Trio to make their first starts for Ireland Women against Italy

Ireland Head Coach Adam Griggs has named his Match Day 23 for Saturday’s Women’s Six Nations Play-off game against Italy.

Griggs has made three changes to his starting XV for the visit of Italy to Dublin, as Ireland bid to finish the 2021 Championship campaign in third position.

Amee-Leigh Murphy Crowe, Stacey Flood and Brittany Hogan are all in line for their first Test starts, while uncapped Railway Union flanker Grace Moore could make her Ireland debut off the bench.

Murphy Crowe, who came off the bench to make her debut against Italy last weekend, is promoted to the right wing, with Eimear Considine continuing at full-back and Beibhinn Parsons on the left wing.

Sene Naoupu and Eve Higgins are retained in the Ireland midfield, while Flood (pictured below) comes in at out-half for her third cap and first start having impressed off the bench in the games against Wales and France. The Ireland Sevens international partners Kathryn Dane in the half-back department.

Hogan’s inclusion in the back row is the only change Griggs has made to his pack, with the experienced front row of Lindsay Peat, Clidohna Moloney and Linda Djougang packing down together again, and Aoife McDermott and Nichola Fryday retained in the second row.

Hogan comes in at openside flanker, with Dorothy Wall continuing at blindside and captain Ciara Griffin once again leading from the back of the scrum.

How the teams line up