IRELAND WILL HAVE eight players missing for the game against England in the Six Nations this weekend because of The HSBC World Rugby Sevens Series in Canada this month.
Greg McWilliam's side has won one game in this year's tournament and face a daunting task when they face England this Sunday.
The HSBC World Rugby Sevens Series in Canada begins in May and will see seven of the players that started in the win over Italy head over.
Beibhinn Parsons, Lucy Mulhall, Amee-Leigh Murphy Crowe, Stacey Flood and Eve Higgins will play in the event in 10 days.
Brittany Hogan and Anna McGann will also head to Langford.
To make matters worse for McWilliams, he's also lost Sam Monaghan and Aoife Wafer to injury.
Dublin , Ireland - 24 October 2020; Béibhinn Parsons of Ireland (Photo By Brendan Moran/Sportsfile via Getty Images)Speaking to the media today about the player losses, he said: "We had a really productive camp on Saturday, during which we got through a good body of work both on and off the pitch.
Unfortunately we will be without both Sam and Aoife through injuries this weekend," he said.
"David (Nucifora), Aiden (McNulty) and myself have been in regular communication over selection and we feel we have the right balance for this window, knowing that there are further development opportunities coming up for the XVs squad, with plans at an advanced stage for a two-Test Summer Tour in August, and the important qualification tournaments facing the Sevens programme over the same period.
"There are a number of players who have had to be patient during the first three Rounds of the Six Nations and they now have an opportunity to stake a claim for the green jersey.
"We have a good group of players in camp with us now, a nice mixture of experience and players who have impressed me during the Energia All-Ireland League season, and coming off the back of our win over Italy, are determined to finish the Championship with strong performances."
Laura Feely, Laura Sheehan, Mary Healy, Shannon Touhy, Sene Naoupu Niamh Byrne and Alice O'Dowd have been called up to the squad for the final two games.
Ireland will be in for a tough test against the Red Roses.
England's dominance is plain to see in their recent results - 57-5, 89-0, 51-12, 56-15.
