Nine Munster Players In Ireland Women’s U20s Training Panel

The Ireland Under-20 training squad (sponsored by PwC) has been named for the Six Nations Women’s Summer Series, which will debut this July, in Parma, Italy.

Head Coach Niamh Briggs has named a 36-player Training Squad in preparation for the Six Nations Women’s Summer Series.

There have been eight Munster players named in the training panel, including Grainne Burke, Beth Buttimer, Saoirse Crowe, Aoibheann Hahessy, Brianna Heylmann, Lily Morris, Ellen Boylan, Kate Flannery and Chisom Ugwueru.

Buttimer, Flannery, Heylmann and Ugwueru all lined out for AIL Champions UL Bohs this season while also featuring in the combined Clovers squad, along with Ellen Boylan, for the first ever Celtic Challenge competition.

The players have been selected for training camps at the IRFU High Performance Centre, before the final squad for Italy is named.

Commenting on the training squad announcement, IRFU Women’s National Talent Squad and Talent Identification Manager, Katie Fitzhenry, said: “We’re delighted to name the training squad ahead of the summer series in Italy next month

“We’ve observed 50 players through screening camps this year, and the coaching team of Niamh Briggs, JP Walsh and Murray Houston have selected an exciting mix of talented players from across the country, all of whom have impressed for their club, province, or at underage international level in a green jersey.

“It is a very exciting time for everyone involved and this is another important step for our Women’s Pathway, providing a platform for the further development of our best young players and exposing them to international rugby.”

Starting on July 4th, the format of the Women’s Summer Series will see three match days, on July 4th, 9th, and 14th, with teams made up of predominately U-20 players, but with each Union able to select up to three U-23 players per matchday squad.