Latest news with #Wafer
Extra.ie
8 hours ago
- Sport
- Extra.ie
Fogarty provides positive Aoife Wafer update ahead of RWC warm-up games
The World Cup is just around the corner now and the main talk around the Ireland camp is the health of Aoife Wafer. Wafer, the reigning Women's Six Nations Player of the Tournament is one of the best players in Europe at just 22-years old heading into this tournament and there's a lot of expectations on her to help Ireland achieve a high finish this year. That's why it came as worrying news that she had knee issues and was a doubt for the opener against Japan on August 24. She has since received a 'procedure' as Ireland Scrum Coach Denis Fogarty has put it in a press conference at the IRFU High Performance Centre ahead of the Scotland warm-up game this weekend. Aoife Wafer. Pic: INPHO/Ben Brady 'So she's got a procedure done,' Fogarty said. 'So she's definitely not ruled out of the World Cup yet, but we're taking it week by week in terms of when her return to play. But she's not ruled out in anyway.' When asked was Wafer in a race against time, Fogarty calmed the nerves of many Irish fans with his response. Scrum coach Denis Fogarty. Pic: David Fitzgerald/Sportsfile 'No, we're quite confident that she will play some part of the World Cup, which is really really pleasing…. She's trekking really well. It's just a making sure it's right for her as a player when she comes back into it.' Ireland now have two warm-up games in the coming weeks ahead of the World Cup. Firstly they come up against Scotland at Virgin Media Park in Cork before they go to Belfast to Affidea Park to face Canada next weekend. The Scotland game has a particular marker on it as Ireland will be out to avenge their loss to Scotland in the final game of this year's Six Nations. Ireland, depleted by numerous injuries at that point, fell short of their expectations and loss to a try in the last play in Edinburgh. Pic: Paul Devlin/Sportsfile All involved were hugely disappointed to lose that day and with the Scots coming to Cork off the back of a 34-29 defeat to Italy, Ireland smell blood. After the disappointment of failing to make the last edition of the World Cup, Ireland will look to make up for lost time and make an impact in England. Head Coach Scott Bemand will select his squad for the World Cup on August 11.
The Irish Sun
10-07-2025
- Sport
- The Irish Sun
Ireland hit with yet another injury blow which may rule Six Nations star out of World Cup in August
IRELAND have been hit with another injury blow as Aoife Wafer has again sustained a knee injury in the lead up to the World Cup. Ireland's Six Nations stand-out performer is now racing to get fit in time for the World Cup opener against Japan on August 24 in Northampton. Advertisement 3 Ireland had a bright start to the Six Nations but a heavy defeat to England ruled out winning chances 3 Wafer was their top performer throughout the competition 3 Scott Bemand will have a smaller pool of players to choose from for the World Cup The former Leinster backrower looks set to miss the World Cup warm-up games against Scotland on August 2 and August 9. The knee injury occurred during Despite missing the final round, the Wexford native's performances in the competition earned her Women's Six Nations Player of the Tournament. Advertisement Read more on Irish sport It was announced in May that Wafer would join up with Harlequins at the end of the Rugby World Cup. She has been with Leinster her whole professional career having led the Wolfhounds - a Leinster and Ulster combined team - to back to back Celtic Challenge Cups. The Quins were impressed with the former Enniscorthy RFC player as she was named in the 2024 World Rugby XVs Team of the Year. The 22-year-old joins key players Erin King and Dorothy Wall on the growing Ireland injury list. Advertisement Most read in Rugby Union King was ruled out of both the remainder of the Six Nations and the World Cup when suffering a knee injury - which required surgery - in Ireland's Wall World Cup dreams were also shattered during the Six Nations, sustaining an Achilles tendon injury in the final Six Nations game against Scotland. Craig Casey shares hilarious 'fear' weighing on him before captaining Ireland for first time vs Georgia Ireland's pack will be heavily weakened without three of their star players if Wafer fails to reach match fitness. Scott Bemand's side finished third in the Six Nations table for the second year in a row following a last place finish in 2023 with no points on the board. Advertisement Ireland bettered last season's Six Nations points tally by one point but saw a significant change in score difference as they went from -71 in 2024 to +5 in 2025.
The 42
10-07-2025
- Sport
- The 42
Aoife Wafer in race to be fit for Ireland's Rugby World Cup campaign
IRELAND HAVE BEEN dealt another significant injury blow ahead of the Women's Rugby World Cup, with news that Aoife Wafer has suffered a knee injury. Wafer has undergone a procedure and while it is hoped she will return at some point during the World Cup, she is now in a race to be fit for Ireland's pool fixtures, with the back rower expected to miss the World Cup warm-up games against Scotland (2 August) and Canada (9 August). Ireland open their World Cup campaign against Japan in Northampton on 24 August, before games against Spain (31 August) and New Zealand (7 September). Wafer has been one of Ireland's standout players over the last 12 months and was named Six Nations Player of the Championship earlier this year. The injury is not a recurrence of the knee problem which ruled the Wexford native out of the final round of this year's Six Nations, but will keep the Harlequins player sidelined for a number of weeks. 'She's had a procedure. It won't keep her out of the World Cup,' confirmed Ireland head coach Scott Bemand. Advertisement Wafer was this year's Six Nations Player of the Championship. Ben Brady / INPHO Ben Brady / INPHO / INPHO 'I think the World Cup warm-up games will come a little bit quickly. But there will be all things put in place to get her back into the World Cup, depending on how certain markers are met will define at which point but we're pretty optimistic with how it's gone. 'I believe she'll be fit at some point (at the World Cup). There's a few markers to get through before that but we're very confident we'll see her at the World Cup. 'It wasn't even in live rugby. Just one of those things, got hit on the side of her leg. Relatively minor procedure and hopefully she comes through it really quickly.' While Ireland are not putting a timeframe on Wafer's return to action, Bemand will hope to have the influential back row available for the final pool game against the Black Ferns in Brighton. 'It could be before that,' Bemand said. 'There's a medical piece, she's not long had this done. A few bits to jump through that but we're pretty optimistic about that (New Zealand game).' Bemand is already missing a number of key players for the World Cup, with Dorothy Wall ruled out of the tournament with an Achilles injury and Erin King sidelined with a long-term knee issue. 'She's ahead of schedule,' Bemand said of Wall, 'but what does that look like? It's unlikely to be the World Cup. 'Erin had a piece over time, no real incident or mechanism for the knee. It's a knee that perhaps had stuff going on over the last couple of years and at some point it was going to find her out and none of us knew.' The Ireland squad are now into the fifth week of their pre-World Cup training camp in Abbotstown, with Ireland men's captain Caelan Doris visiting the squad yesterday to work with the back row players. In May, defence coach Hugh Hogan left Bemand's backroom team, a change which reportedly didn't sit well with some members of the playing squad. Former Bath and Exeter Chiefs flanker James Scaysbrook replaced Hogan as defence coach. 'Generally players don't massively enjoy change one way or another, whether people leave or whether as a coaching group we make a decision to do stuff,' Bemand said. 'That's the nature of high performance sport. 'Nothing is as consistent as change in high performance sport. As a coaching group, the synergy and stuff that we were after, we made a decision that we want to add a slightly different layer to what we are. He did a great job in getting it started but the evolving growth in the group, we made a decision to bring in some of the components that James Scaysbrook can bring. Already he's starting to add, he's starting to challenge players to the next level, to the next layer. 'Certainly going into high pressure environments like the World Cup, the synergy bit is really important and we think we're in a good space now.'
The 42
22-05-2025
- Sport
- The 42
Ireland star Aoife Wafer seals Women's Premiership move to Harlequins
IRELAND RUGBY STAR Aoife Wafer is set for a move to England's Premiership after agreeing a deal with Harlequins. Wafer, 22, moves off the back of a stellar international campaign which saw her named Six Nations Player of the Championship. Advertisement The backrow, who is expected to have recovered from her recent knee injury in time for Ireland's pre-World Cup preparations, will link up with Quins after the tournament later this year. 'This league has all the star players in the world in it,' Wafer said. I want to be the best player in the world, and I can't wait to test myself out against those stars every week. Quins head coach Ross Chisholm hailed his new recruit as 'a real world-class operator'. 'We want people here who are going to fit into our environment and also feel like they belong in it and with Aoife, we feel like it's a perfect fit. 'When we are looking at recruitment, we always look at how players will fit into the Harlequins DNA, and with Aoife, it's clear that she really suits our style and the way we want to play. 'I'm delighted that she is going to be with us next season.'
RTÉ News
22-05-2025
- Sport
- RTÉ News
Ireland star Aoife Wafer to join Harlequins after World Cup
Ireland forward Aoife Wafer has joined Harlequins and will start with the Premiership Women's Rugby team following the World Cup. Named as the 2025 Six Nations player of the tournament on Monday, Wexford native Wafer makes the move from Leinster and Celtic Challenge side Wolfhounds. Ireland team-mates Edel McMahon, Dorothy Wall, Neve Jones and Clíodhna Moloney also play in the English championship. Wafer said: "The history that the club is steeped in is something that really stood out to me. "I'm really looking forward to being here and I can't wait to get going. "This league has all the star players in the world in it. "I want to be the best player in the world, and I can't wait to test myself out against those stars every week. "I was very lucky to come over to a game a few months ago and meet some of the girls and the family values were something that really stood out to me. "That's really important to me, and I know that my family will be well looked after over here as well." The 22-year-old (above) burst on to the international scene last season and was nominated for the player of the season award as well as being named on the 2024 World Rugby XVs team of the year. During this year's Six Nations she scored four tries and made 70 carries - the most of any player - for a staggering 424.7 metres, beating 17 defenders in the process, the second highest of any forward in the championship. She added: "Hopefully what people have seen on the international stage is what they'll get from me at Quins! I'm going to be working incredibly hard to be the best version of myself and hopefully that can really benefit the team, because at the end of the day, it's not about me, it's about whole team." Scott Bemand's Ireland side will play World Cup warm-ups against Scotland and Canada at the start of August. They face Japan, Spain and New Zealand in Pool C of the World Cup in August and September.
