Niamh Briggs wants special show on new stage

Much is expected of the Irish women today as they take to the fast-paced 4G surface at Donnybrook for the first time in the Six Nations, but captain Niamh Briggs as warned her players that they must make the Dublin venue a fortress.

The fixture against Wales (1pm) represents the start of a new chapter for the Women’s game as they leave Ashbourne, their old home in Meath, behind and enter the more accessible Donnybrook ground in the heart of the capital.

The success and growth of the women’s game has been well documented, but now they get their own stand-alone fixture and venue more suited to international sport.