Sports

Ireland lose Wafer to injury as Bemand rings changes for Japan

Carys BevanPublished 2w ago2 min readBased on 6 sources
Ireland lose Wafer to injury as Bemand rings changes for Japan
Photo by Quino Al on Unsplash

Ireland will be without Aoife Wafer for Sunday's WXV Global Series match against Japan in Galway after she picked up a minor injury in training. The squad confirmed the absence ahead of the game at Dexcom Stadium on 27 September. BBC Sport

The WXV Global Series, a worldwide competition that groups women's international teams into tiers, has started badly for Ireland. They lost their opener 40-36 to the United States in Tallaght. It was a collapse.

Ireland led 31-12. Then the USA scored four tries in a row in the second half to turn the game and take the win. BBC Sport

Head coach Scott Bemand has responded with six changes to his starting side. Beibhinn Parsons, Anna McGann and Aoibheann Reilly all come into the backline, the backs who handle much of the running and kicking game.

There are changes up front too. Eilis Cahill will make her first start for Ireland in the front row, the three forwards who pack down at the heart of the scrum (the set-piece where the two packs push against each other for the ball). Neve Jones starts at hooker, the middle front-rower who throws in at the lineout and strikes for the ball in the scrum. Brittany Hogan is named in the back row, the loose forwards who carry hard and cover huge ground in defence.

The bench also has a new face. Uncapped hooker Beth Buttimer, 21, is included in the matchday 23 for the first time and is set to win her first cap as a replacement. She earned the call after impressing for Munster during the Women's Interprovincial Championship, the annual series between the Irish provinces. BBC Sport

Wafer's absence is a blow. She finished last season as a two-time Guinness Women's Six Nations Player of the Championship, an award voted for after the northern hemisphere's main annual women's tournament.

For fans in Galway, this means a test of Ireland's depth. Japan will arrive with energy and pace. Ireland must steady their defence, finish stronger than they did against the USA, and give their new starters a platform.

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