Bemand Aiming To Find 'balance' In Irish Selection

Women's Rugby World Cup - Pool C: Ireland v Spain

Venue: Franklin's Gardens, Northampton Date: Sunday, 31 August Kick-off: 12:00 BST

Coverage: Live connected BBC Two, BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra, BBC Sport website and app.

Ireland caput coach Scott Bemand says he group retired to "strike a balance" successful his squad action for Sunday's World Cup Pool C crippled against Spain arsenic his broadside purpose to unafraid a quarter-final berth pinch triumph astatine Franklin's Gardens.

The Irish squad began their run pinch a convincing 42-14 win complete Japan past play and will look holders New Zealand successful an brushwood which is apt to determine nan group winners connected 7 September.

Bemand has made 7 changes to his starting line-up for nan gathering pinch Spain and prima backmost statement Aoife Wafer remains an absentee from nan 23-strong matchday squad contempt returning to training aft a knee injury.

Although nan erstwhile England adjunct described his squad arsenic "in good health", nan likes of Edel McMahon and Beibhinn Parsons will not beryllium progressive successful nan game, while Neve Jones and past week's subordinate of nan match, Brittany Hogan, are held successful reserve connected nan bench.

"There's ever a equilibrium to onslaught connected these occasions," said Bemand.

"There's ever that blend, we want to get our champion crippled retired location and we want to execute nan quarter-final astatine nan first imaginable opportunity and that's this play truthful there's a occupation we've sewage to get done.

"I ever emphasise really we compete successful training and nan girls that person travel successful are afloat ready. They've earned their spot and I deliberation we've sewage nan blend correct of squad and beingness capacity crossed nan board."

Bemand highlights that nan squad's thoughts are afloat focused connected overcoming Spain earlier their attraction turns to their first gathering pinch New Zealand since their stunning WXV1 success complete nan Black Ferns successful September.

"This is our first chance to nail that quarter-final position and we are perfectly gunning for it. We've been gunning for it successful training which is why it's important group person been allowed to compete for positions.

"There are a mates of tactical changes which gives america somewhat different things to what we showed against Japan. It's conscionable astir getting nan occupation done astatine nan business end."

Spain lost 54-8 to nan defending champions successful their group opener but ran Ireland adjacent successful their WXV3 gathering successful 2023 aft winning nan 2021 World Cup qualifier betwixt nan sides.

They are classed 13th successful nan world, 8 places beneath Ireland.

"We cognize that Spain are a mobile team. They person a beardown inheritance successful sevens. We want to beryllium mobile, we want to create beingness challenge.

"In position of what we want to execute successful nan game. We want to get our crippled going early and we want to get connected apical of them. We judge we've picked nan correct squad to do that.

"It's an advantage to get retired of nan blocks. We want to enforce our crippled arsenic quickly arsenic we can."