Ireland head coach Scott Bemand makes two changes with Stacey Flood and Dorothy Wall named for Cape Town clash

What a week for Erin King to celebrate her 23rd birthday, going on safari with her team-mates ahead of the serious stuff that is a first ever Test game for Ireland’s women in South Africa on Saturday (2pm Irish time).

King, who was appointed as team captain by Scott Bemand ahead of this year’s Six Nations, blew out the candles on the cake on Wednesday.

Back-to-back wins against the Springbok Women over the next week or so will have been on her wish list to cap a whirlwind first two years in green that has included the blow of suffering an ACL injury and subsequently the high of her captaincy selection.

The Wicklow-born flanker has personal ambitions, too, around becoming one of the world’s best at what she does.

“It’s been a bit of a whirlwind,” reflected King. “I was really lucky when I came into the squad to come into such a great group of girls.

“Sam [Monaghan] and Tricky [Edel McMahon] were my captains and they made me feel really at home in the squad, so it didn’t really take long to feel like I belonged.

“The timing was great. When I first started, after my first maul session, I probably cried. I was like, ‘I don’t know if this is for me’. It’s come a long way since then.

“To be the captain is still a bit of a pinch me moment. It’s an absolute honour, and it’s a really exciting time for us.

“Then, my own game, hopefully it’s coming along. I’m constantly working to be one of the best players in Ireland and in the world. I’m lucky to be captain of such an amazing group.”

The safari was part of a collective experience that King believes will help to further bond the group; she is one of the Sevens veterans who have been to the Rainbow Nation a few times and are showing the first-timers the ropes.

Some more activities are planned for next week but, for now, events at the Athlone Stadium in Cape Town are the focus, with Bemand naming a team with two changes from the victory over Japan on October 3rd.

Stacey Flood and Dorothy Wall are reinstated, while Brittany Hogan moves to number eight as the injured Aoife Wafer didn’t travel, and Fiona Tuite-O’Sullivan switches to blindside flanker. Neve Jones wins her 50th cap.

“It’s a great opportunity to get used to touring as a team and how special it can be, the memories that we can make together, while at the same time, not losing sight of the job at hand which is Saturday’s game,” King said.

“We’ve spoken about the history of getting to play in Cape Town – and in South Africa – because obviously, rugby is everything for them. They eat, sleep and breathe rugby. There’s so much history there.

“Not many teams have come to South Africa and won two Test games against them back-to-back – I don’t think any Irish team ever has, anyway. We’d love to create a bit of history.

“There’s a lot of excitement building. We’re playing in the third biggest township in Cape Town, so they’re going to have a huge backing. It’s going to be probably an atmosphere like no other.

“It’s going to be a bit of a challenge. Physicality is what will probably win it and it’s something that we definitely don’t shy away from.”

IRELAND (v South Africa): Stacey Flood (Railway Union/Leinster); Béibhinn Parsons (Blackrock College/Connacht), Anna McGann (Railway Union RFC/Connacht), Aoife Dalton (Old Belvedere/Leinster), Robyn O’Connor (Old Belvedere/Leinster); Dannah O’Brien (Old Belvedere/Leinster), Emily Lane (Blackrock College/Munster); Linda Djougang (Old Belvedere/Leinster), Neve Jones (Gloucester-Hartpury), Eilís Cahill (UL Bohemian/Munster); Jane Clohessy (UL Bohemian/Munster), Dorothy Wall (Exeter Chiefs); Fiona Tuite-O’Sullivan (Old Belvedere/Ulster), Erin King (Old Belvedere/Leinster) (capt), Brittany Hogan (Sale Sharks).

Replacements: Beth Buttimer (UL Bohemian/Munster), Niamh O’Dowd (Gloucester-Hartpury), Sadhbh McGrath (Cooke/Ulster), Kate Jordan (Blackrock College/Leinster), Grace Moore (Munster), Jemima Adams Verling (Galwegians/Connacht), Aoibheann Reilly (Blackrock College/Connacht), Eve Higgins (Railway Union/Leinster).