Donegal women Nora Stapleton and Larissa Muldoon have been selected on the Ireland panel for the 2017 Women’s Rugby World Cup – which is being held in Dublin next month.
Fahan native Stapleton and Cappry’s Muldoon have been regulars on the Irish selection in recent seasons and have made the cut for the 28-strong squad, confirmed today by Head Coach Tom Tierney.
Ireland will meet Australia, Japan and France in Pool C and both Stapleton – who lines out for Old Belvedere and Leinster – and Muldoon, who is now with Railway Union, will be vying for starting berths.
Stapleton will be one of three players – along with Claire Molloy and Marie Louise O’Reilly – to compete at a third World Cup. The Inishowen woman was involved in the World Cups in 2010 and 2014.
Muldoon, meanwhile, will be making her second appearance at a World Cup after being in France in 2014.
“Over the past three seasons we have been conscious of the need to build and develop a squad for this tournament, and as a result of the programme, many players have had the opportunity to prepare for this moment and play international rugby and show their skills at the highest level,” Tierney said.
“We have named players who have been here before and are aware of the challenge that lies ahead, and then there are a number of players in the squad for whom this will be their first ever World Cup and I’m extremely confident they will compete for starting positions throughout the campaign.
“The opportunity to play in a World Cup on home soil is a once in a lifetime opportunity, and while we are in a tough pool with Australia, Japan and our Six Nations rivals France, I am sure the players will rise to the occasion in front of their home fans.”
Ireland play Australia on August 9, Japan on August 13 and France on August 17.
Tickets for all pool games in UCD are sold out, however tickets for the semi-finals and finals day at Kingspan Stadium and the ranking matches in Queen’s University are still available on www.ticketmaster.ie/wrwc2017 and www.ticketmaster.co.uk/wrwc2017.
Ireland’s WRWC matches will be broadcast live via eir Sport, RTE TV and RTE Radio in the Republic of Ireland and via ITV in the United Kingdom.
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