Doyle makes two changes for Wales game

Ireland coach Philip Doyle has made two changes from the side that demolished Scotland for tomorrow night’s RBS Women’s Six Nations clash with Wales (Ashbourne, 7.30pm).

Niamh Briggs is named at full-back with Larissa Muldoon coming in at scrum-half. Jackie Shiels and Amy Davis drop down to the replacements.

Last week’s hat-trick heroine Sophie Spence lines out alongside Marie Louise Reilly in the second row in a side captained by Fiona Coghlan. Doyle said: “The performance we put in against Scotland was coming for some time but we are under no illusions as to the challenge the Welsh will present. There was only two points between the teams last year.”

IRELAND WOMEN (v Wales): N Briggs (UL Bohemians/Munster), H Casey (Saracens/Exile), L Cantwell (Richmond /Exile), J Murphy (Old Belvedere/Leinster), A Miller (Portlaoise RFC/UCC/Connacht), N Stapleton (Old Belvedere/Leinster), L Muldoon (Bristol/Exile); F Coghlan (UL Bohemians/Leinster), S-Lea Kennedy (Cooke/Ulster), A Egan (Old Belvedere/Leinster), S Spence (Old Belvedere/Leinster), ML Reilly (Old Belvedere/Leinster), S Fleming (Tralee/Munster), C Molloy (Bristol/Connacht) , H O’ Brien (Highfield/Munster).

Replacements: G Bourke (UL Bohemians/Munster), F Hayes (UL Bohemians/Munster), KA Craddock (Saracens/Exile), P Fitzpatrick (St. Mary’s/Leinster), A Davis (Blackrock /Ulster), A Baxter (Belfast Harlequins/Ulster) , G Davitt (Cooke/Ulster), J Shiels (Richmond/Exile).