Clara's Aoife Dalton named in Irish Rugby training camp

Clara's Aoife Dalton is named among a 37-player squad taking part in a three-day Irish Women's Rugby training camp ahead of the start of the Guinness Women's Six Nations in April.

The camp, which is taking place at the IRFU High Performance Centre at the Sport Ireland Campus in Dublin, includes 10 uncapped players, who will train alongside many members of the squad who lined out for Ireland in last year's Women's Rugby World Cup and Six Nations.

Aoife Dalton, who is only 22, won her 25th cap for Ireland when she made her Women's Rugby World Cup debut in their opening game against Japan at Frankin Garden's in Northampton last August, where they claimed an emphatic 42-14 win.

The former Moate Community School student, who began her rugby career with Tullamore RFC, was named Rugby Players Ireland Women's Players’ Player of the Year for 2025 after a brilliant Six Nations tournament where she started all five games.

The Irish Women's Rugby team will play at three home venues, in Galway, Belfast and Dublin as part of the Guinness Women’s Six Nations 2026 campaign, with their opening match taking place against England at Allianz Stadium,Twickenham on Saturday, April 11 next (kick-off 2.25pm).

They will then host Italy at Dexcom Stadium in Galway, which is the home ground of Connaught Rugby on Saturday, April 18 with a kick-off time of 5.40pm.This will be the first time ever for the Galway venue to host a Women’s Six Nations match, with the Ireland Women’s only previous appearance in Galway being a 15-8 victory over Canada in April 2006.

Scott Bemand’s charges then travel to France in Round 3 on Saturday, April 25 (kick-off 8.10pm), before concluding the Championship with back-to-back home games in Belfast and Dublin.

Ulster’s Affidea Stadium has staged a number of Women’s internationals in recent years, and Wales will be the visitors to Belfast in Round 4 on Saturday, May 9 (kick-off 6.30pm), before Scotland come to the Aviva Stadium on the final weekend on Sunday, May 17 (kick-off 2.30pm).

The Round 5 encounter will be the first ever standalone Women’s international at the home of Irish Rugby, and ticket sales have already passed the 12,000 mark.