Rugby players Aoife Wafer and Sam Monaghan are both in contention to feature for Ireland ahead of Sunday’s crunch Women’s World Cup clash with New Zealand in Brighton.
Aoife underwent knee surgery in the summer and has yet to feature in the tournament but the Ireland No8, last season’s Six Nations Player of the Championship, is nearing a return to action.
Speaking from Ireland’s training camp on Wednesday, scrum coach Denis Fogarty said the Harlequins-bound backrower is in the mix to face the Black Ferns.
‘Aoife is continuing her progression. She will take part in training, she did today and will tomorrow as well,’ he said. ‘She’s been doing (full contact) previously.
'Last week, she was doing it in a controlled area. Tomorrow will be a push on from that inside in a team environment. That will be the next step. We’re hopeful of everything going well for her and she’ll be in contention for the weekend. She’s bursting to go, if the game was today, she’d want to play it!'
Fogarty also had a positive update on Sam after Ireland’s co-captain suffered a hip injury in the first half of last weekend’s win against Spain. ‘At the moment, everyone is in contention, he said.
Still only 22, Aoife has been a force at national and international level. She has scored 12 tries in 15 appearances and her stats in last season’s championship were off the charts.
She made 70 carries, the most by any player, covering 424.7 metres and beating 17 defenders — the second-highest total for a forward.
Ireland has coped well in her absence thus far, sealing bonus point wins against Japan and Spain. But they desperately need their star forward back for the business end of this World Cup.
The likes of Sam Monaghan, Brittany Hogan and Fiona Tuite have stepped up to punch holes in opposition defences but Aoife would take Ireland’s attacking game to another level.
Ireland plays New Zealand on Sunday at 245pm. You can watch the game live on RTÉ2.
