Women’s Rugby World Cup quarter-final: Ireland v France, Sandy Park, Exeter, 1pm (Live on RTÉ One)

Key Reads

42 mins: Wafer with a penalty turnover at a ruck. Ireland elect for a scrum. Ireland win the scrum penalty. France stand-up.

Ireland 13 France 0

Ireland will have a player advantage for another eight minutes or so.

Ireland are 40-minutes away from a World Cup semi-final. We’re back under way.

The half took 62 minutes to complete in real time and 47 in match minutes.   

Halftime: Ireland 13 France 0

There was so much to admire in Ireland’s first half performance, not least the physical intensity and aggression that they brought with props O’Dowd and try scorer, Djougang and Aoife Wafer on her return from a knee injury in the van. O’Brien has kicked well from outhalf driving the French back while the scrum – chapeau tip to the pack and scrum coach Denis Fogarty – has been outstanding, forcing two penalties and two free-kicks. Centre Eve Higgins has been superb in breaking the gain-line time and again. France in contrast looked shell shocked. They have made a million errors and some of the decision-making has been rank. They will have the wind in the second half.  

Halftime: Ireland 13 France 0

40 (+7) mins: France bring down the driving maul. French secondrow Manae Feleu receives a yellow card. Ireland opt for the five-metre scrum. The French are penalised again, a free-kick, at the scrum. O’Dowd taps and goes, Djougang, then O’Reilly all surge for the line. France 37-phases in defence but Ireland should really have scored a third try; a couple of poor passes cost them gilt edged try-scoring chances. A brilliant half from the Irish side, nonetheless.  

Halftime: Ireland 13 France 0

39 mins: Ireland win another scrum penalty. Monaghan is getting some treatment. O’Brien kicks the ball down the touchline. Ireland will have a lineout just outside the French 22 with the last play of the half.

Ireland 13 France 0

37 mins: Penalty, O’Brien. Ireland, well Djougang forces a scrum penalty. O’Brien points to the posts and the Ireland outhalf makes no mistake from 30-metres.   

Ireland 13 France 0

36 mins: France are having to go through so many phases just to make a handful of metres.  

Ireland 10 France 0

34 mins: Wafer, 13 carries for 40 metres is back on her feet. She deservedly gets a huge cheer.

Ireland 10 France 0

33 mins: O’Brien’s kicking is pinning France back. Wafer is down and it doesn’t look good as France get the ball back and take play into the Ireland half.

Ireland 10 France 0

29 mins: France are rattled and blowing. Brilliant chase and tackle from the outstanding Higgins forces a hasty clearance. Fiona Tuite loses possession in a tackle. A French put-in and they win a free-kick. France though can’t get out of their own half. Wafer with a knock-on. The French are back to 15-players.

Ireland 10 France 0

23 mins: TRY Stacey Flood. From the scrum five, Wafer surges for the line and despite being stopped short, Ireland recycled possession, and O’Brien gave Flood a walk-in for her second try for her country. O’Brien can’t land the conversion. The yellow card will remain a yellow card.

Ireland 10 France 0

22 mins: O’Dowd with another brilliant piece of maul work forcing a scrum turnover. Assia Khalfaoui replaces Axelle Berthoumieu for the scrum. France concede scrum penalty. Djougang forces it. O’Brien puts the ball into touch five metres from the French line. Jones overthrew the ball, but Ireland get the ball back following a knock on from Gabrielle Vernier. Ireland scrum five metres out.  

Ireland 5 France 0

18 mins: French tighthead prop Rose Bernadou receives a yellow card for a high shot on Eve Higgins following a TMO intervention. It’ll go to the bunker for review. O’Brien thumps the penalty into the French 22.

Ireland 5 France 0

16 mins: Niamh O’Dowd turns over French possession. Ireland turn the French again and the latter have a goal-line drop out. Aoife Doyle with a superb turnover inside the French 22 but the opportunity goes abegging when a pass is spilled. Ireland produce another brilliant scrum, getting the nudge on and putting France under pressure. They cannot get out of their 22 never mind half.

Ireland 5 France 0

12 mins: Good carry and fend from Wafer. O’Brien kicks long, France kick poorly and are punished by the Ireland outhalf. Scott Bemand’s side ae back in French territory.

Ireland 5 France 0

9 mins: Ireland lose lineout but France waste possession and it’s another Irish lineout. Shortened. Good win and maul. O’Brien though backed by the gale kicks the ball over the dead ball line. That’s disappointing. Ireland 68 percent possession, 82 percent territory.

Ireland 5 France 0

6 mins: TRY, Linda Djougang. Ireland win another penalty and this time they tap and go. Djougang times her arrival on the short-side to barge her way over for her 10th international try. O’Brien can’t land the conversion. First blood to Ireland.

Ireland 5 France 0

2 mins: NO TRY, Sam Monaghan. A brilliant scrum from Ireland on the French put-in, the French fumble and Ireland turnover possession. Monaghan drives over but the TMO, England’s Ian Tempest calls play back after O’Brien had converted and ahead of the re-start for knock-on in the build-up by Wafer. Ireland were on penalty advantage and kick to the corner.

Ireland 0 France 0

2 mins: Dannah O’Brien kicks long using the strong wind. French number eight Charlotte Escudero touches the ball and then touches down. Ireland with a five-metre scrum. Wafer surges for the line but is stopped short and then knock on.  

Ireland 0 France 0

We’re underway at Sandy Park. France kickoff.

Teams are out on the pitch and ready for the anthems.

Ireland coach Scott Bemand: “Essentially we have had a good week. She’s (Aoife Wafer) worked really hard to get back to this point.” He’s confident.

Tania Rosser played in three World Cups for Ireland.

Sandy Park living up to its billing as one of the windiest venues in world rugby. France will be the more disappointed with the conditions, one suspects. Ireland need to be more physical, kick better and be accurate in their passing. And that’s just for starters.

Some feelgood footage.

A few stats to wow your friends with.

France have conceded the fewest defensive 22-metre entries of any team in this year’s Rugby World Cup (11), while only England (53) have recorded more attacking 22-metre entries than the French (49)

– France won at least six more turnovers than any other side during the pool stages (29). However, only two teams have conceded fewer turnovers this year than Ireland (36, behind Australia and Scotland)

– Ireland have the third highest lineout success rate of any team at this year’s World Cup (89%), while France have the second lowest (65%). Nonetheless, no team has stolen more opposition lineouts than the French (6, also Australia)

You’re welcome.

Right, a little over half an hour to go until kickoff at Sandy Park.

Ireland’s Dannah O’Brien has the perfect kicking coach for today’s game in Gareth Steenson, who spent most of his professional career at the wind swept Sandy Park with the Exeter Chiefs.

Sam Monaghan Ireland captain: “We’ve been physically prepared for this, it has been an incredibly tough pre-season which has put us in a great place. Coming of the back of the Six Nations, that’s five Tests and that’s what we are into now including the two warm-up games.

“It was a very physical game last weekend, we’ve recovered. It was a long journey down to Exeter but at the end of that we had a lovely evening, a few of us even got down to the beach.

“Nothing like cold water refreshes the body and the mind. We’ve trained really well this week. We were disappointed last Sunday. If you take the emotional side out of it, we created opportunities, so this week is about being extremely accurate.”

The teams

IRELAND: Stacey Flood (Railway Union RFC); Béibhinn Parsons (Blackrock College RFC/Connacht), Aoife Dalton (Old Belvedere RFC/Leinster), Eve Higgins (Railway Union RFC), Amee-Leigh Costigan (Railway Union RFC/Munster); Dannah O’Brien (Old Belvedere RFC/Leinster), Aoibheann Reilly (Blackrock College RFC/Connacht); Niamh O’Dowd (Old Belvedere RFC/Leinster), Neve Jones (Gloucester-Hartpury), Linda Djougang (Old Belvedere RFC/Leinster), Ruth Campbell (Old Belvedere RFC/Leinster), Sam Monaghan (Gloucester-Hartpury/IQ Rugby) (capt), Fiona Tuite (Old Belvedere RFC/Ulster), Aoife Wafer (Blackrock College RFC/Leinster), Brittany Hogan (Old Belvedere RFC/Ulster).

Replacements: Clíodhna Moloney MacDonald (Exeter Chiefs), Ellena Perry (Gloucester-Hartpury/IQ Rugby), Sadhbh McGrath (Cooke RFC/Ulster), Eimear Corri Fallon (Blackrock College RFC/Leinster), Grace Moore (Trailfinders Women/IQ Rugby), Emily Lane (Blackrock College RFC), Enya Breen (Blackrock College RFC/Munster), Anna McGann (Railway Union RFC/Connacht).

FRANCE: Morgane Bourgeois (Stade Bordelais); Joanna Grisez (Stade Bordelais), Marine Menager (Montpellier HR) (capt), Gabrielle Vernier (Blagnac RF), Kelly Arbey (Stade Toulousain); Lina Queyroi (Stade Toulousain), Pauline Bourdon Sansus (Stade Toulousain); Yllana Brosseau (Stade Bordelais), Agathe Gerin (Stade Bordelais), Rose Bernadou (Montpellier HR), Manae Feleu (FC Grenoble Amazones), Madoussou Fall Raclot (Stade Bordelais), Axelle Berthoumieu (Blagnac RF), Lea Champon (FC Grenoble Amazones), Charlotte Escudero (Stade Toulousain).

Replacements: Manon Bigot (Blagnac RF), Annaelle Deshaye (Stade Bordelais), Assia Khalfaoui (Stade Bordelais), Hina Ikahehgi (Stade Villeneuvois), Seraphine Okemba (LOU Rugby), Teani Feleu (Stade Villeneuvois), Alexandra Chambon (FC Grenoble Amazones), Emilie Boulard (Blagnac RF).

Referee: Aimee Barrett-Theron (SARU)

Assistant Referees: Maggie Cogger-Orr (NZR), Natarsha Ganley (NZR)

TMO: Ian Tempest (RFU)

FPRO: Andrew McMenemy (SRU)

France are in the house

Sandy Park is windy at the best of times but it’s very much the case with rain forecast too. The elements influenced the thinking of the French coaches. Mignot said: “The players have really clicked, especially at half-back with Pauline (Bourdon Sansus) and Lina (Queyroi), who already play together at club level (in Toulouse).

“There’s also a strategic element. The weather is going to be tricky, wind and rain. We know how important it is to strengthen the pack, so we’ve gone with a six-two split on the bench. Goalkicking is also crucial in knockout rugby, so that (was) factored in as well.

“(The scrum) is going to be a key battle. Every opponent so far has brought a different type of scrum, and Ireland will be no different.

“They’re a very strategic side and gave us problems in that area during the Six Nations. With the weather as well, we know the set piece will be a big deal. But I trust my players, they’ve shown they can step up and showcase the strength of our pack.

“We know it’s a crucial area and we’ve prepared well for it this week. Ireland are not the same type of team as South Africa, so we’ll have to stay sharp right through the game.”

Meanwhile, France joint head coaches Gaëlle Mignot and David Ortiz have also made two changes in personnel and a positional switch from the team that ran in nine tries against South Africa last Sunday. Captain Marine Menager moves from wing to outside centre.

Kelly Arbey come sin on the left wing, shifting Menager infield in the process, and Morgane Bourgeois has also been brought in at fullback.

She was a key player for France when they defeated Ireland 27-15 in Belfast in the first round of the 2025 Six Nations. She kicked 12 points and was involved in the build-up to Emilie Boulard’s match clinching try. France have a six-two split on the bench, Blagnac’s Manon Bigot replaces Elisa Riffonneau as back-up hooker, and the versatile Teani Feleu takes over from Taina Maka.

Sandy Park will be a busy place over the next fortnight or so it seems with Ealing Trailfinders due to play there and then ‘Comedy at the Park’ on September 26th.

Plenty of support for Team Ireland. All aboard.

Hello and welcome to the Irish Times blog for Ireland’s World Cup quarterfinal clash with France at Sanday Park this afternoon (1.0). John O’Sullivan here and I’ll take you through the build-up and match. Gerry Thornley and Nathan Johns are at the game which takes place in the home of the Exeter Chiefs.

Ireland make two changes to the team that lost 40-0 in their final pool game. Aoife Wafer will play her first game of the tournament following knee surgery. She starts at openside flanker is place of the injured co-captain Edel ‘Tricky’ McMahon. The other change sees Fiona Tuite restored at blindside flanker have missed the game against the Black Ferns.

Grace Moore is the player to lose out. Based on last week’s display she is ridiculously unlucky to suffer that fate. Moore is listed among the replacements. Stacey Flood appears to have passed a fitness test on her cut shin that required stitches.

Niamh O’Dowd, or ‘DJ Noddy’ as she is known on the team bus will make her 20th international appearance. Replacement hooker Clíodhna Moloney-MacDonald knows Sandy Park very well as it is the home ground of her club Exeter Chiefs.

Enya Breen also returns to the matchday 23, with Emily Lane and Anna McGann the other reserve backs.