New era for Irish Women’s Rugby as Sevens stars join Six Nations party

Here's the full 2015 Six Nations squad, from Bourke to Wong

The road to World Cup 2017 begins now. New Ireland Women director of rugby Anthony Eddy today named a 30-woman squad for the upcoming championships and populated it with a host of Sevens Rugby flyers. Five of the 12 new faces in the squad represent Ireland in the shorter format of the game. They are: Nicole Cronin, Katie Fitzhenry, Sene Naoupu, Hannah Tyrrell and Megan Williams. Jenny Murphy and Alison Miller, also on the Sevens circuit, are established internationals. Naoupu, a New Zealand native, is married to Connacht No.8 George Naoupu. The Sevens recruits join an experienced core, including Nora Stapleton, Niamh Briggs, Claire Molloy and Miller, that took Ireland to a World Cup semi-final, in France, last summer. Eddy comments, 'It's a very exciting time for women's rugby in Ireland. We have had a number of camps over the past few weeks and have had to make some tough choices reducing the squad to 30 players. 'It's a new dawn for the women's team with a new coaching set-up, including Head Coach, Tom Tierney and 12 uncapped players named in the squad. That we can bring in this new talent is testament to the work done previously. We are all looking forward to the first game and kicking off a new era.'

IRELAND WOMEN

Gillian Bourke, Niamh Briggs, Kerrie-Ann Craddock, Nicole Cronin*, Jeamie Deacon*, Emma Dunne*, Ailis Egan, Katie Fitzhenry*, Paula Fitzpatrick, Orla Fitzsimons, Fiona Hayes, Alison Miller, Sarah Mimnagh*, Claire Molloy, Larissa Muldoon, Jenny Murphy , Sene Naoupu*, Katie Norris*, Heather O'Brien, Fiona O'Brien*, Elise O'Byrne-White*, Ruth O'Reilly, Marie-Louise Reilly, Tania Rosser, Jackie Shiels, Sophie Spence, Nora Stapleton, Hannah Tyrrell*, Megan Williams*, Jade Wong*.