Ireland confirm Dorothy Wall will miss Rugby World Cup
Ireland's Rugby World Cup preparations have taken another major blow with confirmation that versatile forward Dorothy Wall has been ruled out of the tournament due to injury.
The lock/flanker is set to undergo surgery today on the achilles injury she sustained in Saturday's Guinness Women's Six Nations defeat to Scotland in Edinburgh, which will see her miss the tournament, which gets under way in England in August.
"I'm devastated to be missing the next couple of months, but my main focus now is on my rehab programme and I'm looking forward to supporting the team in the Rugby World Cup," Wall said.
The Exeter Chiefs forward had been a key player for Ireland in this championship, featuring in all five games, and scoring three tries.
Wall, who turns 25-years-old this week, is already one of the most experienced players in Scott Bemand's Irish squad with 37 caps, and would likely have been part of the first-choice second row partnership for the World Cup.
It's the second major injury Ireland have been hit with in recent weeks, with flanker Erin King also set to miss the World Cup.
The 21-year-old, who won World Rugby's Breakthrough Player of the Year in 2024, recently underwent surgery on a knee injury which she suffered in the round three defeat to England in Cork.
The Ireland squad finished third in the Six Nations, although their campaign finished on a sour note with a 26-19 defeat to Scotland on Saturday.
The squad will regather in early June to begin their pre-season camp ahead of the World Cup, with warm-up matches against Scotland on 2 August in Cork, before hosting Canada a week later in Belfast.
They take on Japan in their World Cup Pool C opener in Northampton on Sunday 24 August, with Spain and New Zealand their other pool opponents.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Irish Daily Mirror
an hour ago
- Irish Daily Mirror
Irish Manchester City fans slam outrageous €700 Club World Cup ticket prices
Manchester City fans in Ireland are shunning the controversial new Club World Cup that kicks off this weekend as a money-spinning tournament, it is claimed. With many standard tickets priced at an eye-watering €700, they claim the stadiums at 11 cities across host country America could be an empty embarrassment for FIFA when it kicks off after midnight on Sunday. Packages for the whole tournament are available for US$29,211 (€25,482) or US$7,463 (€6,510) for both semis and the final. Ireland's No1 Man City fan Gareth Hayes, who his club previously voted as their Fan of the Season, told the Irish Mirror: 'There is not much interest anywhere. Even my mates who would be hardcore fans have turned away. It's too expensive on them. Where do you stop as a fan? It seems to be who has the most money gets a seat. They're talking about costs of €10,000 to go to it. It's money for the clubs.' The Club World Cup (CWC) has a total prize pot of $1bn (€870m) with the winners to net US$125m (€108m). But football fans claim the revamped 32-team global club tournament has failed to spark their interest. Some, like Mr Hayes, from Westmeath, claim this is due to the high prices of tickets, which went on sale earlier this year. Due to the disillusion of fans like Mr Hayes, hundreds of dollars were knocked off tickets in recent days. There is now a risk that the controversial new FIFA competition, which was invented by its president Gianni Infantino as a glittering curtain-raiser for next summer's 2026 World Cup, could have thousands of empty seats, it is claimed. FIFA has already announced ticket giveaways to thousands of emergency workers for Los Angeles matches and fans have called for further reductions or free tickets to local schools, which is a practice sometimes undertaken by Ireland's FAI to fill Dublin's Aviva Stadium. Some ticket prices for the opening match of this new inaugural Club World Cup in Florida between Lionel Messi's Inter Miami and Egyptian side Al Ahly have plummeted. Thousands of tickets on the official selling partner's website are now available for US$55.75 (€48.60) — which is 16% of the original asking price for the 65,000-capacity Hard Rock Stadium in Florida's Miami Gardens. LA Galaxy are MLS champions but Messi's club Inter Miami, owned by David Beckham, were controversially included in the CWC as the host nation's representative, despite losing in the first round of the MLS playoffs. A single match hospitality ticket was yesterday priced at US$829 (€723), while standard tickets have dropped from US$347 (€302) to the US$55.75 (€48.60) price in line with FIFA's dynamic pricing system that allows for costs to rise and fall with demand. Tickets for Manchester City's opening fixture against Moroccan side Wydad in Philadelphia next Wednesday are now available from US$51 (€44). Tickets prices for the opening game of fellow English Premier League club Chelsea, which also has a large following across Ireland, is in Atlanta against Los Angeles FC on Monday are now available from US$77 (€67). Fans of both City and eventual winners Chelsea accused football administrators UEFA of greed in 2021 when the clubs met in the Champions League Final in Portugal. They issued a joint statement to say: 'We stand together against the lies, greed, hypocrisy and deception of UEFA.' City fan Gareth claimed today that the ongoing disruption in Los Angeles amid accusations at US president Donald Trump's 'authoritarian' administration is not the reason that is deterring supporters, according to fans. He said: 'The Club World Cup won't be taken seriously by any team. It's just an early pre-season and clubs are getting serious money from FIFA for taking part in it. 'I haven't heard of anyone going. I've not heard of any supporters' clubs here in Ireland going to it. I just think it's too much money for these games now. You're doing well just to buy a season ticket or a few away games.' He added: 'I don't think the riots would not put fans off going to LA. It's just that the tournament is not for them. It's too much that the club is asking fans to pay. The club has changed a lot over the last few years. It's hard to even get an email back off them now, compared to the days when they needed fans.' The CWC sparked legal action threats from the European branch of players' union FIFPro against FIFA amid claims of too many matches for players in a congested fixture calendar. Organisers said ticket sales in more than 130 countries for the CWC, which is estimated to generate a total of US$2bn (€1.74m) in expected revenues, proves the tournament's popularity. FIFA bagged a US$1bn (€870m) worldwide TV rights deal with sports streaming platform DAZN which will broadcast all matches free-to-air. The CWC opening match is the Group A clash between Al Ahly and Inter Miami at 1am Irish time on Sunday, with the final to be held at the MetLife Stadium in New Jersey on July 13.
Irish Independent
4 hours ago
- Irish Independent
Wexford GAA reveals new sponsor for underage competitions
For the last 21 years OmniPro has provided a range of consulting, training and support services for Irish accounting firms and their SME clients. OmniPro provide tax, company law, corporate finance, recruitment, technical support and profitability advisory to firms and their clients throughout Ireland. Based in Ferns, its CEO is Des O'Neill, whose family has a long-standing involvement in the GAA at all levels. Des said: 'I see every week during the playing season the immense effort put in by players and their coaches alike, and how much taking part in these championships means to them' 'There's nothing quite like watching young hurlers and footballers playing with heart and determination, and all the while building teamwork, discipline, and character. It reminds us of why we love the games in the first place. I am delighted to be able to contribute to their journey. 'The children of today are our future. They are the foundation on which the GAA is built,' he added. Cathaoirleach of Wexford GAA, John Kenny, has thanked Des and OmniPro for their support. 'This contribution is an investment in young people, their development, and their dreams,' he said. 'It will help us to continue a games programme that brings some 50 different Cup and Shield competitions each year. Not only does this games programme mean that each player has a title to aim for, but it also creates an environment where they can experience the joy of the games, build friendships, and learn valuable life lessons. We are very grateful for OmniPro support and how it enables us to continue to do this.' John added his thanks to People Newspapers and the Irish Independent for their previous sponsorship of the competitions, and their ongoing great coverage of Gaelic games at all levels in the county. 'We are lucky to enjoy such a good relationship with the local media and I thank them sincerely for all the space they afford for match reports and other Gaelic games news each week,' he said. This year's OmniPro Under-14 Championships are already under way, while the Under-16 and Minor Championships are to commence in the coming weeks, following the conclusion of State Exams.
Irish Examiner
4 hours ago
- Irish Examiner
Simon Zebo: Leinster's URC final has big role to play in larger Lions picture
Simon Zebo believes Leinster's experience in this Saturday's BKT URC final at Croke Park will have 'huge significance', both for them and for the entire British and Irish Lions squad, later in the summer. Andy Farrell broke the record for representatives from one club when choosing so many boys in blue for the trip Down Under, but the province as a whole has flattered to deceive yet again at the tail end of a campaign. A Champions Cup semi-final loss to Northampton Saints, bad in its own right, was followed by an obvious hangover in URC ties against Glasgow and Scarlets, before signs of an upswing against the Warriors last week. Farrell will be heavily invested as he watches them take on the Bulls in Croke Park. 'For sure, it will definitely help the confidence and the momentum, especially with the Lions core being Irish-heavy. If those lads perform and pick up the URC, that will bring a lot of confidence back and it will bode well for the squad as a whole. 'So it is a pretty important fixture this week,' Zebo agreed. 'There is a lot of pressure on Leinster and, looking down the line at the Lions and form and getting picked, then this match has huge significance, for sure.' The 37-19 defeat of the Scots at the Aviva Stadium last weekend will have come as some relief to the club's supporters. Leinster claimed six tries against Franco Smith's side and were much more comfortable than that scoreline suggests. And yet. Zebo was in Ballsbridge working on the game for Premier Sports and he watched the second-semi-final between the Bulls and the Sharks in full immediately after. He has no doubt that Leinster aren't humming again yet. 'No. I thought Glasgow were poor. I thought Leinster were good without being great. The Bulls will be very different, but I said that after the Scarlets. I felt Leinster did up their game and Glasgow weren't as good as I thought they would be. 'Again, the Bulls will definitely be better. Whether or not [Leinster] win I don't know but I am not convinced yet. I don't think the performances since Northampton from Leinster and those 12 Lions has been back to their best rugby. 'Not yet anyway, but they are all capable of doing that.' The Lions context aside, this is a huge game for Leo Cullen, his team and the organization at large given the recent history of defeats in big knockout games since winning their last trophy – the last ever PRO14 title – in 2021. Zebo agrees that some of their deficiencies have been mental but added that there 'were a couple of little arrogant things through selection' in there too, most obviously when they rotated so heavily for a URC semi-final against Munster two years ago. Backs are clearly against the wall in the capital. Joe McCarthy all but admitted as much when he spoke to RTÉ after the semi-final and put it out there that everyone hated Leinster. The old siege mentality approach. 'They're probably out to prove people wrong and that will probably help. Their previous mentality hasn't worked so I suppose going in with a fresh mindset, maybe Jacques Nienaber might have had some insight there. 'He's a brilliant motivator and gets the players going. I don't like Leinster, just because they're rivals, so you know what I mean? Munster dislike them and they dislike Munster, that's no problem. It's like Barcelona and Real Madrid in soccer. "Of course you don't like your rivals, but I don't think the general public hate Leinster as much as maybe they believe inside camp. I don't know, maybe I'm wrong.' As for his own province, Munster will have just one player on tour in Australia this summer in Tadhg Beirne. It is the province's lowest representation since the 1997 series win in South Africa. Something to think about before the 2029 trip to New Zealand. 'Individual ambitions for the players? Absolutely. I know Craig Casey would be one of those expecting to go on that next Lions tour. With his form he could have potentially gone on this tour. You have Jack Crowley potentially in the same boat. 'You have someone like Calvin Nash who wants to break back onto the international scene and potentially go on a Lions tour. Then people like Alex Kendellen and Tom Ahern: there could potentially be a big swing in representation from this tour to the next.' Simon Zebo teamed up with BoyleSports to preview the British & Irish Lions Tour. BoyleSports will Pay Out Early if either side goes 17 points ahead at any stage.
