IRELAND WOMEN TO FACE FRANCE FOR FIRST TIME

Ireland will face France in a women’s senior international match for the first time when the two nations clash on Saturday 12 July at Coolmine RFC, Ashbrook in west County Dublin (kick off 4.30pm).

For Ireland, the match will be their first since beating Greece 42-6 in Athens last October to qualify for the IRL Women’s Rugby League World Series which takes place in Canada in October 2025, at which they will be vying for the final berth at the 2026 World Cup in Australia and Papua New Guinea. 

The game will give Ireland women’s head coach Matt Kennerson an early opportunity to test the form of his players who also beat Netherlands 16-12 in Dublin but lost out 28-10 in Cardiff to Wales in their other qualification games, finishing the year world ranked in seventh place.

“It's a huge chance for Ireland Women's Rugby League to play a team of the calibre of France,” said Kennerson. “It will give us great experience and will only strengthen us as a team as we head towards the World Series. There will be some new caps and exciting players as we are always scouting athletes from other sports and continuing to grow the game in Ireland.”

Fourth-ranked France kept a clean sheet in their World Cup qualifying campaign in 2024, beating Greece at home 58-0 and Serbia in Belgrade by the same score, but then suffering a whitewash against England, 42-0, in Toulouse last June. 

This match represents their first outing since and with the French domestic season recently having finished, head coach Romain Malliot will be looking to test his in-form players against challenging opposition.

“We’re excited to be back on the international stage,” he noted. ”These matches are essential for continuing our progress ahead of the next World Cup. We’re also delighted to face a new nation which is on the rise on the international scene. I hope that this can become a regular fixture and help grow women’s rugby across Europe.”

FFRXIII president, Dominique Baloup, added: “We’re very happy to play this match, and we hope it will contribute to developing and strengthening the relationship between our two nations. Both sides will have different objectives for the game. I’m sure this encounter will be productive for both teams.”