Celtic Challenge: Ulster backs Liston and McCormill handed Combined Provinces starts

The extended 43-women panel assembled at the IRFU High Performance Centre in Dublin this week.

“After four weeks of high quality rugby with our provinces, it has been great to link up as a squad this week and build for what is an incredibly exciting challenge ahead,” said team captain O’Connor.

“There is a great mix of youth and experience in the squad, which bodes really well for us as we try to bring that exciting talent through.”

Coach McWilliams added that the competition is a “great opportunity” for the players as the build-up continues to the Six Nations which starts in late March.

“The young players who have impressed us during the All-Ireland League and Interpros have come into camp and been eager and ready to learn, equally the more experienced players have taken on new leadership roles which will be highly valuable leading into the Six Nations,” said the Ireland coach.

Following Sunday’s opener, the Combined Provinces will play two home games at Belfast’s Kingspan Stadium, facing the Scottish Thistles on 4 February and their Welsh counterparts again on 18 February before a final game against the Thistles on 25 February.

Combined Provinces: Maeve Liston (Ulster); Orla Dixon (Connacht), Aoife Dalton (Leinster), Kelly McCormill (Ulster), Ella Roberts (Leinster); Dannah O’Brien (Leinster), Ailsa Hughes (Leinster); Niamh O’Dowd (Leinster), Emma Hooban (Leinster), Christy Haney (Leinster); Claire Bennett (Munster), Clodagh O’Halloran (Munster); Deirbhile Nic a Bhaird (Munster), Maeve Og O’Leary (Munster), Hannah O’Connor (Leinster).

Replacements: Chloe Blackmore (Leinster), Sadhbh McGrath (Ulster), Linda Djougang (Leinster), India Daley (Ulster), Molly Boyne (Leinster), Katie Whelan (Leinster), Clara Barrett (Connacht), Ella Durkan (Ulster)