SCOTT BEMAND is expecting a stiff test when Ireland face Italy in the Women’s Six Nations.
France beat Ireland 27-15 in their opener in Dublin last weekend, despite the hosts playing against 14 players for much of the second half.
Coach Bemand has made three changes, with Edel McMahon coming in to skipper the Girls in Green against the Azzurri in Parma.
Aoibheann Reilly is drafted in at No 9 for Emily Lane, while Fiona Tuite takes over from Dorothy Wall in the second row.
Italy fell to a heavy 38-5 loss in England last week but beat the Girls in Green 27-21 in last year’s Championship.
Bemand said: “They have a strong sense of purpose, cultural identity and what game they want to get out there. They’ve a more structured version of themselves these days.
“It used to be quite fun watching them, in that anything might happen. Everybody had a left foot and a right foot and, ‘We’ll all do three chips each’.
“They’ve got a little more . . . not pragmatic, but personal and sensible with what they’re trying to do.
“Our aim is to get our best game out there and if we do, we’ll be all right, but certainly the Italians won’t make it easy for us.”
IRELAND: S Flood, A McGann, A Dalton, E Higgins, AL Costigan, D O’Brien, A Reilly; N O’Dowd, N Jones, L Djougang, R Campbell, F Tuite, E McMahon, E King, A Wafer. Reps: C Moloney, S McCarthy, C Haney, G Moore, D Wall, B Hogan, E Lane, E Breen.
