Celtic rivals Wales and Scotland will provide the opposition over the next two weekends, as Bemand’s side return to Ulster’s Affidea Stadium before playing the Ireland Women’s first ever standalone international fixture to be held at the Aviva Stadium on Sunday week.
Disappointed to lose 26-7 to France in Clermont-Ferrand, Ireland still have a third place finish to aim for, and will want a performance in Belfast that will give them plenty of momentum heading into that historic appearance at the home of Irish Rugby.
Experienced centre Eve Higgins returns in Bemand’s only change to the starting XV to play Wales, while skilful Ireland Under-21 full-back Niamh Gallagher is part of a six-two bench split, standing by to make her Test debut at the age of 20.
“We’ve used the fallow week in, I think, the perfect manner,” admitted the Ireland head coach. “We took a few days to recover. We’ve been able to have a couple of days training and the girls have bounced back.
“We can see that in some of the performance data in terms of how quick people are moving. So we know there’s been a great bounce-back. The energy is back around the group and the girls are confident in what they’re trying to achieve.
“We believe in our game, we’ve got confidence in our game. So bouncing back in that sense. The cool thing about the Six Nations at this point is we’ve got two home games to go, and the girls are desperate to get back out there and show the island what we can do.”
Ireland have beaten Wales twice during Bemand’s reign so far, winning 36-5 in Cork in April 2024 and 40-14 at Rodney Parade last year. Winning the forwards battle will be crucial again, and tellingly, it was Aoife Wafer who was the player-of-the-match on both on those occasions.
Wales will have to negate the influence of the Wexford-born number 8 if they are to prevail in Belfast. She scored three tries across those two games, and comes into round 4 of this year’s Championship as Ireland’s leading ball carrier, with the highest running metres, and second top tackler behind captain Erin King.
Bemand’s charges were ultra competitive but lost out to both France and Canada in their most recent two outings at Ulster Rugby’s home ground. The determination to quickly get back to winning ways – and reward the home support with a display that leaves them wanting more – is obvious.
“A home Test match against Wales, they’re big, aren’t they? And we want to get that performance out there that really gets people talking about it,” insisted Bemand, ahead of his 27th Test at Ireland’s helm.
“The next two games in Ireland are massive for us. So for me, these next two games, starting with Wales, are big moments for us.
“Not just to beat Wales in Ireland – we want to win our three home games, of course we do – but to actually to put a performance out there. A performance that we can go, ‘Yeah, actually we’re moving’, and a performance that people can get on the back of.”
The Welsh pack caused problems for England in the last round, with their reliable lineout providing the launchpad for all four of their tries in a 62-24 loss at Ashton Gate. There were none directly from a maul, but as in recent meetings, and through the Celtic Challenge, it is a big weapon for them.
Head coach Sean Lynn has been able to select the same front row for a fourth consecutive game, as Gwenllian Pyrs and Kelsey Jones, both with over 50 international caps to their name, pack down with powerful 22-year-old tighthead prop Sisilia Tuipulotu.
Saracens lock Georgia Evans comes in to partner Branwen Metcalfe in the engine room, with a knee injury sidelining Gwen Crabb. Teenager Jorja Aiono, an impressive performer for Brython Thunder in the Celtic Challenge, switches to blindside flanker for her fourth cap.
Opting for an extra forward on Ireland’s bench this week, Bemand noted: “Wales have scored, I think, seven of their eight tries through their driving maul. So we know there’s going to be a battle, a pretty feisty battle up front with the pack.
“We’ve been developing our depth and capability. And what we always do is, we pick a six-three (for the matchday squad) and then as coaches, we choose what the game needs, where we think the game will go.
“And this week it’s a six-two (split) in favour of the forwards. So we think we’ve got the coverage within the backs and it gives us an extra bit of grunt up front.”
Coached by Niamh Briggs, the Ireland Under-21 Women grabbed the headlines last Saturday with a tremendous 41-40 win over England in Coventry, as they overcame their English counterparts for the first time at either U-20 or U-21 level.
The synergy between the senior and U-21 groups has certainly been evident in recent weeks, as the inaugural U-21 Women’s Six Nations Series has run alongside the senior Championship, most memorably in the recent Galway double header where both Irish teams scored over 50 points against their Italian opponents.
If Gallagher gets on against Wales, she will become Ireland’s fourth debutant of the 2026 Six Nations, and the tenth graduate of the Ireland U-20 programme to have won a senior cap since Bemand took charge in 2023.
That list features Megan Collis, Clara Barrett, Ruth Campbell, Ivana Kiripati, Katie Whelan, and Robyn O’Connor, as well as Sarah Delaney, Katie Corrigan, and Ailish Quinn, who were all part of Briggs’ victorious Ireland U-21 side against England last week.
Speaking about the U-21s’ landmark result and the excitement around the young players coming through, Bemand commented: “It was brilliant and I think it bodes well for the future, doesn’t it?
“I’m lucky enough to have re-signed a contract recently, and part of that is because I know the talent coming through. It’s talent you want to work with.
“Getting a first win against England over in England is a massive shot in the arm for what we’re doing over here in our pathway, with the WNTS (Women’s National Talent Squad) and the Under-18s and the Under-21s.
“Most of those girls played Celtic Challenge. Most of them play regularly and work with us as an aligned coaching group. So what we’re doing, we think we’re getting it right. We think there is talent and there’s still more to come through.”