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<\/p>\nRedundancies at Munster point to IRFU’s \u20ac8m-plus, 35 central contracts, women’s rugby plan under scrutiny<\/p>\n
2025 Guinness Women’s Six Nations Championship Round 3, Virgin Media Park, Cork, Ireland 12\/4\/2025
\nIreland Women vs England Women
\nIreland’s Amee-Leigh Costigan celebrates scoring with teammates(Image: \u00a9INPHO\/Ben Brady)<\/p>\n
Ireland are in the lion’s den this afternoon, make no mistake Rugby World Cup champions England are the best pound for pound rugby team in the world.<\/p>\n
The girls in green are coached by former England staff coach Scott Bemand who has spent a lot of time building up the Ireland girl’s confidence, playing down England’s capabilities.<\/p>\n
This follows England’s 88-10 defeat of Ireland at Twickenham in 2024 at a time when Ireland were persisting in splitting their meagre resources between XVs and Sevens.<\/p>\n
Bemand’s arrival coincided with the abandoning of the Seven programme’s primacy, something re-shaping Ireland’s backline – it’s possible these no14 and no11 shirts are the hardest-earned on any Ireland team.<\/p>\n
His first game against England in 2025 in Cork saw Ireland go 5-0 up (Amy Costigan try), rest 5-7 down at half-time before England, scoring three tries in each second-half quarter, won 5-49.<\/p>\n
The England coaching staff were visibly annoyed at the performance while Irish watchers were entitled to ask whether Bemand’s insider knowledge had negated them or whether this team was making heady progress.<\/p>\n
And this is where the sold out Twickenham 2026 comes in (the 2024 88-10 win was in front of 48,778) as the self-styled Red Roses have morphed into a women’s sporting phenomenon.<\/p>\n
Right now, the IRFU have an \u20ac8m women’s rugby programme in place with 35 \u20ac15-30k per annum full-time\/central contracts and with a further \u20ac12-15k available via match fees, win bonuses, captain\/kicking stipends.<\/p>\n
Remarkably, those on \u20ac30k are earning more than those playing who are Premiership Women’s Rugby (PWR) in England without international contracts and specialised sponsorships.<\/p>\n
We know this as Ireland star no8 Aoife Wafer has outlined that her love of playing the game at the highest possible club level and a move to Harlequins forced her to take a wage cut.<\/p>\n
Wafer is one of five PWR-based players in today’s starting XV, all forwards, telling that when it comes to the ‘fight’ up front Bemand recognises just how physical England are – think South Africa in the men’s game but taken up a notch.<\/p>\n
Sure, releasing of the Sevens players has platformed the Irish backs and Stacey Flood has transitioned into a top class full-back (although her opposite no15 today Ellie Kildunne is the world’s most exciting women’s player).<\/p>\n
Ireland’s main problem has however been at half-back where trying to gain big time experience in Ireland is difficult, Dannah O’Brien and Emily Lane lack crucial experience.<\/p>\n
But then, the women’s game has some differences to the men’s; watch for back-rows set up as first-receiver and first tackler so their power in the carry and ooomph in the first tackle comes at the gain-line.<\/p>\n
If there is a criticism of O’Brien it is that she is too brave, she takes too much on in her own half; of the zippy Lane it is that she doesn’t box-kick anywhere near enough.<\/p>\n
What’s happening this afternoon is Ireland’s most important standalone game in this World Cup cycle, for their future. If the backs look the part, the home\/cross-channel pack can compete, and the half-backs show some control, the scoreline will be an addendum.<\/p>\n
However a big defeat will question whether the logic of the home-based \u20ac8m outlay, trying to set up a competitive provincial structure, is wise when the PWR has the rest of the world’s top players playing week after week.<\/p>\n
There are respected voices outside the IRFU tent such as Railway Union’s John Cronin who say that mirroring the men’s game cannot work for Ireland women.<\/p>\n
When it comes to soccer (this is not necessarily John Cronin’s opinion it is mine though) nobody questions Katie McCabe being at Arsenal, least of all her accountant.<\/p>\n
Ireland could, for instance, try entering a Belfast-based side in the PWR – most likely gaining a hefty tax exemption\/subvention as Ulster Rugby do.<\/p>\n
Belfast Giants, an ice hockey team, play in a league comprised of teams from Cardiff, Nottingham, Sheffield, Guildford, Manchester, Coventry, Glasgow, Dundee and Fife,<\/p>\n
Rugby co-operates in other areas with URC, EPCR, Super Rugby as cross-border competitions.<\/p>\n
And this by the way is not an isolated issue about womens rugby per se. Munster announced a slash and burn redundancy program recently and believed to be at the vanguard cuts elsewhere.<\/p>\n
The women’s international squad are vulnerable, athletic, flagship, and important; this England\/Twickenham result is litmus. Their rugby world may be different – hopefully for the better, on Sunday.<\/p>\n
Ireland: \u2060Stacey Flood (Railway Union\/Leinster); \u2060B\u00e9ibhinn Parsons (Blackrock College\/Connacht), \u2060Aoife Dalton (Old Belvedere\/Leinster), Eve Higgins (Railway Union\/Leinster), Vicky Elmes Kinlan (Wicklow\/Leinster); \u2060Dannah O\u2019Brien (Old Belvedere\/Leinster); \u2060Emily Lane (Blackrock College\/Munster)<\/p>\n
Ellena Perry (Gloucester-Hartpury), \u2060Cliodhna Moloney-MacDonald (Exeter Chiefs),\u2060 \u2060Linda Djougang (Old Belvedere RFC\/Leinster), \u2060Dorothy Wall (Exeter Chiefs), Fiona Tuite (Old Belvedere RFC\/Ulster), \u2060Brittany Hogan (Sale Sharks), \u2060Erin King (Old Belvedere RFC\/Leinster) capt, \u2060Aoife Wafer (Harlequins).<\/p>\n
Replacements:\u2060 Neve Jones (Gloucester-Hartpury), \u2060Niamh O\u2019Dowd (Gloucester-Hartpury), Eil\u00eds Cahill (UL Bohs\/Munster)*, \u2060Ruth Campbell (Old Belvedere\/Leinster), Grace Moore (Trailfinders), \u2060Katie Whelan (Old Belvedere\/Leinster)*, Nancy McGillivray (Exeter Chiefs), Anna McGann (Railway Union\/Connacht)(14)<\/p>\n
England: Ellie Kildunne (Harlequins); Jess Breach (Saracens), Megan Jones (Trailfinders) capt, Helena Rowland (Loughborough Lightning), Claudia Moloney-MacDonald (Exeter Chiefs); Holly Aitchison (Sale Sharks), Lucy Packer (Harlequins).<\/p>\n
Kelsey Clifford (Saracens), Amy Cokayne (Sale Sharks), Sarah Bern (Bristol Bears), Morwenna Talling (Sale Sharks), Lilli Ives Campion (Loughborough Lightning), Maddie Feaunati (Exeter Chiefs), Sadia Kabeya (Loughborough Lightning), Alex Matthews (Gloucester-Hartpury)<\/p>\n
Replacements: Connie Powell (Harlequins), Mackenzie Carson (Gloucester-Hartpury), Maud Muir (Gloucester-Hartpury), Haineala Lutui (Loughborough Lightning), Abi Burton (Trailfinders), Natasha Hunt (Gloucester-Hartpury), Zoe Harrison (Saracens), Emma Sing (Gloucester-Hartpury)cw<\/p>\n