Latest news with #AoifeCorey
Irish Independent
08-05-2025
- Sport
- Irish Independent
Aoife Corey on the rise in women's rugby, her first Irish cap, and compliments from Chloe Pearse – ‘It's a whirlwind of emotions'
The Women's Six Nations rugby tournament brought record breaking crowds to stadiums in Ireland this year, marking a welcome change of attitude in the way fans perceive the sexes in sports. Although there is still much progress to be made to make the world of men and women's sports equal (such as booting out camogie 'skorts'), it is evident that the graft has been put in to progress this change. Between women's soccer and rugby, there is definitely a shift occurring, spectators just have to encourage this change as much as possible through views, support, and making conversations about women in sport more commonplace. One such woman driving change and bringing top-quality athleticism to the pitch is Aoife Corey. The Clare woman has played rugby since she was 16, starting out with Ennis RFC and moving up the ranks quickly. Corey has been capped nine times for the women's Munster squad, plays frequently for the All Ireland League winning club UL Bohemians RFC, and has played sevens rugby for Ireland. As of the end of April, she has also been capped for the Irish women's rugby team, making her debut at the final match of the women's Six Nations against Scotland.
The 42
28-04-2025
- Sport
- The 42
'It's frustrating for us because we're finding there's a lack of communication'
UL BOHEMIAN HEAD Coach Fiona Hayes has expressed her frustration at how Ireland's Six Nations clash with Scotland over the weekend impacted her team who were competing in the women's AIL final against Railway Union. The Limerick-based side were forced to line out in their decider at the Aviva Stadium without key players Aoife Corey and Jane Clohessy, who were both called up to make their debuts with the international squad for the final game of the Six Nations championship on Saturday. Corey started at full-back in the 26-19 defeat while Clohessy came on in the first half. On Sunday, UL Bohs were crowned AIL champions for the second year in a row after an 82nd-minute try from Éilís Cahill. Their AIL final opponents Railway Union were also impacted by the fixture clash, as Claire Boles was included in the Ireland squad for the trip to Edinburgh. While Hayes was delighted to see her players make their international bows, she is disappointed over how their selection on the Irish squad was handled. 'It's frustrating for us because we're finding there's a lack of communication around players that are being brought in. Aoife Corey was never on the [Ireland] panel in the first place and they brought her in. We had no clue that they were being included in the matchday squad. They had been available up to that, and that's fine, I understand that they [Ireland] want to keep the team in house as well. 'If it was pushed out or there was anyway around it, maybe the girls would have had a a chance to play both, especially Jane. She came on early in the game with the HIA and Dorothy [Wall] got injured but if Jane had played three minutes [instead], she would have been able to play in the AIL final.' Advertisement Hayes also mentioned UL Bohs player Beth Buttimer who was a travelling reserve with the Ireland squad, and says that they received 'no communication' from the IRFU regarding her availability for the AIL final. Elaborating on how the decision to call up Clohessy and Corey was communicated to UL Bohs, Hayes adds: 'It would have been great for the club to get a heads up or any contact. We sent Aoife in for media duty for the cup on Tuesday so she didn't have an idea. So, then she finds out when everyone else finds out. That can be a little bit frustrating. But I do understand that it is international rugby and that's their focus. 'You have the core contracted players that might never play [AIL] and I understand that. But there are an awful lot of fringe players that would have played AIL. For them to be able to play in that final that they worked so hard all year round to be part of, would have been unbelievable for them.' Following an inquiry from The42, the IRFU released a statement on the matter, saying that a season plan for the 2024/2025 AIL season was communicated to clubs last June. Celtic Challenge weeks and women's Six Nations fixtures were highlighted in the plan along with the date of the final. The statement continues by saying that 'clubs were aware from June of last year that they would be impacted if players were called on for international duty. 'For the finals last year, the IRFU ran a double header for the first time ever which was hugely appreciated and welcomed by all clubs in terms of giving visibility to both league finals and we were fortunate to have the support of TG4 to broadcast both games yesterday. 'Unfortunately moving finals to another weekend was not an option due to the unavailability of Aviva Stadium. 'We are very mindful also it is a long season and clubs deserve to finish in enough time to give players adequate downtime.' Responding to the points made in the IRFU statement, Hayes said that her side were aware of the season plan 'but that doesn't mean we can't disagree with it.' When asked if she would be willing to have their AIL final played a venue other than the Aviva Stadium in order to accommodate the postponement, Hayes replied: 'I suppose that is the carrot. They've done the double-header for the last two years and it would never have been an option before. The final would have been on a good few weeks after the women's Six Nations so it's a tough one because I've experienced it twice now and it is unbelievable.' Along with losing Boles for the AIL final, Railway Union are also represented by Irish stars Amee-Leigh Costigan, Stacey Flood and Eve Higgins. Hayes says that facilitating the contracted players to be available for the AIL would bring a welcome boost to the competition, and feels that the IRFU is too preoccupied with using the international team to improve the profile of women's rugby in Ireland. '100%. 'I've no issue in saying that, definitely. The AIL is there, it needs to be invested in a little bit more and the majority of players have started at AIL. It's huge for Irish rugby to have that there. They're so focused on the Irish team and it's the AIL they have to come to and they forget that.'
Irish Times
26-04-2025
- Sport
- Irish Times
Injury-hit Ireland end Six Nations campaign with defeat in Scotland
Women's Six Nations: Scotland 26 Ireland 19 Francesca McGhie grabbed an 81st-minute converted try as an injury-hit Ireland ended their Women's Six Nations campaign with a defeat to Scotland at the Hive Stadium in Edinburgh on Saturday. While a losing bonus point was enough to secure a second consecutive third-place finish in the Championship, there will be disappointment among the Irish camp that they were not able to add to previous wins against Italy and Wales in this year's tournament. Although there was plenty of experience throughout Ireland's starting line-up, Munster and UL Bohemian star Aoife Corey was drafted into the fullback position for her international test debut. Vicky Elmes Kinlan was named on the rightwing for a first start in this year's Championship and there was another debutant off the bench in the form of Jane Clohessy – daughter of former Ireland men's international Peter Clohessy. READ MORE A 74th-minute penalty from Dannah O'Brien earned Ireland a 15-12 win over the Scots in the final round of the 2024 Six Nations at Kingspan Stadium in Belfast and they ultimately drew first blood in this contest on the stroke of 10 minutes. After she had broken at pace into the opposition '22', scrumhalf Molly Scuffil-McCabe released winger Amee-Leigh Costigan for a typically clinical finish over the whitewash in the left corner. This was the Tipperary woman's third try of the tournament and with O'Brien superbly splitting the uprights from a touchline conversion, Ireland established a seven-point platform. However, there was to be a setback for the visitors in the 18th minute when Dorothy Wall was withdrawn through injury. This could be a significant concern for head coach Scott Bemand and his fellow coaches ahead of the Rugby World Cup – which gets under way for Ireland against Japan in Northampton on August 24th. Ireland's Emily Lane scores a try. Photograph: Ben Brady/Inpho The Irish were not being placed under too much defensive pressure in the Hive – until superb work from the influential Evie Gallagher secured Scotland an attacking penalty on 25 minutes. Outhalf Helen Nelson opted to kick the ball to touch on the left flank and this paid dividends for the home team when hooker Lana Skeldon got on the back of the ensuing line out maul for her 19th international try. A wayward bonus strike from Nelson in the wake of this score kept their opponents in the ascendancy, but even though they ended the opening period with 72 per cent of the possession, Ireland were ultimately 12-7 adrift at the interval courtesy of a converted try in first half stoppage-time from Emma Orr. O'Brien's failure to kick the ball out of play when the clock was in the red proved costly in this instance and with captain Edel McMahon and Enya Breen joining Wall in being forced off with injuries, Ireland needed to rediscover their attacking groove on the resumption. After recording a brace of tries in a 40-14 triumph over Wales in Newport six days earlier, tighthead prop Linda Djougang was twice held up by the Scottish defence in the first half of this game. Yet following the intervention of the TMO a little under nine minutes after the restart, she was finally adjudged to have dotted down beyond the Scotland line for an unconverted five-pointer. This coincided with the sinbinning of Scotland winger Rhona Lloyd for a head-high tackle on Costigan, but before Bryan Easson's side were restored to their full complement of players, flanker Rachel McLachlan had rounded off an extended attack in the 58th minute with a try on the left wing. An outstanding Nelson conversion left Ireland staring into a seven-point deficit inside the final quarter, but the visiting side subsequently put the Scots under relentless set-piece pressure as the final whistle approached. A yellow card issued to Nelson seemingly handed momentum to the Irish and from a move that started with a 'tap and go' from Cliodhna Moloney, her fellow replacement Emily Lane pounced for her maiden international try on 72 minutes. O'Brien added the bonuses to ensure the sides were now inseparable on the scoreboard, but there was to be a final twist to the action. Moments after Nelson returned to the field of play, Scotland moved the ball towards the far side off a lineout move on the right wing and McGhie was on hand to ground off a Lucia Scott pass for a game-winning score. Scorers – Scotland: L Skeldon, E Orr, R McLachlan, F McGhie try each, H Nelson 3 cons. Ireland: A-L Costigan, L Djougang, E Lane try each, D O'Brien 2 cons. SCOTLAND: C Rollie; R Lloyd, E Orr, L Thomson, F McGhie; H Nelson, L Brebner-Holden; L Bartlett, L Skeldon, E Clarke; J Konkel, S Bonar; R Malcolm, R McLachlan, E Gallagher. Replacements : A Young for Bartlett, 46 mins; L Scott for Lloyd, 59 mins; E Martin for Skeldon, M Poolman for Clarke, both 64 mins. IRELAND: A Corey; V Elmes Kinlan, A Dalton, E Breen, A-L Costigan; D O'Brien, M Scuffil-McCabe; N O'Dowd, N Jones, L Djougang; R Campbell, F Tuite; D Wall, E McMahon, B Hogan. Replacements: S McGrath for O'Dowd, 9-18 mins; C Boles for Wall, 18 mins; J Clohessy for McMahon, 22 mins; E Higgins for Breen, 39 mins; S Flood for Elmes Kinlan, 47 mins; C Moloney for Jones, S McGrath for O'Dowd, C Haney for Djougang, E Lane for Scuffil-McCabe, all 64 mins. Referee: N Ganley (New Zealand).
Irish Daily Mirror
25-04-2025
- Sport
- Irish Daily Mirror
Famous name from famous rugby family, Clohessy, in Ireland squad for Scotland
Scott Bemand has brought in UL Bohs full-back Aoife Corey to make her debut in the last of the Six Nations outings, against Scotland at The Hive in Edinburgh (Sat 2.30pm). There will be a second debut should second-row Jane Clohessy - a daughter of former Ireland and Munster prop Peter - come from the bench to the fray. The Girls in Green have won two from four Six Nations outings to here, against Italy and Wales, and are aiming for a third victory for the first time since start comes as Stacy Flood, who had the no15 jersey for the first four games, drops down to the bench with speculation this in order to give her a tilt at out-half later in the promotion comes as Fiona Tuite steps up from the bench to the second-row as Dorothy Wall moves to no6 in place of Brittany Hogan shifting to no8 to replace the injured Aoife have won 15 of their last 17 Six Nations outings against Scotland, although the last of those Scottish wins was as recently as 2023 in this venueWafer's absence will most likely deny her the chance of topping the Six Nations try-scoring charts. The no8 has scored four to here and is level with England's Ellie Kildunne and Abby the stat to watch is with hooker Neve Jones who has made the most tackles of any front-row in the tournament, 51, and leads the category for tackles made by those with an 100 percent success Aoife Corey (UL Bohs); Vicky Elmes Kinlan (Wicklow), Aoife Dalton (Belvedere), Enya Breen (Blackrock), Amee-Leigh Costigan (Railway U); Dannah O'Brien (Belvedere); Molly Scuffil-McCabe (Leinster)(21)Niamh O'Dowd (Belvedere), Neve Jones (Gloucester-Hartpury), Linda Djougang (Belvedere), Ruth Campbell (Belvedere), Fiona Tuite (Belvedere), Dorothy Wall (Exeter), Edel McMahon (Exeter) capt, Brittany Hogan (Belvedere)Replacements: Cliodhna Moloney (Exeter), Sadhbh McGrath (Cooke), Christy Haney (Blackrock), Jane Clohessy (UL Bohs)*, Claire Boles (Railway U), Emily Lane (Blackrock), Eve Higgins (Railway U), Stacey Flood (Railway U).
The 42
24-04-2025
- Sport
- The 42
Wafer out for Ireland as Bemand names squad for Scotland test
AOIFE WAFER HAS lost her race for fitness ahead of this Saturday's Guinness Women's Six Nations meeting with Scotland due to a knee injury picked up during last weekend's win at Rodney Parade. Head Coach Scott Bemand has named his Ireland squad as they chase their third away win of the campaign. Bemand has included two uncapped players in his Match Day Squad for Saturday, as Munster's Aoife Corey and Jane Clohessy are in line for their Ireland debuts. Advertisement Corey is named to start at full-back having been called into the squad on the back of impressive performances for the Clovers in the Celtic Challenge, while second row Clohessy – the daughter of former Ireland international Peter – also earns her opportunity in green as she's named among the replacements. Corey starts in a back three alongside Amee-Leigh Costigan and Vicky Elmes Kinlan, who is set for her first Guinness Women's Six Nations start having come off the bench in the last two outings against England and Wales. It is an unchanged midfield pairing for Round 5 as Enya Breen and Aoife Dalton continue at inside and outside centre respectively, while Dannah O'Brien and Molly Scuffil-McCabe are retained in the half-backs. In the pack, Niamh O'Dowd returns to fitness to start in the front row alongside Neve Jones and Linda Djougang, while Ruth Campbell and Fiona Tuite are in the engine room, allowing Dorothy Wall to shift to blindside flanker in a back row alongside captain McMahon and number eight Brittany Hogan. On the bench, Cliodhna Moloney, Sadhbh McGrath, Christy Haney, the uncapped Clohessy and Claire Boles provide the forward reinforcements, with backs Emily Lane, Eve Higgins and Stacey Flood completing Ireland's 23. Ireland Aoife Corey, Vicky Elmes Kinlan, Aoife Dalton, Enya Breen, Amee-Leigh Costigan, Dannah O'Brien, Molly Suffil-McCabe; Niamh O'Dowd, Neve Jones, Linda Djougang, Ruth Campbell, Fiona Tuite, Dorothy Wall, Edel McMahon, Brittany Hogan. Replacements Cliodhna Moloney, Sadhbh McGrath, Christy Haney, Jane Clohessy, Claire Boles, Emily Lane, Eve Higgins, Stacey Flood.
