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Scott Bemand rotates as Ireland make seven changes for Spain

Clíodhna Moloney-MacDonald is one of seven changes to the Ireland team
Clíodhna Moloney-MacDonald is one of seven changes to the Ireland team

Scott Bemand has shuffled his deck ahead of Sunday's crucial Rugby World Cup Pool C meeting with Spain, after making seven changes to his side for the game at Franklin’s Gardens.

As expected Aoife Wafer misses out, with her knee injury not yet fully healed, while co-captain Edel McMahon sits out the game having played 75 minutes last week on her own return from a knee issue.

Sam Monaghan captains the side which is heavily rotated from the 42-14 win against Japan.

Pool C after round one

Ireland know they will be guaranteed qualification for the quarter-finals with a bonus-point win, but the head coach is using Sunday’s game as an opportunity to test his wider squad, with Ellena Perry, Clíodhna Moloney-MacDonald, Eimear Corri-Fallon, Grace Moore and Claire Boles coming into the pack, and Molly Scuffil-McCabe and Anna McGann brought into the backline.

Linda Djougang (below) starts at tighthead where the 29-year-old will win her 50th cap, with Perry and Moloney-MacDonald both rewarded for big impacts off the bench last week, replacing Niamh O’Dowd and Neve Jones, the latter of whom is on the bench.

6 August 2025; Linda Djougang during an Ireland Women Rugby squad training session at the IRFU High Performance Centre in Dublin. Photo by David Fitzgerald/Sportsfile

Corri-Fallon swaps into the second row for Ruth Campbell, and partners Monaghan at lock.

Fiona Tuite retains her place at blindside flanker, joined in the back row by Moore and Boles, with Brittany Hogan included among the replacements.

The rotating door at scrum-half continues, with Molly Scuffil-McCabe given the starting job this week, and Aoibheann Reilly, who started against Japan, out of the matchday 23.

Dannah O’Brien continues at out-half, with Eve Higgins and Aoife Dalton also retained in the centre.

McGann comes in for Béibhinn Parsons on the right wing, with Parsons rested after playing three games in a row since returning from a broken leg.

Ireland head coach Scott Bemand (l) and wing Anna McGann

Amee-Leigh Costigan is on the left wing, with Stacey Flood continuing at full-back.

Jones, Campbell, Hogan and Enya Breen are among those named on the bench, as are Siobhán McCarthy and Nancy McGillivray who will make their World Cup debuts.

Aoife Wafer misses out as expected as she looks to build towards her return from knee surgery, and Bemand is cautiously confident she's getting close to a return.

"She's involved in aspects of training," Bemand said of Wafer.

"We're starting to dial that up, so as we sit here now, all bets are on for next week. How we choose to deploy that, we'll keep checking that day by day, but fair play to her, she's tracking really well.

"We all want to see her play, the nation wants to see her on the pitch, and I think we're getting closer to that."

Spain, meanwhile, have made a total of nine changes to the side beaten 54-8 by New Zealand with captain Lourdes Alameda the only forward to retain her place.

Coach Juan Gonzalez Marruecos has also brought in backs Claudia Cano and Claudia Perez.


Ireland: Stacey Flood; Anna McGann, Aoife Dalton, Eve Higgins, Amee-Leigh Costigan; Dannah O'Brien, Molly Scuffil-McCabe; Ellena Perry, Clíodhna Moloney-MacDonald, Linda Djougang; Eimear Corri-Fallon, Sam Monaghan (co-captain); Fiona Tuite, Claire Boles, Grace Moore.

Replacements: Neve Jones, Siobhán McCarthy, Sadhbh McGrath, Ruth Campbell, Brittany Hogan, Emily Lane, Enya Breen, Nancy McGillivray.

Spain: Amalia Argudo; Claudia Perez, Claudia Pena, Claudia Cano, Clara Piquero; Zahia Perez, Anne Fernandez de Corres; Gemma Silva, Marieta Roman, Eider Garcia; Lourdes Alameda (capt), Elena Martinez, Lia Pineiro, Ana Peralta, Valentina Perez.

Replacements: Cristina Blanco, Laura Delgado, Mireia de Andres, Anna Puig, Monica Castelo, Nerea Garcia, Bingbing Vergara, Lea Ducher.

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Watch Ireland v Spain in the Rugby World Cup on Sunday from 11.30am on RTÉ2 and RTÉ Player. Follow a live blog on rte.ie/sport and the RTÉ News app. Listen to live radio commentary on RTÉ Radio 1 Extra.