Jane Clohessy and Niamh Gallagher named for first Ireland starts against Japan

Ireland head coach Scott Bemand named Jane Clohessy and Niamh Gallagher for their first Test starts on Thursday, 1 October, for Saturday’s match against Japan at Virgin Media Park in Cork. The selection is part of six changes to the starting side that beat Japan 31-24 in Galway four days earlier.

Clohessy starts in the second row and Gallagher at full-back for the 2pm kick-off on 3 October. Sophie Barrett, Kate Jordan and Alana McInerney are among the replacements and could make their Ireland debuts if they come off the bench. Aoife Wafer, who missed the Galway game after an ankle injury in training, is absent again.

How Ireland’s starting XV has changed

Munster second-row Clohessy is in line for her third Ireland cap and her first start. She joins Fiona Tuite-O’Sullivan in the second row. Gallagher moves into the starting side at full-back after being named among the replacements for the previous meeting with Japan. Those two first starts are the clearest changes in a side that retains several players from Sunday’s win.

Linda Djougang, Neve Jones and Eilís Cahill make up the front row. Brittany Hogan, captain Erin King and Jemima Adams Verling remain together in an unchanged back row. Hogan scored twice in Galway, while King captained the side there as well. Keeping that trio together gives the new starters familiar teammates in the pack, though the selection alone says nothing about how Saturday’s match will unfold.

The named replacements are Beth Buttimer, Sadhbh McGrath, Barrett, Jordan, Grace Moore, Aoibheann Reilly, Enya Breen and McInerney. Barrett, Jordan and McInerney are uncapped, so their inclusion creates a chance of three debuts. Being named on the bench does not itself give a player a Test cap; whether any of them plays will be decided during the match.

Why Aoife Wafer misses the Japan rematch

Wafer also missed the 31-24 win in Galway after suffering an ankle injury in training the previous week. The Irish Times reported that scrum coach Denis Fogarty said on Wednesday she was “tracking well”, but the team would likely “err more so on the side of caution in terms of risking her”. She has not been named for the Cork Test. The account does not establish a date for her return.

What happened when Ireland and Japan met in Galway

Ireland won the first meeting 31-24 at Dexcom Stadium on 27 September. RTÉ reported that the hosts scored five tries: two each from Hogan and Parsons, and one from Dalton. Parsons’ two scores took her Ireland Test total to 24, making her the country’s record try-scorer. Her selection for Cork gives her another opportunity to add to that tally, though the earlier record does not predict Saturday’s result.

The seven-point margin came after Ireland had led 19-0 approaching half-time. RTÉ reported that Japan fought back through its maul, scoring three of its four tries that way, while Ireland conceded 16 penalties. Japan narrowed the score to 24-19 late in the second half before Parsons scored her second try. The teams now meet again within six days, with the Galway contest providing a recent measure of how closely they competed.

World Rugby described the Galway victory as Ireland’s first win of the 2026 WXV Global Series after a defeat by the United States. The governing body’s account also recorded Japan’s tries through Moe Nagaoka, who scored twice, Nijiho Nagata and Nami Asari. Those details explain the context for the rematch, while Bemand’s announced lineup establishes who is selected for the next game.

When and where Ireland play Japan next

Saturday’s Test is scheduled to start at 2pm at Virgin Media Park in Cork. The Irish Times reported that it will be streamed on IrishRugby+. Ireland’s announced autumn programme also includes two Tests against South Africa in Cape Town on 24 and 31 October. For now, the Cork team sheet confirms the first starts for Clohessy and Gallagher; the three possible bench debuts and the match result remain to be settled on the field.