Ireland player ratings v Italy | 2026 Guinness Women's Six Nations

So far as homecoming go a 57-20 win is not a bad one for Ireland. Beaten in Round 1 of the 2026 Guinness Women’s Six Nations by England, Scott Bemand’s team responded emphatically in Galway.

In front of a new home record attendance of 9,206 – which will be beaten in Round 5 at the Aviva Stadium – Béibhinn Parsons sauntered home for a hat-trick in her home province as six of her teammates in green also dotted down.

It is a result that can give Ireland plenty of confidence. Especially with a trip to Clermont to play a reinvigorated France  coming up next week.

Here are the player ratings from a lively and ferocious Dexcom Stadium…

15. Stacey Flood – 7.5

Much like the team as a whole, Flood looked significantly sharper than last week. Her long ball to assist Parson’s first try was a beautiful pass. Made some good ground when in possession.

14. Béibhinn Parsons – 9

Easy to give the hat-trick hero a high mark? Perhaps. Her first try was a walk-in. The second was a brilliant display of her athleticism, taking the ball with no support nearby but still beating two defenders on the outside. The third was ultimately a walk-in, but just reward for working off her wing to the opposite flank while also showing off her offload skills in the build-up. Won a few turnovers for good measure.

13. Aoife Dalton – 8

It proved to be futile as Italy scored using their penalty advantage, but she saved an early try with a brilliant tackle to hold the ball up over the line. Combative in defence and the carry as always. Consistently an understated yet excellent performer.

12. Nancy McGillivray – 7

A big call to play McGillivray ahead of Eve Higgins given the latter’s long-term partnership with Dalton in midfield. Ireland’s backline did not suffer with the new combination. Some nice touches in attack. Not as prominently involved as some of those around her. Busier in defence than attack as she cleared double digits for tackles made.

11. Robyn O’Connor – 8

The finish for a debut try was excellent, showcasing O’Connor’s pace. Displayed good skills as well when offloading and linking with Parsons for her hat-trick score. A few strong defensive contributions as well.

10. Dannah O’Brien – 7.5

Tidy off the kicking tee, given plenty of practice given the number of tries. Missed a few wide efforts. Ran a backline that featured slick handling and plenty of cutting edge. Won’t want to look back on how easily she was beaten for Italy’s second score.

9. Emily Lane – 8

Took her try very well, tapping a penalty quickly to catch Italy cold. Provided a good speed of surface for the most part, playing in front of a more dominant pack than last week. A couple of good last-ditch tackles, one crunching hit on kick chase standing out.

1. Ellena Perry – 7.5

Took her try well with a strong close range finish. Deserves credit for her role in Ireland’s increased physicality in the pack, a marked improvement on last week. Busy day defensively with 13 tackles.

2. Cliodhna Moloney-MacDonald – 8

Lineout ran much more smoothly than in Twickenham, albeit there were still hiccups. Was involved alongside Dalton in that early try-saver over the the line. Strong in the carry and took her score well from close range.

3. Linda Djougang – 7

Another who quietly went about their business effectively. Arguably Ireland’s most important player given the lack of tighthead depth, she too played her role in a more physically imposing display across the whole squad.

4. Ruth Campbell – 7

A high defensive workload, albeit she could do with dominating a few more collisions. Missed a tackle that needed to be made in the build-up to Italy’s second try.

5. Fiona Tuite – 8

Ireland’s lineout caller, she deserves credit along with Moloney-MacDonald for improvements made in this area. Vital also in how she marshals Ireland’s maul.

6. Brittany Hogan – 8

One of Ireland’s better players last week, she followed up with another strong display. Capped off with a try at the death, she gets through plenty of attacking and defensive work at six [14 tackles being the joint highest for Ireland] before shifting to eight once Wafer was given a breather. A key, versatile member of this back-row.

7. Erin King – 7

A quiet outing, unable to influence the defensive breakdown in the manner she may have liked. Still, 11 carries and 14 tackles [joint highest for Ireland] represent an admirable workload from Ireland’s captain.

8. Aoife Wafer – 8.5

Possibly the only thing preventing a higher mark is the length of time on the pitch, Wafer called ashore on 52 minutes with the game already won. A try, nearly 100 metres made in the carry, a breakdown turnover and was involved in the offload sequence leading to Parson’s wonder try. After a quiet Twickenham outing, this was Wafer close to, if not at, her best.

Replacements – 7

With just under half-an-hour to go, Scott Bemand made six changes in one go in a bid to re-find some of the collision dominance that started to wane. The group probably didn’t quite find the desired impetus, but some of the maul work was good with Dorothy Wall and Sam Monaghan driving things on.