Ballina RFC trio selected on Ireland squad for U18 Six Nations
The Ballina RFC trio of Gráinne Moran, Ailish Quinn and Emily Foley have been selected on the Ireland squad for the upcoming U18 Women’s Six Nations Festival. Picture: Ballina RFC
Three players from Ballina RFC have been selected on the Ireland squad for the upcoming U18 Women’s Six Nations Festival at Colwyn Bay, Wales.
Fresh off their Interpro Championship victory on Sunday, eight players from Connacht have been selected by head coach Matt Gill.
Ailish Quinn, Gráinne Moran and Emily Foley from Ballina RFC have been picked alongside Creggs RFC trio - Jemima Adams Verling, Siofra Hession and Sarah Purcell, while Ballinsloe's Róisín Power and Tuam/Oughterard's Ella Burns were also included.
The festival takes place between the 29 March to 6 April and the squad will assemble for three weekend training camps at the IRFU’s High Performance Centre on the Sport Ireland Campus in west Dublin. The training camps will take place on the 2-3 March, 9-10 March and 16-17 March.
Matt Gill, the current women’s provincial talent coach for Leinster, will be assisted by Sana Govender, who has previously coached Munster Rugby’s women’s and age grade sides.
There are 11 players returning to the squad who featured in last year’s U18’s Women’s Six Nations Festival which took place in England – Ailish Quinn, Alma Atagamen, Jemima Adams Verling, Abby Healy, Caitriona Finn, Emily Foley, Emma Brogan, Grainne Moran, Lyndsay Clarke, Niamh Murphy and Sarah Purcell.
A host of clubs across the country are represented in the squad – Creggs, Wexford Wanderers, Balbriggan, Navan, Wicklow, Tuam/Oughterard, Coolmine, Ennis, Enniscorthy, Naas, Gorey, Wicklow, Killarney, Ballina/Killaloe, Enniskillen, Ballymena, Mullingar, Carrick on Suir, Larne, Cill Dara and Ballinasloe.
Speaking on the announcement, Head Coach Matt Gill added, “I’m really looking forward to continuing our Irish U-18 Women’s Six Nations preparations and getting our camps underway. I’m excited to work with Sana, and our management team, and to work with this incredibly talented group of players.”
Jemima Adams Verling (Creggs RFC/Connacht), Alma Atagamen (Balbriggan RFC/Leinster), Bronagh Boggan (Wexford Wanderers RFC/Leinster), Emma Brogan (Navan RFC/Leinster), Rebecca Brennan (Wicklow RFC/Leinster), Ella Burns (Tuam/Oughterard RFC/Connacht), Alex Connor (Navan RFC/Leinster), Aoife Corcoran (Coolmine/Leinster), Lyndsay Clarke (Ennis RFC/Munster), Carla Cloney (Enniscorthy RFC/Leinster), Sophie Cullen (Naas RFC/Leinster), Usha Daly O’Toole (Gorey RFC/Leinster), Clara Dunne (Wicklow RFC/Leinster), Emma Dunican (Killarney RFC/Munster), Caitriona Finn (UL/Ballina-Killaloe RFC/Munster), Emily Foley (Ballina RFC/Connacht), Abby Healy (Wicklow RFC/Leinster), Mia Hennelley (Ballina Killaloe RFC/Munster), Siofra Hession (Creggs RFC/Connacht), Leah Irwin (Enniskillen RFC/Ulster), Sophie McAllister (Ballymena RFC/Ulster), Caoimhe McCormack (Mullingar RFC/Leinster), Erin McConalogue (Carrick on Suir RFC/Munster), Aoibhean McGrath (Larne RFC/Ulster), Cara McLean (Larne RFC/Ulster), Niamh Murphy (Cill Dara RFC/Leinster), Gráinne Moran (Ballina RFC/Connacht), Kate Noons (Cill Dara RFC/Leinster), Ava O’Malley (Killarney RFC/Munster), Róisín Power (Ballinasloe RFC/Connacht), Sarah Purcell (Creggs RFC/Connacht), Sadhbh Wells (Enniskillen RFC/Ulster), Fia Whelan (Killarney RFC/Munster), Emma Jane Wilson (Cill Dara RFC/Leinster), Ailish Quinn (Ballina RFC/Connacht).
Matt Gill (Head Coach), Sana Govender (Assistant Coach) Becky Irvine (Team Manager), Lorna Barry (Athletic Development Coach), Naomi Hamilton (Team Physio).
