Today
England Women face their toughest test since that heartbreaking World Cup Final
four years ago. In the 2014 tournament their job is only half done, their
matches against Samoa and Spain were straightforward enough and the Canadians
provided a physical and mental workout however today's meeting with Ireland
will be fiercest test of all.
It
now comes down to eighty minutes of rugby after years of sweat, blood and
tears. There isn't time to be scared or overawed by the repercussions of
winning or losing, from one to twenty two Street's women must show
unrelenting belief and deliver the game of their lives. They must leave nothing
out there for this match is the first of two World Cup Finals. Ireland have
shown that they are not afraid of anyone, their physicality is brutal and they
are led by the brilliance and boot of Niamh Briggs. England have experience and
history on their side. They are seasoned Semi Finalists however Ireland's weapon is momentum having arguably played the more complete World Cup campaign to date.
17-10 was the result of their previous meeting in the last Six Nations however
this counts for nothing as this is knock out rugby and a place in the World Cup
Final is at stake.
Physically
the game will be brutal, in particular at the breakdown with the might of
Maggie Alphonsi, Sarah Hunter and young Alex Matthews competing against Heather
O'Brien, Claire Molloy and Paula Fitzpatrick. In the backs both sides have
golden boots with the aforementioned Niamh Briggs and England's Emily Scarrett
so penalties will be punished. England's half backs are hugely
experienced, Captain Kay McLean and La Toya Mason have been there and done
it all before and remain at the very top of their games whilst Nora Stapleton and Tania Rosser have a huge amount of flair themselves.
Collectively
England must draw on every ounce of experience and make Ireland sweat from the
word go, composure will be king and the side that can calmly execute their game
plan whilst stifling the other side's will be the one that prevails. England
versus Ireland is one of the great home nations' rivalries, matches between the
two always produce rugby of the highest order and today at the Stade Jean Bouin
will be no exception. Both sides are worthy of winning this fixture and
indeed the entire 2015 Women's World Cup, however we know that is not possible.
All things considered it is likely to come down to one moment of brilliance or
on slip in concentration. The stage is set, the stadium is sold out and in just
a few hours’ time we will witness one of the greatest matches in the history of
Women's Rugby.
KO
5pm (GMT) Coverage on Sky Sports 4 from 4.45pm
England:
15 Danielle Waterman, 14 Katherine Merchant, 13 Emily Scarratt, 12, Rachael
Burford, 11 Kay Wilson, 10 Katy McLean (c), 9 La Toya Mason, 8 Sarah Hunter, 7
Maggie Alphonsi, 6 Alexandra Matthews, 5 Joanna McGilchrist, 4 Tamara Taylor, 3
Sophie Hemming, 2 Victoria Fleetwood, 1 Rochelle Clark
Replacements:
16 Emma Croker, 17 Laura Keates, 18 Rebecca Essex, 19 Marlie Packer, 20 Natasha
Hunt, 21 Ceri Large, 22 Claire Allan
Ireland:
15 Niamh Briggs, 14 Ashleigh Baxter, 13 Lynne Cantwell, 12 Grace Davitt, 11
Alison Miller, 10 Nora Stapleton, 9 Tania Rosser, 8 Heather O'Brien, 7 Claire
Molloy, 6 Paula Fitzpatrick, 5 Marie Louise Reilly, 4 Sophie Spence, 3 Ailis
Egan, 2 Gillian Bourke, 1 Fiona Coghlan
Replacements:
16 Sharon Lynch, 17 Fiona Hayes, 18 Siobhan Fleming, 19 Laura Guest, 20 Larissa
Muldoon, 21 Jenny Murphy, 22 Hannah Casey
