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Ireland Women
Aoife Dalton Edel McMahon Neve Jones
Aoife Dalton Edel McMahon Neve Jones

The Ireland women’s rugby union team represents Ireland in the Women’s Six Nations. The team also competes at the Rugby World Cup.

Ireland Women Form last 5 games 🥶 loss streak

🥶 Streak
2 losses

Ireland Women News

Six Nations: Bemand on goal of Ireland becoming top two side in the world

'Strong core of experienced players' included in Ireland squad for Women's Six Nations

Latest

'Everyone just trusts each other and backs each other': Niamh O'Dowd

'There is a huge amount of untapped athletic potential': IRFU announce combine events

What we now know about women’s rugby and SVNS’ symbiosis

The numbers that emphasise the 2025 Women’s Rugby World Cup's success

World Ranking

Ireland Women are currently 5th in the World Rugby Rankings. Their highest ever ranking was 2nd in August 2014.

Ranking Over Time

Date {{date}}
Rank # {{rank}}
Points {{points}}
2003
2015
2026

Ireland Women Matches

Sun 14 Sep, 2025
Women's Rugby World Cup
Quarter Final
France Women France Women
Quarter Final
18
-
13
FT
Ireland Women Ireland Women
Sandy Park
Sat 11 Apr, 2026
Womens Six Nations
Round 1
England Women England Women
Round 1
06:25
Ireland Women Ireland Women
Sat 18 Apr, 2026
Womens Six Nations
Round 2
Ireland Women Ireland Women
Round 2
09:40
Italy Women Italy Women

Ireland Women Rugby Team Players

Ireland Women Forwards

Name
Position
Sadhbh McGrath
Sadhbh McGrath
Prop
Niamh O'Dowd
Niamh O'Dowd
Prop
Ellena Perry
Ellena Perry
Prop
Beth Buttimer
Beth Buttimer
Hooker
Neve Jones
Neve Jones
Hooker
Cliodhna Moloney
Cliodhna Moloney
Hooker
Linda Djougang
Linda Djougang
Prop
Ruth Campbell
Ruth Campbell
Lock
Sam Monaghan
Sam Monaghan
Lock
Ireland Women
Sophie Barrett
Back Row
Ireland Women
Jane Clohessy
Back Row
Brittany Hogan
Brittany Hogan
Back Row
Grace Moore
Grace Moore
Back Row
Ireland Women
Ailish Quinn
Back Row
Fiona Tuite
Fiona Tuite
Back Row
Aoife Wafer
Aoife Wafer
Back Row
Dorothy Wall
Dorothy Wall
Back Row
Erin King
Erin King
Back Row

Ireland Women Backs

Name
Position
Aoibheann Reilly
Aoibheann Reilly
Scrum Half
Ireland Women
Caitriona Finn
Scrum Half
Emily Lane
Emily Lane
Scrum Half
Ireland Women
Katie Whelan
Scrum Half
Dannah O'Brien
Dannah O'Brien
Fly Half
Beibhinn Parsons
Beibhinn Parsons
Outside Back
Ireland Women
Alana McInerney
Centre
Aoife Dalton
Aoife Dalton
Centre
Enya Breen
Enya Breen
Centre
Eve Higgins
Eve Higgins
Centre
Ireland Women
Vicky Elmes Kinlan
Centre
Anna McGann
Anna McGann
Centre
Nancy McGillivray
Nancy McGillivray
Centre
Niamh Gallagher
Niamh Gallagher
Outside Back
Ireland Women
Robyn O'Connor
Outside Back
Stacey Flood
Stacey Flood
Outside Back

Ireland Women Tournaments

Ireland Women’s Rugby Union Team

The Ireland women’s rugby team is an elite international side. Known for their talent and determination, Ireland have won two titles at the Six Nations (2013 and 2015) and they finished fourth at the Rugby World Cup in 2014. 

Want to learn more about the Ireland women’s rugby team? Dive into the team’s history, their greatest RWC performances and their best players right here at RugbyPass.

Ireland Women’s at the Rugby World Cup

After missing out on the inaugural tournament, Ireland qualified for their first Rugby World Cup in 1994. They have participated in almost every tournament since, with results that range from 14th (2002) to fourth (2014).

The Ireland women’s rugby team got off to a good start in 1994. Their debut ended in seventh place and included two victories: 18-5 against Scottish Students in the pool stage and 11-3 against Japan in the seventh-place play-off. 

Ireland’s best finish at the RWC to-date came in 2014. Here, they triumphed in all three of their Pool B fixtures, beating the United States (23-17), New Zealand (17-14) and Kazakhstan (40-5). As a result, they were seeded second going into the play-offs. 

Sadly, their run came to an end during the semi-finals. They lost 40-7 to the tournament’s champions, England. They produced a similar result against France in the third-place play-off. Ireland lost the match 25-18 and finished in fourth place.

After failing to qualify for the 2021 Rugby World Cup, Ireland returned to the Rugby World Cup in 2025. They performed admirably, reaching the quarter-final stage before falling to France. 

History of the Ireland Women’s Rugby Team

The Ireland women’s rugby team played their first test in 1993: a 10-0 loss against Scotland. This match took place early in the team’s history, just two years after the Irish Women’s Rugby Football Union was formed.

One year later, in 1994, Ireland played their first international on home soil. This was a rematch against Scotland and it ended in another loss for the Irish side. This time the defeat was halved to 5-0. 

In the same year, Ireland debuted at the second Rugby World Cup tournament. Their best performance came exactly 10 years later, when they achieved a fourth-place finish at the 2014 RWC. 

This was a successful period for the Ireland women’s team. In addition to their RWC triumph, they also claimed their first and only Grand Slam. They beat all five of their opponents in the 2013 Six Nations and celebrated their first Championship title. Two years later, they won their second tournament. 

Since, Ireland have failed to replicate these successes and they failed to qualify for the 2021 RWC entirely. However, they’re always a threat on the big stage. 

Ireland Women’s Rugby Squad

The Ireland women’s rugby squad has boasted several award-winning players over the years. Two players were nominated for World Rugby Women’s 15s Player of the Year: Niamh Briggs in 2014 and Sophie Spence in 2015. More recently, Aoife Wafer was nominated as the 2024 Six Nations Player of the Championship and Erin King was named World Rugby Breakthrough Player of the Year in the same year. 

The current lineup features several household names, including Linda Djougang, co-captain Edel McMahon and Cliodhna Moloney-MacDonald.

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