Ireland’s home matches in the 2023 TikTok Women’s Six Nations will be played at Musgrave Park.

The Cork venue has been the home of the Ireland U20s since 2019 and has become a real fortress in recent seasons, with Ireland Women also enjoying huge support there when they defeated Italy at Musgrave Park in last year’s Six Nations.

Greg McWilliams‘ side open their 2023 Championship against Wales in Cardiff on Saturday, 25th March (2.15pm) before welcoming France to Cork in Round 2 on Saturday, 1st April (3.15pm). After a rest weekend, Ireland will be on the road again, going head-to-head with Italy in Parma on Saturday, 15th April (4.45pm).

World Cup finalists England will visit Musgrave Park in Round 4 on Saturday, 22nd April (2.15pm) and the Championship will conclude with a trip to Edinburgh to take on Scotland at the DAM Health Stadium on Saturday, 29th April (7.30pm).

“We received huge home support during last year’s Six Nations and we’re excited to make Cork our home base for the 2023 Championship,” McWilliams said. “We enjoyed a good day out against Italy last year, with the people of Cork coming out to support the team and we will be hoping for more of the same in 2023, as two of the best teams in women’s rugby come to visit.”

Ticket details for Ireland’s home matches at Musgrave Park will be announced in due course.

TikTok Women’s Six Nations Fixtures 2023:

• Wales v Ireland, Saturday 25 March, Cardiff Arms Park, 2.15pm
• Ireland v France, Saturday 1 April, Musgrave Park, 3.15pm
• Italy v Ireland, Saturday 15 April, Stadio Sergio Lanfranchi, 4.45pm
• Ireland v England, Saturday 22 April, Musgrave Park, 2.15pm
• Scotland v Ireland, Saturday 29 April, DAM Health Stadium, 7.30pm.

Rugby’s major stakeholders have united to consider the short and long-term insights and priorities for ensuring the sport is a relevant, accessible and attractive sport for all as it grows over the next decade.

The World Rugby Shape of the Game conference, hosted in London, gathered leading coaching, playing, officiating, medical and event owner minds to consider how to build a better game for all, focusing on safety and spectacle. Underpinning that mission is the ongoing prioritisation of player welfare, while fostering an environment that is simpler, more accessible and more attractive.

It will be followed by similar conferences on the elite women’s 15s and community games as the sport looks to growth opportunities over the next decade. The process will also consider fan views and general sport and entertainment considerations to create a holistic approach to the future of the sport.

Over two days, delegates considered the global welfare landscape, including reinforcing the data regarding the relative safety of the community and age-grade game, global playing trends and the role of match officials, the narrative around the sport with all participants focused on the bigger picture.

The conference identified key areas for further exploration:

• Focus on the fan: Insights from fans and broadcasters to inform the longer-term development of the sport as an entertainment product

• Speed up the game: Focus on interventions and innovations to reduce stoppages, increase continuity and the rhythm of the game

• Support match officials: Provide them with the tools to perform their role to their best ability, consider TMO intervention reductions

• Underpin with player welfare: Continue to implement evidence-based strategies to mitigate head injuries and overall injuries in the sport

• Change the narrative: The community game is the lifeblood of the sport, the risk of injury is much less than that of the elite game, focus on the benefits while managing the risks

World Rugby will take away the considerations and insights for further exploration to prioritise areas that can be implemented in the short term without changing law ahead of Rugby World Cup 2023.

World Rugby Chairman Sir Bill Beaumont said:

“As a sport, a movement and a family, we must always challenge ourselves to be better. That means taking time to consider what fans and players want the future of our sport to be, a future where more people want to play and support the game, where injury risk is reducing and where all involved in the game have their say.

“This conference was the first step towards a reimagination of our sport. The full and frank contributions from a wide spectrum of disciplines gives us plenty to consider and to move forward with through our structures. I would like to thank all participants for taking time out at a busy time to unite, collaborate and consider our future.”

The Ireland coaching group have named the final Ireland Match Day Squad of 2022 for Saturday’s Bank of Ireland Nations Series finale against Australia at Aviva Stadium (Kick-off 8pm, live on Virgin Media, Amazon Prime and RTE Radio).

The Wallabies return to Dublin for the first time since 2016 where Ireland survived a second half rally to secure a 27-24 victory.  The sides have met three times since but all three games took place on Australian soil in the summer of 2018. Australia won the first Test in Brisbane (18-9) but the Irish squad recovered to win the Tests in Melbourne (21-26) and Sydney (16-20) to take the Series.

Prior to 2016, the Wallabies ran out convincing 32-15 winners in Dublin in 2013, while Ireland came out on top in 2014 winning 26-23. Australia have played 19 games in Ireland including the first meeting between the two nations in 1927. They have recorded 11 victories and a draw – the 20-20 game in 2009 at Croke Park.

There are seven changes to the Ireland starting XV along with three positional changes. Hugo Keenan is named at fullback for his 25th cap with Jimmy O’Brien switching to the left wing and Mack Hansen switching across to the right. Johnny Sexton returns at out-half to partner Jamison Gibson Park.

Andrew Porter and Dan Sheehan are named in the front-row alongside last week’s captain Tadhg Furlong. James Ryan returns to the second row to partner Tadhg Beirne and both Josh van der Flier and Peter O’Mahony return to the back row with Caelan Doris switching from the blindside flank to number eight.

Joe McCarthy in action for Emerging Ireland

The uncapped Joe McCarthy is named among the replacements alongside fellow Emerging Ireland tourist Jack Crowley.  Bundee Aki returns to provide experience off the bench alongside centurion Cian Healy, Lions tourist Jack Conan and Ulster’s Rob Herring.

Finlay Bealham will get a chance to face the country of his birth for a second time having played in the 2016 fixture at the Aviva Stadium while Craig Casey has the opportunity to play against Australia for the first time.

Seven of the starting team will be facing the Wallabies for the first time: Keenan, Hansen, Stuart McCloskey, O’Brien, Gibson-Park, Sheehan and Doris.

Ireland v Australia

15. Hugo Keenan (Leinster/UCD) 24 caps
14. Mack Hansen (Connacht/Corinthians) 8 caps
13. Garry Ringrose (Leinster/UCD) 46 caps
12. Stuart McCloskey (Ulster/Bangor) 8 caps
11. Jimmy O’Brien (Leinster/Naas) 2 caps
10. Johnny Sexton (Leinster/St Mary’s College) 109 caps CAPTAIN
9. Jamison Gibson Park (Leinster) 22 caps

1. Andrew Porter (Leinster/UCD) 47 caps
2. Dan Sheehan (Leinster/Lansdowne) 12 caps
3. Tadhg Furlong (Leinster/Clontarf) 62 caps
4. Tadhg Beirne (Munster/Lansdowne) 35 caps
5. James Ryan (Leinster/UCD) 47 caps
6. Peter O’Mahony (Munster/Cork Constitution) 88 caps
7. Josh van der Flier (Leinster/UCD) 44 caps
8. Caelan Doris (Leinster/St Mary’s College) 22 caps
 
Replacements:

16. Rob Herring (Ulster/Ballynahinch) 30 caps
17. Cian Healy (Leinster/Clontarf) 120 caps
18. Finlay Bealham (Connacht/Buccaneers) 26 caps
19. Joe McCarthy (Leinster/Dublin University) *
20. Jack Conan (Leinster/Old Belvedere) 32 caps
21. Craig Casey (Munster/Shannon) 6 caps
22. Jack Crowley (Munster/Cork Constitution) 1 cap
23. Bundee Aki (Connacht/Galwegians) 40 caps

*denotes uncapped player

Bank of Ireland Nations Series Fixture:

IRELAND v Australia
Saturday 19^th November, 2022, Aviva Stadium, KO 20:00