Ireland make one change for record-breaking Aviva Stadium encounter

Ireland head coach Scott Bemand has confirmed his match day squad to play in Sunday’s record-breaking clash with Scotland at the Aviva Stadium in Dublin.

The Guinness Women’s Six Nations fixture is Ireland’s first standalone encounter at the national stadium. It will be first time that Ireland’s women have played at Aviva Stadium since 2014.

Already over 30,000 tickets have been sold for the Round 5 match, which will decimate the previous attendance record for an Ireland home fixture of 9,206, which was set earlier this Championship when Ireland hosted Italy at Galway’s Dexcom Stadium.

Bemand has only made one change to his starting team for Sunday’s encounter. This alteration sees Sam Monaghan join the second row with Fiona Tuite and Dorothy Wall moves to the bench.

Ellena Perry, Cliodhna Moloney-MacDonald and Linda Djougang start a fifth consecutive fixture together in the front-row. There is similar consistency in the back-row where captain Erin King is partnered by Brittany Hogan and Aoife Wafer.

There is a completely changed backline. Stacey Flood, Béibhinn Parsons and Robyn O’Connor start in the back three, Eve Higgins and Aoife Dalton are the centre partnership, and Dannah O’Brien and Emily Lane link up at half-back.

Bemand’s team are aiming to secure third in the Women’s Six Nations with a win against Scotland. Both team’s will compete for the Siobhan Cattigan Trophy for first time on Sunday.

Ireland have switched back to a 5:3 split on the bench, where Vicky Elmes Kinlan joins the replacements and Grace Moore is dropped from the match day 23. Elmes Kinlan joins Neve Jones, Sadhbh McGrath, Eilís Cahill, Dorothy Wall, Ruth Campbell, Katie Whelan and Niamh Gallagher on the bench.

Trailfinders Womens’ Gallagher will earn her second cap for Ireland a week on from her Test debut in the Round 4 win against Wales in Belfast.

Ireland match day squad v Scotland

15. Stacey Flood
14. Béibhinn Parsons
13. Aoife Dalton
12. Eve Higgins
11. Robyn O’Connor
10. Dannah O’Brien
9. Emily Lane
1. Ellena Perry
2. Cliodhna Moloney-MacDonald
3. Linda Djougang
4. Sam Monaghan
5. Fiona Tuite
6. Brittany Hogan
7. Erin King
8. Aoife Wafer

Replacements

16. Neve Jones
17. Sadhbh McGrath
18. Eilís Cahill
19. Dorothy Wall
20. Ruth Campbell
21. Katie Whelan
22. Vicky Elmes Kinlan
23. Niamh Gallagher