Mullingar's Katie Heffernan named on Irish Six Nations squad
Mullingar’s Katie Heffernan has again been named in the Irish squad for the upcoming Six Nations, following on from last year’s breakthrough.
Katie has been a mainstay in the Irish Sevens squad for a number of years and this represents another fine achievement for the talented star. She is a former Loreto College, Mullingar student and played for Mullingar RFC/Railway Union RFC.
Ireland open their campaign against France in Belfast before travelling to Parma to face Italy in Round 2 on Sunday, 30 March (Kick-off 3pm).
There are eight uncapped players in the squad as Bemand and his Coaching Team have rewarded a number of players for their eye-catching performances in the Celtic Challenge, including forwards Alma Atagamen, Jane Neill, Beth Buttimer, Jane Clohessy and Sophie Barrett.
Barrett, Neill, Buttimer and Clohessy all featured for Ireland Women’s U20s last season, while Atagamen starred for the Ireland Women’s U18s during the Six Nations Festival.
In the backs, Amy Larn, Katie Heffernan and Caitriona Finn will be hoping to impress during the preparatory camps and earn their debut caps in green, as the focus remains on development and acceleration towards the Championship and further beyond to Rugby World Cup 2025.
Larn and Heffernan have represented Ireland on the HSBC SVNS Series, while Finn, alongside Heffernan, travelled to Vancouver with the Ireland squad for WXV1 last Autumn and has been in excellent form for the Clovers in the Celtic Challenge.
There is plenty of local representation in the Ireland squad.
Moydrum native Anna McGann, Aoibheann Reilly from Creagh, Ballinasloe's Béibhinn Parsons and Aoife Dalton from Clara are all included in the squad.
Commenting on the squad announcement, Head Coach Scott Bemand said:
We’re delighted to select a really strong blend of 40 players in total to assemble and prepare for the start of the Guinness Women’s Six Nations, while also building towards Rugby World Cup 2025. We’ll come together in Dublin next Monday and reconnect as a group, laying the foundations for the opportunities ahead.
“Following on from successes during the WXV1 campaign in Vancouver, we have been impressed by the hard work and application of the players as they have returned to club action in recent months. The focus and determination of players as they’ve attacked Celtic Challenge training with the Clovers and Wolfhounds has been particularly pleasing, and a number of players have earned their opportunity in National Camp off the back of those performances as we grow our wave.
“We showed positive growth and evolution over the course of 2024 and the group are excited to get back in together to continue that work as we look towards the opening game against France in Belfast, which will provide a big challenge for us but we’re relishing the opportunity to perform in green while taking the home support along with us.”