Ireland Rugby Captain Monaghan, Parsons Return for World Cup Warm-Up vs Scotland

Ireland's captain Sam Monaghan is set to make her long-awaited return to international rugby after 13 months out due to a serious knee injury, with additional setbacks from calf and hamstring injuries, in their World Cup warm-up match against Scotland. Winger Béibhinn Parsons also returns after recovering from two broken legs in four months, boosting the squad ahead of the World Cup. Head coach Scott Bemand has included two debutants, Ivana Kiripati and Nancy McGillivray, with Ailish Quinn likely to make her debut off the bench, while experienced players like Eimear Corri-Fallon rejoin after long absences. Ireland will be without key forwards Erin King and Dorothy Wall, both ruled out of the World Cup, and are uncertain on star back row Aoife Wafer's fitness. The Scotland game marks the first of two warm-ups before the World Cup, where Ireland will compete in a pool with Spain, Japan, and New Zealand. Bemand emphasized the match as a critical opportunity for players to stake their claim for World Cup selection, following a tough Six Nations campaign where Ireland finished third.