Sinéad Kissane: Should Cliodhna Moloney go straight onto the bench for the Six Nations game with Wales? Hell, yeah

She threw the ball around with Ireland co-captain Edel McMahon, her team-mate at Exeter Chiefs and her housemate in Devon. She did her stretching. She practised her throwing into a strong breeze with fellow hookers Neve Jones and Sarah Delaney, with Jones complimenting her on one of her pin-point throws. Moloney was making a fine impression of slotting back in.

Make no mistake, this is no ordinary return for no ordinary Ireland player. Four days previously, the news landed from the IRFU that Moloney would join the squad for training this week.

The Galway player hadn’t been part of a national squad since the end of the November internationals in 2021, during which she called out the comments of now former IRFU director of women’s rugby Anthony Eddy with her ‘slurry spreading’ social media post.

It also shouldn’t be forgotten that Moloney was one of the four-person player group that represented the players in talks following their explosive letter to the Irish Government about their lack of trust in the IRFU.

The fall-out hit Moloney the hardest. She wasn’t part of Ireland squads in 2022 or 2023 under Greg McWilliams. There were IRFU denials that her exclusion had anything to do with her speaking out, but you didn’t need to be an expert to see how the dots joined up.

The ending of Moloney’s exile feels like a signal of the start of something new. There has been plenty of positive talk from players about the new environment and culture in the women’s squad, but the continued exclusion of Moloney was at odds with this and also because of the impact she continues to show with Exeter.

In 13 Premiership Women’s Rugby (PWR) games this season, Moloney has made four starts (she missed four games after the start of the season because of injury) as well as two appearances off the bench. The return on that has been powerful plays as well as six tries scored.

Maybe no one knows the effect Moloney has on a squad more than McMahon.

“I’ve been privileged to play with her for a long time with Wasps and Chiefs, so I just know the standard that she lives by day to day, what she brings on the pitch, and yeah, she’s slotted in very well and training well as well,” a clearly delighted McMahon said yesterday before describing what Moloney will bring to the squad.

“I suppose her aggression, definitely, and assertiveness around the park. She carries well, she’s slotted in really well with the girls already. Just going about her business.”

So should Moloney come straight onto the bench for Saturday’s Women’s Six Nations game with Wales in Cork? Hell, yeah. Scott Bemand said yesterday that replacement hooker Delaney picked up “a bit of a ding on her shoulder”.

There’s no more margin for error; Ireland have three games to save their Six Nations from descending into another wooden spoon finish for the second year in a row.

Sure, she’ll need to learn the line-out calls, etc, but Moloney brings the experience of 31 international caps, plus a knowledge of the Wales players, the majority of whom also play in the PWR.

Neve Jones has played the full 80 minutes in the last two games against France and Italy. In Le Mans, Delaney (who has three Ireland caps) came on for flanker Aoife Wafer, while she was the only sub not used against Italy two weeks ago.

Just like the men’s team with their double-punch of Dan Sheehan and Ronan Kelleher, what a major plus it would be for the women’s team to have the same dynamic with Jones and Moloney.

Ireland were bullied by Wales in the first half in Cardiff last year. They will need to show they can stand up to that this weekend. They must show defiance to hang in there when the going gets tough and their reward will eventually come.

Just like the traits shown over the past few years by their returning Galway hooker.