irish Sevens captain, makes way for Higgins after starting on her debut for the 15s against Spain.

Kathryn Dane and Stacey Flood are named at scrum-half and out-half once again, with Feely coming into the Ireland front row alongside Linda Djougang and Cliodhna Moloney for her 21st cap.

Having made her debut off the bench in Round 1, Monaghan is set for her first Test start in the second row alongside Nichola Fryday, while McMahon’s inclusion in the back row sees Griffin revert back to number eight, with Dorothy Wall continuing at blindside flanker.

Neve Jones, Lindsay Peat, Leah Lyons, Brittany Hogan and Claire Molloy are named on the bench, while Emily Lane, Enya Breen and Lauren Delany once again provide Griggs with the backline cover.

The game will be played at the Stade Sergio Lanfranchi in Parma – where the tournament is hosted – and will kick-off on Sunday, September 19 at 2 pm.

Ireland Squad v Italy

15. Eimear Considine (UL Bohemian/Munster)(19)
14. Amee-Leigh Murphy Crowe  (Railway Union/Munster)(3)
13. Eve Higgins (Railway Union/Leinster)(3)
12. Sene Naoupu (Old Belvedere/Leinster)(42)
11. Beibhinn Parsons (Ballinasloe/Blackrock College/Connacht)(12)
10. Stacey Flood (Railway Union/Leinster)(4)
9. Kathryn Dane (Old Belvedere/Ulster)(14)

1. Laura Feely (Blackrock College/Connacht)(20)
2. Cliodhna Moloney (Wasps/IQ Rugby)(27)
3. Linda Djougang  (Old Belvedere/Leinster)(13)
4. Nichola Fryday (Blackrock College/Connacht)(19)
5. Sam Monaghan (Wasps/IQ Rugby)(1)
6. Dorothy Wall (Blackrock College/Munster)(8)
7. Edel McMahon (Wasps/IQ Rugby)(10)
8. Ciara Griffin (UL Bohemian/Munster)(Captain)(37)

Replacements:

16. Neve Jones (Malone/Ulster)(4)
17. Lindsay Peat (Railway Union/Leinster)(35)
18. Leah Lyons (Sale/IQ Rugby)(27)
19. Brittany Hogan (DCU/Old Belvedere/Ulster)(5)
20. Claire Molloy (Wasps/IQ Rugby)(71)
21. Emily Lane (Blackrock College/Munster)(4)
22. Enya Breen (UL Bohemian/Munster)(7)
23. Lauren Delany  (Sale Sharks/IQ Rugby)(15).

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