Bemand and Ireland look to finish the job with a flourish against Americans

ONE LAST PUSH: Enya Breen and Fiona Tuite during Ireland team training in Vancouver. Pic: INPHO/Travis Prior

Almost there. It's been over a month since Scott Bemand rounded up his players to prepare for this WXV1 tournament in Canada. Three weeks since they arrived in Vancouver. That chapter will close on Friday evening after they face the USA in BC Stadium.

This long road has been baked into the week’s preparations. The squad has tread lightly on the training paddock with so much of the hard work done. There have been coffees aplenty and a penalty shootout soccer-style in training. Now to finish the job.

Their shock opening win against New Zealand was followed up last week with a 21-8 loss to hosts Canada that did at least see them put right a lot of wrongs from the first-half after the interval.

Eve Higgins has spoken of wanting to "prove ourselves again" against the US.

Beat a side that lost by 40 points to England and by eight to France and Ireland will finish this tournament in third place. It would be a remarkable achievement given they were playing WXV3 this time last year having earned a Six Nations wooden spoon in 2023.

“We’re expecting a really big challenge from the USA,” said second row Fiona Tuite during the week. “They are a very physical team with some great athletes and they have some of their sevens players back in.

“But we will be focussed on ourselves and on our game. We know what we can bring and the physicality we brought against New Zealand and Canada so we are really excited to bring that again.” 

Bemand is working with a squad of 30 this last month, 26 of whom will have seen some action by the time they go home now that Rachel Campbell is in line for a role off the bench for the first time in North America.

Changes have been made but not in bulk. Ten will have started all three games by the end and another five two. The big change to note here is the selection at No.10 of Nicole Fowley after Dannah O’Brien got the nod up to now. Another brick laid toward next year's World Cup.

US head coach Sione Fukofuka has opted for only two changes to Ireland’s three with the introduction of Cassidy Bargell at scrum-half designed to speed up their game and some alterations on the bench resulting in what he is calling his bomb squad.

“Ireland are playing with confidence after beating Australia and New Zealand recently, so we know that it will be an 80 minute contest with setpiece and the collision zone a feature,” said Fukofuka.

“Ireland have a good kicking game and are tactically smart, so we are looking to turn that pressure into opportunities with ball in hand and expressing ourselves with and without the ball.”