Ballincollig aim to climb AIL ladder after off-season of change

"The amount of players that had their first AIL caps was insane last year. We're a very, very young team."

Ballincollig will play Galwegians in their opening game of the Women's AIL on September 27. In attendance at the season launch was Ballincollig's Aoife Madigan (back row, second from the left). Pic: ©INPHO/Ryan Byrne

It has been an off-season of change for Ballincollig’s senior women’s team. Helen Brosnan has departed as head coach with Santiago Gonzalez taking her place. The Argentine-Italian is well known in Cork as a community rugby coach and also head coach at Bandon Grammar School.

He will be assisted by Eugene McCarthy, the former Munster women’s scrum coach, while former Ireland internationals Laura Guest and Leah Lyons – both of whom were part of the backroom team last season – will be the defence and set piece coaches, respectively.