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Enya Breen to captain Ireland for the first time in WXV 1
By Imogen Ainsworth
Enya Breen has been named to captain Ireland for the first time in her career this weekend against Canada in WXV 1.
Edel McMahon, who captained the side in last week’s historic victory over New Zealand, has been ruled out of this weekend’s match with an injury sustained in training during the week.
The back three of Stacey Flood, Eimear Considine, and Amee-Leigh Murphy Crowe remain unchanged, while Eve Higgins will join Breen in the midfield.
Emily Lane features for her first Test start to form the half-back pairing with Dannah O'Brien, who kicked the winning conversion in Ireland’s 29-17 victory over the World Champions last weekend.
Niamh O'Dowd, Clíodhna Moloney, and Linda Djougang retain their starting places in the front row, as do Dorothy Wall and Fiona Tuite in the second row.
Erin King is named at blindside for her first Test start after scoring a brace against the Black Ferns as a replacement. As a result of McMahon’s absence, Aoife Wafer, who also picked up two tries last Sunday, moves to openside. The pack is completed by Brittany Hogan at number eight for a second week.
Prop Andrea Stock is in line to earn her first Ireland cap if used from the bench.
Head coach Scott Bemand said: "We were really pleased to get our campaign off to a winning start last weekend and there has been a real hunger within the group this week to reset the focus. We want to keep momentum going and be a bit better again this week. Character and performance will keep this moving forward.
"A number of players have earned their opportunity in a green jersey on Saturday having worked hard to compete across the week and it will be a special moment for Enya to lead the team for the first time, supported by our leaders. A strong Canada outfit will provide a different challenge for us and we're looking forward to testing ourselves against one of the best teams in the world."
Ahead of captaining her country for the first time, Breen said: "I'm delighted, it absolutely is a huge honour. Obviously I'm disappointed for Tricky [Edel McMahon] but it was great to be asked and it's a huge honour for me and my family and everyone at home.
"I waited until I saw my parents to tell them, I met them for lunch yesterday afternoon so it was nice to be able to tell them in person. Seeing their reactions was very special, they were just buzzing.
"We're a team of leaders really. I know we've nominated a group of us, but anyone from one to 30 could have stepped up. I'm massively delighted that I was one who was picked, but I know at the end of the day, tomorrow when we get on the pitch there are 14 other girls with me to back me up.
"It will be a special moment [leading the team out], one you dream about as a kid. At the end of the day, it's another game. I want to lead the way I do which is through how I play and what I do on the pitch. I'll try not to get too bogged down in the other responsibilities.
"Last week was a huge emotional high and it took a lot of physical toll on the bodies but we took the start of the week to recover physically and mentally. We hit the ground running on Tuesday, we flicked the switch very quickly. We know it's going to be tough to reach the levels that we did last weekend, but everyone's in the right mindset and we've focussed a lot on that this week.
"We love the levels we reached last weekend, but that only matters really if we can back it up this weekend. Consistency is the name of the game really. We want to be back at the top level, and if we can back that up this weekend it will be great.
"Canada are a great side and they're the tournament hosts. There's going to be a big crowd backing them and they're not going to want to lose. They're a relentless team, they're a tough, physical team, and we're really looking forward to the challenge.”
The match will take place at Langley Events Centre on Saturday 6 October, kicking off at 15:45 PT, 23.45 in Ireland. Tickets are available here.
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Ireland team to play Canada
15. Stacey Flood (Railway Union RFC)(12)
14. Eimear Considine (UL Bohemian RFC/Munster)(28)
13. Eve Higgins (Railway Union RFC)(19)
12. Enya Breen (Blackrock College RFC/Munster)(23)
11. Amee-Leigh Murphy Crowe (Railway Union RFC/Munster)(11)
10. Dannah O’Brien (Old Belvedere RFC/Leinster)(17)
9. Emily Lane (Blackrock College RFC)(8)
1. Niamh O’Dowd (Old Belvedere RFC/Leinster)(9)
2. Clíodhna Moloney (Exeter Chiefs)(36)
3. Linda Djougang (Old Belvedere RFC/Leinster)(39)
4. Dorothy Wall (Exeter Chiefs/Munster)(30)
5. Fiona Tuite (Old Belvedere RFC/Ulster)(8)
6. Erin King (Old Belvedere RFC)(2)
7. Aoife Wafer (Blackrock College RFC/Leinster)(9)
8. Brittany Hogan (Old Belvedere RFC/Ulster)(25)
Replacements:
16. Neve Jones (Gloucester-Hartpury)(28)
17. Siobhán McCarthy (Worcester Warriors/Munster)(2)
18. Andrea Stock (Trailfinders Women/IQ Rugby)*
19. Grace Moore (Trailfinders Women/IQ Rugby)(16)
20. Deirbhile Nic a Bháird (Old Belvedere RFC/Munster)(9)
21. Molly Scuffil-McCabe (Leinster)(18)
22. Nicole Fowley (Galwegians RFC/Connacht)(12)
23. Aoife Dalton (Old Belvedere RFC/Leinster)(16)
* Denotes uncapped player
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