The Irish girls are ready and willing as they prepare to take on the USA in the women’s WXV Global Series.
Taking place for the first time at Tallaght Stadium, a place that is more accustomed to football, the girls are delighted to have their first two matches at home. (They will face Japan at Dexcom Stadium in Galway, 27 September).
However, before they head West, the girls must face the girls from across the water, and former Irish Rugby star Fiona Coghlan spoke to EVOKE about her thoughts on the game as well as sharing a few fun insights into the personalities behind the jerseys.
14 December 2024; Jordie Barrett of Leinster is interviewed by Fiona Coghlan on RTE television after the Champions Cup Pool 2 match between Leinster and ASM Clermont Auvergne at the Aviva Stadium in Dublin. Photo by Sam Barnes/Sportsfile
If you were speaking to someone who doesn’t normally watch rugby, why should Ireland v USA be the match that gets them hooked?
You are getting to watch elite athletes performing at international level. The atmosphere at these games is electric and family-friendly. It’s accessible for everyone.
Robyn O’Connor. Pic: Ireland Rugby / Instagram
Who is the Irish player you’d tell everyone to keep their eyes on?
Ireland already has several world-class athletes who have made their mark on the international stage, but Robyn O’Connor looks like the next name ready to establish herself among them.
Having first seen her captain Loreto Wexford in 2024, you could already earmark her as a player with the potential to succeed at international level. Her breakthrough Six Nations campaign only reinforced that impression. Robyn became a mainstay of the Irish backline, making four starts and scoring two tries. Across just 223 minutes of Test rugby, she produced six line breaks, 13 tackle breaks and four dominant tackles, while clocking up more than 300 running metres from only 28 carries.
She has made the transition to international rugby look remarkably natural, and everything we have seen so far suggests she is not just one for the future; she is one for now.
Aoife Dalton. Pic: Shauna Clinton/Sportsfile
And who looks lovely off the pitch but is an absolute nightmare once the whistle goes?
Aoife Dalton. Quiet, unassuming and softly spoken off the pitch, but an absolute smiling assassin once the whistle goes.
She’ll break you in two with one of her hard-hitting tackles or run straight through you with a big ball carry; either way, you’ll be feeling it for days.
A player I don’t think gets enough kudos for what she does on the pitch.
Jane Clohessy of Ireland in action against Ellianne Clarke of Scotland during the Women’s Six Nations Rugby Championship match in 2025. Pic: Paul Devlin/Sportsfile
If you were picking an Irish player for a night out, who are you choosing and why?
Jane Clohessy, the Limerick woman, was in a band, so she would keep you entertained, and I have no doubt she is a great storyteller.
The Ireland team applaud the fans dejected after the game . Pic: INPHO/Ben Brady
What’s the thing spectators don’t appreciate about these women until they see them play live?
The physicality, speed, skill and decision-making are really impressive and seeing it live gives you a much better appreciation of just how good these athletes are.
Then, once the game is done, the time they give to the fans who have come out to support them is also a really important part of what they do.
Aoife Wafer of Ireland before the Women’s Six Nations Rugby Championship match between Ireland and France at Kingspan Stadium in Belfast. Pic: Ramsey Cardy/Sportsfile
Aoife Wafer has become one of the team’s faces. What makes her so exciting to watch even if you know nothing about rugby?
Aoife Wafer is the sort of player people come to watch. She has incredible power and athleticism & as she says herself, her ball carrying is her super strength.
Every time she gets the ball, you feel something could happen—and she’s still only 23. I think there is even more to her game that we will see unfold in the coming years.
Erin King thanks the fans after the game. Pic: INPHO/Nick Elliott
Erin King is captain — what does she bring that we don’t necessarily see from the stands?
At just 22 years of age, I know how highly respected Erin is among her teammates. Her appetite for work is insatiable, and she leads from the front through her actions, both on and off the pitch.
To go from being told in April 2025 that she might never play sport again to being named Ireland captain in January 2026 tells you so much about her resilience, mental strength and determination.
You don’t earn that level of trust from your teammates and coaches at such a young age without being a very special character.
Jemima Adams Verling of Connacht on the way to scoring a try. Pic: Brendan Moran/Sportsfile
Who are the two women EVOKE readers should know before kick-off?
It’s a big day for Ireland’s 20-year-old Jemima Adams Verling as she earns her first cap. Having come through the pathway with Ireland U18s and U20s, the Connacht player has now leapfrogged some seasoned internationals to make her first Test start. She’s definitely one to watch.
USA’s Hope Rogers ©INPHO/Bryan Keane
For the USA, I’m a big Hope Rogers fan. She can do it all. The loosehead prop is consistently in the conversation as one of the best in the world in her position and has twice been named in the World Rugby Women’s 15s Dream Team.
Irish women’s rugby team. Pic: Harry Murphy/Sportsfile
Who would you put your money on to win this match?
Ireland to win the match. Ireland to win. They have much more stability within the squad and established combinations that have been working together for some time.
The coaching team has also been in place longer, so there’s real clarity among the squad about what they’re trying to achieve and how they want to play. Add in what will hopefully be a big home crowd cheering them on.
Kick-off is at 1.45 pm at Tallaght Stadium, Dublin