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Sevens stars Beibhinn Parsons and Eve Higgins have been named in new Ireland coach Scott Bemand’s XVs training squad for the WXV3 tournament in Dubai.
Parsons and Higgins have not featured for the XVs side since the 2022 Six Nations as they helped the Sevens team qualify for the Paris Olympics.
The five uncapped players in the squad include Ulster forward Fiona Tuite.
Other newcomers are forwards Sarah Delany and Siobhan McCarthy plus backs Clara Barrett and Katie Whelan.
Delany, Barrett and Whelan are among five members of the squad for next month’s tournament who played on the Ireland Under-20 team’s tour of Italy in June.
In addition, Bemand has selected six players – Eimear Corri, India Daley, Kayla Waldron, Leah Tarpey, Megan Collis and Ruth Campbell – to train with the squad for the duration of the preparatory camps.
The squad includes other Ulster players Brittany Hogan, Neve Jones, Sadhbh McGrath and Vicky Irwin, with Cooke’s Daley among the six additional players who will take part in the preparatory camps.
“There is a lot of hard work ahead but there is exciting potential within the squad, and now is our opportunity to start on the right trajectory,” said former England attack coach Bemand, who was appointed to the Ireland job in late July following Greg McWilliams’ departure after the side lost all of their Six Nations games this year.
Ireland will face Kazakhstan in their WXV3 opener on 13 October before games against Colombia and Spain on 21 and 28 October.
Ireland women’s training squad
Forwards: Aoife Wafer (Blackrock College RFC/Leinster), Brittany Hogan (Old Belvedere RFC/Ulster), Christy Haney (Blackrock College RFC/Leinster), Deirbhile Nic A Bhaird (Old Belvedere RFC/Munster), Dorothy Wall (Blackrock College RFC/Munster), Edel McMahon (Exeter Chiefs/Connacht), Fiona Tuite (Old Belvedere RFC/Ulster), Grace Moore (Saracens/IQ Rugby), Kathryn Buggy (Gloucester-Hartpury/IQ Rugby), Linda Djougang (Old Belvedere RFC/Leinster), Maeve Óg O’Leary (Blackrock College RFC/Munster), Neve Jones (Gloucester-Hartpury/Ulster), Niamh O’Dowd (Old Belvedere RFC/Leinster), Sadhbh McGrath (City of Derry/Cooke RFC/Ulster), Sam Monaghan (Gloucester-Hartpury/IQ Rugby), Sarah Delaney (Cill Dara RFC/Leinster), Siobhan McCarthy (Worcester Warriors/Munster)
Backs: Aoibheann Reilly (Blackrock College RFC/Connacht), Aoife Dalton (Old Belvedere RFC/Leinster), Aoife Doyle (Railway Union RFC/Munster), Béibhinn Parsons (Blackrock College RFC/Connacht), Clara Barrett (Ballina RFC/Connacht), Dannah O’Brien (Old Belvedere RFC/Leinster), Eve Higgins (Railway Union RFC/Leinster), Katie Whelan (Old Belvedere RFC/Leinster), Méabh Deely (Blackrock College RFC/Connacht), Molly Scuffil-McCabe (Railway Union RFC/Leinster), Nicole Fowley (Galwegians RFC/Connacht), Natasja Behan (Blackrock College RFC/Leinster), Vicky Irwin (Sale Sharks/Ulster).
Additional players: Eimear Corri (Blackrock College RFC/Leinster), India Daley (Cooke RFC/Ulster), Kayla Waldron (Galwegians RFC/Connacht), Leah Tarpey (Railway Union RFC/Leinster), Megan Collis (Railway Union RFC/Leinster), Ruth Campbell (MU Barnhall RFC/Leinster)
