Chiefs duo go head-to-head in Six Nations

By Mark Stevens
24/3/23

Exeter Chiefs Women’s duo Nichola Fryday and Abbie Fleming will go head-to-head when Ireland face Wales in Saturday's Six Nations opener in Cardiff.

Second-row Fryday will again skipper the Irish, who hand a debut to Ulster's 18-year-old prop Sadhbh McGrath.

Leinster's Niamh O'Dowd is also set earn her international bow having been named among the replacements, while there are Six Nations debuts for Meabh Deely, Aoife Dalton and Natasja Behan in the backline.

However, Exeter’s Edel McMahon and Leinster’s Aoife Wafer have been ruled out of the tournament due to injury.

"The start of a championship campaign is always an exciting time and we come into this weekend ready to get to task against a strong Welsh side," said head coach Greg McWilliams. "We have had a good block of preparation and this is the start of the next chapter on our journey, which we started as a group in Japan last summer."

Fleming, meanwhile, who captained Wales during the Celtic Challenge earlier this season, lines up in the second-row Gwen Crabb, who has recovered from a broken leg in December.

Head coach Ioan Cunningham has shaken up his side for the game with Carys Williams-Morris moving to the wing.Bethan Lewis is preferred to Sioned Harries at No.8, while Keira Bevan returns at scrum-half. Bevan partners Elinor Snowsill, with Ffion Lewis named on the bench.

Worcester wing Hannah Bluck is also set for a return from the international wilderness and Sisilia Tuipulotu, who made her Wales debut the last time the two sides met, packs down in the front row having transitioned from lock to prop.

Captain Hannah Jones is reunited with her long-term midfield partner Kerin Lake after Williams-Morris' switch and Lisa Neumann is named on the wing with Courtney Keight back in the side at full-back having missed out on selection for the World Cup.

Cunningham said there were "tough calls" around his team selection, though was happy with the level of competition.

"It's great to see Kate Williams in the squad and she has really contributed to the squad since she has been here and it's great to give her an opportunity to win her first cap," he said. "Overall, we have looked for settled combinations and partnerships and the focus has been very much on selecting a side to face Ireland.

"We want to back up what we achieved last year but we also feel we should have won three games last season. So we want to build on last year and starting at home is real positive for us."

Wales: C Keight; L Neumann, H Jones (capt), K Lake, C Williams-Morris; E Snowsill, K Bevan; G Pyrs, K Jones, S Tuipulotu, A Fleming, G Crabb, G Evans, A Callender, B Lewis. Replacements:K Evans, C Thomas, C Hale, K Williams, S Harries, F Lewis, L George, H Bluck

Ireland: M Deely; A Doyle, A Dalton, E Breen, N Behan; N Cronin, M Scuffil-McCabe; S McGrath, N Jones, L Djougang, N Fryday (capt), S Monaghan, D Wall, M Og O'Leary, B Hogan. Replacements: D Nic a Bhaird, N O'Dowd, C Haney, J Brown, G Moore, H O'Connor, D O'Brien, V Irwin.