Time is 'right' to recall Cliodhna Moloney, says Ireland coach

The last two of Cliodha Moloney's 31 appearances followed soon after as the Adam Griggs era came to a close.

RIGHT TIME: Cliodhna Moloney is back in the Ireland women’s squad for the first time since 2021 and a live option for Saturday’s Six Nations meeting with Wales. Pic: ©INPHO/Ryan Byrne

Cliodhna Moloney is back in the Ireland women’s squad for the first time since 2021 and a live option for Saturday’s Six Nations meeting with Wales. The question head coach Scott Bemand was asked to answer yesterday wasn’t so much why as why now?

To recap: the Exeter Chiefs hooker said former IRFU women’s director of rugby Anthony Eddy was ‘spreading slurry’ after his assertions that it was the players and not the union responsible for the team’s failure to make the last World Cup.

The last two of her 31 appearances followed soon after as the Adam Griggs era came to a close. She was never called up by Greg McWilliams and current boss Bemand didn’t reach for her number for the inaugural WXVS or the first two Six Nations rounds.

The Englishman explained that he had been in contact with Moloney and tracking her play for some time before calling her up last week and allied it to the point that reserve hooker Sarah Delaney is carrying a shoulder injury.

Add to that the fact that two of the players named on the training panel for this Championship are recently converted hookers and, ridiculous as Moloney’s absence was up to this, it would have been farcical had she been left unused now.

But why not earlier?

“First and foremost, we obviously took the girls we took to Dubai [for the WXV]. We made a conscious decision to back them,” said Bemand. “There’s going to be a time, a bedding-in period with myself coming in, getting our identity up and running, who we want to be.

“There’s a timing piece and I think Cliodhna… I had a conversation with her a good while ago. She has just knuckled down and been getting her performances sorted, putting her hand up. We just feel now is the right time.” 

It still seems odd that a player of Moloney’s age and experience shouldn’t have been considered for the WXV3 tournament in Dubai last autumn. Bemand pointed out that the likes of Hannah O’Connor and Lauren Delany weren’t asked to travel either.

Both have since featured in this Six Nations and, while the head coach wasn’t about to be pinned down when asked if Moloney was a live option for the weekend in Virgin Media Park, there’s no doubt but that she would be ready to go.

Ireland co-captain Edel McMahon has experienced the vagaries of Bemand’s selection policies having been dropped from the squad completely for the round two loss to Italy after wearing the armband in France, but she knows how good Moloney is.

The pair are clubmates at Exeter Chiefs and live in the same house. McMahon sees how her compatriot lives, trains and plays and she didn’t need to think for long when asked what it is that she will bring on her return to the Ireland scene.

“I suppose her aggression, definitely and assertiveness around the park. She carries well, she’s slotted in really well with the girls already. Just going about her business. Yeah, so straight to it.” 

Sarah Delaney, meanwhile, is doing “bits” in training after suffering that shoulder injury against Italy. A decision on her availability will be made during the week. Lauren Delany, who picked up a head injury in that game, is apparently progressing well in training.

Uncapped lock Ruth Campbell is increasing her training load after a hand injury.