IRFU announce 37 central contracts for women's game

The Irish Rugby Football Union has announced 37 cardinal contracts crossed nan Women's High Performance Programme arsenic nan Ireland Women's XVs and Sevens squads build towards nan 2024-25 season.

The Ireland Women's XV will beryllium backmost successful action erstwhile they big Australia astatine nan Kingspan Stadium connected Saturday 14 September arsenic portion of Irish Rugby's 150th Year celebrations.

Scott Bemand's squad past recreation to Vancouver for their WXV1 run successful nan autumn, earlier they move their attraction to adjacent season's Women's Six Nations and Women's Rugby World Cup successful England.

After making their debut astatine nan Olympics successful Paris, nan Ireland Women's Sevens broadside will return to training successful mid-September arsenic preparations for a caller HSBC SVNS Series run kicks disconnected successful Dubai successful November.

"It is an important twelvemonth up for nan Women's programme, pinch our XVs squad building towards our return to nan Women's Rugby World Cup stage, and our Sevens squad bidding to build connected nan affirmative momentum from their quality astatine nan caller Paris Olympics, truthful processing extent successful our playing resources is simply a cardinal focus," explained Head of Women's Performance and Pathways Gillian McDarby.

"With this successful mind, nan alignment betwixt our squads is an important spot arsenic we look into a engaged schedule and nan accordant conversations betwixt Scott and Allan [Temple-Jones, Sevens coach], arsenic good arsenic our High Performance Staff crossed some XVs and Sevens, ensures we will springiness some our Ireland teams nan champion chance of occurrence connected nan world stage."

Ireland Women's Contracted Players [2024-25 season]: Kathy Baker, Natasja Behan, Claire Boles, Ellen Boylan, Enya Breen, Megan Burns, Ruth Campbell, Hannah Clarke, Katie Corrigan, Aoife Dalton, Meabh Deely, Linda Djougang, Vicky Elmes Kinlan, Kate Farrell McCabe, Alanna Fitzpatrick, Stacey Flood, Nicole Fowley, Clare Gorman, Katie Heffernan, Eve Higgins, Brittany Hogan, Erin King, Lucinda Kinghan, Emily Lane, Amy Larn, Anna McGann, Sadhbh McGrath, Amee-Leigh Murphy Crowe, Deirbhile Nic a Bháird, Dannah O'Brien, Robyn O'Connor, Niamh O'Dowd, Béibhinn Parsons, Aoibheann Reilly, Fiona Tuite, Aoife Wafer, Katie Whelan.