Kiripati and McGillivray set for debuts as Bemand names Ireland side for Scotland clash 

Ireland's Ivana Kiripati. Pic: Ben Brady/Inpho

Head coach Scott Bemand has named his Ireland matchday squad for their first Rugby World Cup warm-up game against Scotland at Virgin Media Park on Saturday (kick-off, 2pm).

Sam Monaghan returns to captain the side after a lengthy lay-off following an ACL injury sustained in the PWR final in June 2024.

Bemand has handed debuts to Ivana Kiripati in the back row, Nancy McGillivray in the centre, with Ailish Quinn primed to make her debut from the bench.

In the pack, Siobhán McCarthy, Clíodhna Moloney-MacDonald and Sadhbh McGrath link-up in the front row. Eimear Corri-Fallon, also returning after nearly 12 months out, joins Monaghan in the engine room and Grace Moore, Kiripati and Brittany Hogan make up the back row.

In the backs Molly Scuffil-McCabe starts at scrum half with Dannah O’Brien at out half. Eve Higgins partners McGillivray in the centre with Amee Leigh Costigan and the returning Béibhinn Parsons on the wings.

Neve Jones, Niamh O’Dowd, Linda Djougang, Fiona Tuite, Deirbhile Nic a Bháird and Ailish Quinn are the forwards available to Bemand and his Coaching Team on a strong bench, with backs Emily Lane and Enya Breen completing Ireland’s 23.

“This is the first real opportunity for players to put their hands up for World Cup selection, and that’s brought great intensity to our work in camp," Bemand said. "We’ve seen real growth in this group since we assembled at the start of June, and now it’s about transferring that onto the pitch. 

"There’s a lot of competition for places, which is exactly what we want heading into a major tournament. Scotland are a quality side, and our recent encounters have all been tight, physical battles — that’s the kind of test we need as we build towards the Rugby World Cup.”

Ireland (v Scotland): M Deely, B Parsons, N McGillivray, E Higgins, A-L Costigan, D O’Brien, M Scuffil-McCabe, S McCarthy, C Moloney-MacDonald, S McGrath, E Corri-Fallon, S Monaghan, G Moore, I Kiripati, B Hogan.

Replacements: N Jones, N O’Dowd, L Djougang, F Tuite, D Nic a Bháird, A Quinn, E Lane, E Breen.