WXV Global Series: Ireland v Japan (KO 2pm)
Ireland will demand a more rounded performance as they bid for back-to-back victories over Japan in Saturday’s international at Virgin Media Park.
Their WXV Global Series openers have been more gripping than Scott Bemand might like, with fast starts followed by madcap finishes. They won the first halves against USA and Japan by a combined 43-17, but lost the second halves by a 24-47 total.
The Americans caught Ireland for a finish, while the Cherry Blossoms came up short, 31-24, last Sunday.
Post-match, the Irish head coach set out his stall for the repeat fixture six days later in Cork “not to be a close game”.
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Detailing three key objectives from this sequence of six autumn internationals, Bemand said stringing winning performances together was the first.
The second, creating a compelling product for fans, has been achieved to date with two wildly seesawing games.
The third, building squad depth for the 2029 World Cup, is a longer-term ambition. The groundwork is being laid with five newcomers set for landmark Ireland appearances in a game that falls outside the WXV Global Series.
Jane Clohessy, the daughter of ex-Ireland prop Peter, will make her first start in the second row, with Niamh Gallagher taking the 15 jersey for the first time.
Three debutants are queued up on the bench: Ulster prop Sophie Barrett, Leinster lock Kate Jordan, and Munster utility back Alana McInerney.
Bemand’s selection features an average of 21 caps across the squad, but the countdown clock in his head suggests he would like to see that number doubled when Australia 2029 rolls around.
“By the time we get to the World Cup, it’s about 28 caps on the table,” he said. “If you can get new cappers now, Jemima [Adams Verling] and Beth [Buttimer] being some, imagine we get to the World Cup and they’ve got 20-plus caps.
“Then you’ve got a competition amongst hookers of three girls. Any of them, whoever’s playing the best, gets the nod and you up the ante with your internal competition and then that transfers out on to the pitch.
“There’ll be some girls that we look at, but it’s not because we’re giving them a go; it’s because they’ve earned the crack.
“We want to make this team really hard to get into.”
Six Nations player of the tournament Aoife Wafer remains out due to an ankle injury as Bemand settles for six changes, with four in the backline.
After her try-scoring introduction in Galway, Aoife Dalton is selected at inside centre. Robyn O’Connor and Gallagher join new record try-scorer Béibhinn Parsons in the back three. Emily Lane starts at scrumhalf alongside Dannah O’Brien.
Linda Djougang and Clohessy freshen up the pack as captain Erin King heads up an unchanged back row alongside double try-scorer Brittany Hogan and Adams Verling.
Ireland will need to improve their maul defence, the avenue for three of Japan’s four tries, rectify a 16-11 penalty count, and finish more clinically, having been held up twice last week.
Recently appointed head coach Toshizumi Kitagawa demonstrated his relative satisfaction with Japan’s performance by retaining 14 of their starting 15, with Haruka Hirotsu introduced on the wing.
Ireland: N Gallagher; B Parsons, A McGann, A Dalton, R O’Connor; D O’Brien, E Lane; L Djougang, N Jones, E Cahill; J Clohessy, F Tuite-O’Connor; B Hogan, E King (capt), J Adams Verlong. Replacements: B Buttimer, S McGrath, S Barrett, K Jordan, G Moore, A Reilly, E Breen, A McInerney.
Japan: M Nishi; H Hirotsu, U Kataoka, M Furuta, K Imakugi; S Harada, M Tsukui (capt); H Komaki, M Nagoaka, W Kitano; M Kawamura, Y Sato; N Asari, S Korai, J Nduka. Replacements: N Nagata, N Yoshida, S Nishimura, O Yoshimura, M Nishimura, A Seo, M Yamamoto, MYH Kagawa.
