Former Moate CS student to make rugby debut for Ireland
A former Moate Community School student is to make her debut for Ireland women's rugby team in Saturday's first test against Japan.
19-year-old Aoife Dalton, who plays for Tullamore RFC, is one of four uncapped players named by Head Coach Greg McWilliams in the starting line up for the game against Japan at Ecopa Stadium in Fukuroi City (kick-off 7pm local time/11am Irish time, live on TG4).
Dalton will play at centre, whilst her clubmate Leah Tarpey, who is also uncapped, is on the bench.
The Clara native captained Moate CS to its famous Lidl All Ireland Post Primary Junior B final win in 2019.
She was also part of the team to reach the final of the Senior A All Ireland the following year, which, due to Covid, was never played.
The Summer Tour is a valuable window for McWilliams and his coaching team to develop squad depth, build cohesion and expose a number of young players to the international arena, with four uncapped players included in the starting XV - captained by Kilcormac native Nichola Fryday - and a further two set for their debuts off the bench.
Méabh Deely, Natasja Behan and Dannah O'Brien join Dalton as debutants while second row Taryn Schultzer and centre Leah Tarpey are named among the replacements for the Saturday night showdown against the Sakura Fifteen in Shizuoka.
Dalton, O'Brien and Tarpey are all part of the Women's National Talent Squad (WNTS) and having first trained with McWilliams' national panel back in February and then further impressed during the summer programme, earn their opportunity in green this weekend.
Speaking ahead of the game, McWilliams said: "Our extended squad of 51 players have worked incredibly hard all summer and we have got through a really pleasing body of work since arriving in Japan last Friday. The players have adapted brilliantly to difficult conditions and it has been a good week of preparation for us.
"It is a hugely exciting time for everyone involved in the programme as we prepare to face Japan in these two Summer Tests and for us, it's all about hard work, development and opportunity. With that in mind, it is exciting to include a number of young players this weekend and we are all looking forward to seeing them pull on the green jersey having worked so hard over the last couple of months.
"Saturday marks another important staging post on our journey as a group and we will come up against a really strong Japan side who are finalising their preparations for the Rugby World Cup. We will learn and grow through this experience and that is invaluable for us."
Saturday's match is live on TG4 from 10.40am Irish time, while there will be extensive match day coverage on IrishRugby.ie and across Irish Rugby social media channels.
IRELAND WOMEN’S Team & Replacements (v Japan Women, First Summer Test, Ecopa Stadium, Saturday, August 20, kick-off 7pm local time/11am Irish time):
Player/Club/Province/Caps –
15. Méabh Deely (Blackrock College RFC/Connacht)*
14. Natasja Behan (Blackrock College RFC/Leinster)*
13. Aoife Dalton (Tullamore RFC/Leinster)*
12. Enya Breen (TBC/Munster)(14)
11. Aoife Doyle (Railway Union RFC/Munster)(10)
10. Dannah O'Brien (Tullow RFC/Leinster)*
9. Ailsa Hughes (Railway Union RFC/Leinster)(14)
1. Linda Djougang (TBC/Leinster)(22)
2. Neve Jones (Gloucester-Hartpury/Ulster)(11)
3. Katie O'Dwyer (Railway Union RFC/Leinster)(10)
4. Nichola Fryday (Exeter Chiefs/Connacht)(27)(capt)
5. Sam Monaghan (Gloucester-Hartpury/IQ Rugby)(9)
6. Dorothy Wall (Blackrock College RFC/Munster)(15)
7. Edel McMahon (Exeter Chiefs/IQ Rugby)(19)
8. Hannah O'Connor (Blackrock College RFC/Leinster)(12)
Replacements:
16. Emma Hooban (Blackrock College RFC/Leinster)(11)
17. Chloe Pearse (UL Bohemian RFC/Munster)(5)
18. Christy Haney (Blackrock College RFC/Leinster)(4)
19. Taryn Schultzer (Saracens/Ulster)*
20. Grace Moore (Saracens/IQ Rugby)(3)
21. Nicole Cronin (UL Bohemian RFC/Munster)(20)
22. Leah Tarpey (Tullamore RFC/Leinster)*
23. Molly Scuffil-McCabe (Railway Union RFC/Leinster)(2).
*Denotes uncapped player