Ireland’s Six Nations campaign kicks off on Saturday evening with the visit of Wales to the RDS Arena in Donnybrook, Dublin.
Last year’s clash in Cardiff saw Ireland run out comprehensive 45-0 winners on their way to a third-place finish in the truncated tournament.
It’s the Welsh who will be going to the World Cup in New Zealand later this year, however, as Ireland crashed out in the qualification tournament.
That failure saw Greg McWilliams come in as new coach following the departure of Adam Griggs at the end of the November international window.
Nichola Fryday will captain the side for the first time after Ciara Griffin played her final games in November, scoring twice in a victory over Japan at the RDS.
McWilliams has named uncapped scrum-half Aoibheann Reilly in a new-look starting line-up as Ireland look to get their campaign off to the best possible start.
What date is the match?
Saturday, March 26, 2022.
What time is kick-off?
Kick-off is 4.45pm.
Where is the match?
RDS Arena, Dublin 4.
Who is the referee?
The referee is Sara Cox of England.
Are there tickets available?
A limited number tickets are available from Ticketmaster here .
Where can I watch it?
The game will be broadcast live on Virgin Media One.
Can I stream it online?
The game can be streamed live on the Virgin Media Player here .
Who are they key players to watch?
With Beibheann Parson surprisingly dropping to the bench, there will be a lot of focus on Ireland’s wingers Lucy Mulhall and Amee-Leigh Murphy Crowe to find space out wide.
Against a mostly professional Wales side, space will be at a premium and it will incumbent on the two wings to find the gaps to get in behind the visitors.
For Wales, getting the upper hand in the physical battle and the breakdown will be key as they look to make the best of their professional status.
Captain Siwan Lillicrap will lead from the front in the back row battle and her performance will be key to Wales’ chances of avenging last year’s heavy loss.
Quotes Corner:
McWilliams said: “I don’t look back on that fixture from last year because you’re dealing with a completely different animal.
“Remember, they’ve all got momentum going towards the Rugby World Cup. There’s seven or eight players that are playing for Bristol in the Premier 15s, at a good standard.
“I mentioned the likes of [Siwan] Lillicrap or Jasmine Joyce, you’re also looking at Megan Webb and [Robyn] Wilkins and [Keira] Bevan in the half-backs.
“I mean they’re really good rugby players and they’re now in that professional environment more often. There’s twelve full-time pros, there’s twelve part-time pros.
“There’s always a good ding-dong with Wales and I think they’re going to come out ready to go. Wales are prepping for a World Cup and they’re going to have their ducks in a row.
“They’re very good, they did well in their November Tests and against the (USA) Falcons last week. We’ve got our work cut out and we’re looking forward to giving it a go.”
Wales coach Ioan Cunningham said: “From my point of view and the coaching team we are super excited for the Six Nations which has crowds back.
“It’s going to be brilliant for the girls to play in front of supporters, and feeling that passion especially at home.
“I think if we stick to what we’ve done in the autumn, and build on that we’ll start to win more games.
“I think we’ve got to be confident within our group to look at two to three wins on this competition which will set us up nicely going into the World Cup.”
Betting:
Ireland 1/16; Draw 33/1; Wales 17/2.
