Ireland captain Sam Monaghan will return to international duty in the side’s World Cup warm-up fixture against Scotland in Cork on Saturday.
The Gloucester-Hartpury lock has been out of action since June 2024 when she suffered a serious knee injury on club duty. Calf and hamstring injurries then delayed her comeback.
Beibhinn Parsons provides another boost with the wing back in the side after missing the Six Nations thanks to the broken leg she sustained in December.
Eimear Corri-Fallon, who joins Monaghan in the second row, also returns after 12 months out.
There are three uncapped players in the squad with back row Ivana Kiripati and centre Nancy McGillivray set to win first caps from the start, while Ailish Quinn will do so if called upon as a replacement.
In what is a 6:2 split on the bench, there is plenty of forward experience around Quinn with Neve Jones, Niamh O’Dowd, Linda Djougang, Fiona Tuite and Deirbhile Nic a Bhaird also held in reserve.
Ireland are, however, without influentinal forwards Erin King and Dorothy Wall, who have both been ruled out of the World Cup, and star back row Aoife Wafer who has not given up hope of being fit for the tournament.
The game against Scotland is the first of Ireland’s two warm-up fixtures before the World Cup. They will also face Canada in Belfast on 9 August.
At the tournament in England, held between 22 August and 27 September, Bemand’s side are in a pool with Spain, Japan and New Zealand.
