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Clovers and Wolfhounds confirm captains for Celtic Challenge
By Joe Harvey
The Clovers and Wolfhounds have confirmed their captains ahead of the new Celtic Challenge season.
This weekend Clovers host Gwalia Lightning in the opening match of the 2025/26 season on Saturday afternoon as part of a double-header at Energia Park that will see Wolfhounds take on Edinburgh Rugby later that day.
It is the first season of an expanded Celtic Challenge season. This year the competition will have a 10 round regular season before two rounds of knockout action.
The final match of Round 1 will see Brython Thunder take on Glasgow Warriors at Parc y Scarlets in Llanelli.
Denis Fogarty, Clovers’ head coach, has appointed lock forward Ruth Campbell as his skipper as the team look to improve upon their runners-up finish last season.
The 22-year-old lock forward comes into the competition fresh from her first Women’s Rugby World Cup campaign.
In England she played in all of Ireland’s four matches at the tournament and started in her team’s quarter-final exit to France.
Those 230 minutes on the pitch were typical of Campbell. Combative and unwavering, she made 29 tackles and made 25 carries as Scott Bemand’s side impressed for a month.
She captains a side that contains senior Ireland internationals Enya Breen, Amee-Leigh Costigan and Béibhinn Parsons.
Wolfhounds head coach, Neill Alcorn, has looked to Aoife Dalton to lead his team’s title defence. Like Campbell, Dalton is 22 and is three months removed from her first Women’s Rugby World Cup.
Already a three year veteran of Test rugby, and 2024 Olympic Games veteran, Dalton already had 28 senior caps for her country and is expected to be a staple of centres for the years to come.
A starter in all three of Ireland’s matches in England, the 22-year-old carried the ball from 72 metres from 23 carries.
On top of being a major source of go-forward for her side, Dalton also made 17 tackles and secured two turnovers.
The Wolfhounds have a stacked squad for this Celtic Challenge season. This includes Linda Djougang, Stacey Flood, Eve Higgins and Dannah O’Brien.
