Ireland Women produced a brave, spirited performance in their defeat against title favourites England last weekend. Having faced massive underdog odds going into the match, the Irish gave the Red Roses a massive scare in the first half, going toe to toe with the might and power of their opponents.
Now, Ireland Women head into Round 4 of this year’s Six Nations still in contention to match their third-place finish from last season, and a victory in Newport against Wales would see them take a massive step towards that goal.
Wales Women vs Ireland Women will be played at Rodney Parade on 20th April 2025, with the kick-off at 3:00pm. The match referee will be Italy’s Clara Munarini.
Ireland Women’s Six Nations so far
Ireland Women kicked off their W6N campaign at home in Belfast against France, and while Les Bleues were heavy favourites for the match, they found themselves in a tough scrap because of Ireland’s impressive intensity.
France ultimately ran out 27-15 winners, but performance-wise, Ireland took a big step forward against a team who they have historically struggled against, scoring three tries.
Ireland’s first win of the campaign came in Round 2 when they put 54 points on the board in a comprehensive victory over Italy. The Irish were hoping to ride that positive green wave as they then hosted England last weekend.
Irish impress in defeat
Ireland took a surprise lead in Cork against the Red Roses after wing Amee-Leigh Costigan chased down a kick ahead from fly-half Dannah O’Brien. This was a justified reward for the Irish, whose level of competitiveness once again couldn’t be faulted.
Last season, when Ireland Women went to Twickenham, they conceded 88 points against England. However, with a nod to their new mentality and progress under head coach Scott Bemand, they showed no fear of the English and stood up to the challenge.
The most notable aspect of Ireland’s performance was their ferocity and bravery in defence, highlighted by Costigan’s brilliant try-saving tackle on Jess Breach early in the second half. They put everything on the line, closing down space and throwing the usually fluent English off their game.
Second half proves too much
Some of the Irish wind was knocked out of them when prop Niamh O’Dowd was sent to the sin-bin not long after the break, with the Irish scrum already creaking. The Irish began to tire in the second half, and England were able to bring on extra power from their bench to close the game out with six second-half tries in a 49-5 victory.
However, the first 40 minutes of action showed how far Ireland Women have come in a very short space of time after their wooden spoon in the 2023 Six Nations.
Wales vs Ireland H2H
Ireland produced a comprehensive 36-5 home win over Wales in last season’s W6N campaign. This match turned the tide in the recent head-to-head form between the two nations as Wales had been seeking their third win on the spin against the Irish.
Wales vs Ireland W6N key stats
- In the last six W6N meetings, the head-to-head is even at three wins each.
- Five of the last seven meetings have been won by the home team on the day.
- Each winning team in the last five clashes has recorded at least 27 points.
- The highest team match tally in the last five meetings came from Ireland in a 45-0 win in 2021.
- Three of the last four meetings have been settled by a winning margin of at least 26 points.
Ireland Women’s last four results in Wales
The last time Ireland visited Wales was in 2023 when they lost heavily 31-5, leaving them with a W2 L2 record in their last four visits there in the competition and suffering two losses in their last three there.
- Wales 31-5 Ireland
- Wales 0-45 Ireland
- Wales 24-5 Ireland
- Wales 7-12 Ireland
Ireland squad evolving
There have been strong individual performances throughout the 2025 Women’s Six Nations from the Irish squad, which continues to show growth. Dorothy Wall was highly impressive for the Irish in last weekend’s match against England with her physicality and ball-carrying ability.
Brittany Hogan was also outstanding against England in the Irish pack. The flanker threw her physicality around, which is no easy task against the Red Roses’ pack, and put in a heavy workload with 20 tackles in the match, more than any other player.
Anna McGann has been so important for Ireland’s much-improved attacking output this season in the Six Nations. McGann is the joint top try scorer in this season’s W6N alongside England’s world-class finisher Ellie Kildunne. McGann, incidentally, has also been impressive in making post-contact metres this season.
King and Wafer look imperious
Six Nations rookie Erin King is in line to be one of Ireland’s top performers of the competition, recording 17 tackles and winning four turnovers against England. She has been outstanding in attacking and defensive rucks and also tirelessly carrying the ball. King has also been one of Ireland’s rocks in the line-out.
The presence of Aoife Wafer remains crucial for Ireland’s drive and balance. She has been one of the best players in the 2025 W6N for in-contact and post-contact meters and has produced more carries than any other player in this season’s tournament.
Wales squad
Wales, who collected the W6N wooden spoon last season, have lost all three of their matches, conceding more points than anyone else so far in 2025. The Welsh opened their campaign with a narrow three-point loss to Scotland before shipping 67 points at home against England Women and then another 42 against France.
Wales were underdogs for their match in France at the weekend, but stuck to their task well early on and tries from Kate Williams and Gwen Crabb had kept them in the contest at 21-12 down at the break. However, once France opened up and started offloading in tackles, the Welsh had no answer.
Under former Gloucester-Hartpury head coach Sean Lynn, Wales Women are still seeking their first win. There have been clear signs of improvement from the Welsh in this season’s Six Nations competition. They look more organised in defence and more patient in understanding when to attack the ball.
Keira Bevan has been important for Wales, both with the boot and her creativity, while Jasmine Joyce-Butchers has been their most impactful player in carrying the ball. It’s the support around Joyce-Butchers in the ruck where the Welsh have just been lacking in cohesiveness.
Wales vs Ireland W6N prediction – who will win?
While results haven’t gone Ireland Women’s way this season, their performance levels have been on the up. Trying to close the gap on France and England is a huge task, but this is something that’s driving the Irish in what is a World Cup year.
However, this is very much still a season of development for them, and the defensive shape and discipline that they showed in the first half against the Red Roses is a clear indication of where Ireland Women are heading.
Ireland’s pace and power in the forwards should put them in the driving seat against Wales, and that extra dynamic threat in the forwards should give them the ability to make those extra metres in the tackle, with the likes of Wafer and King making the hard-contact yards.
Ireland’s pack should take a lot out of the Welsh forwards, and if the Irish can secure quick ruck speed and get the ball through the hands, then there is going to be space in behind the Welsh defence to exploit.
Ireland to cut loose?
In last season’s improved campaign, Ireland scored 99 points in total, and they are already up to 77 this season, with two games still to play and France and England out of the way. This puts them in line to post around 25 points against Wales if their current average holds out.
Wales will probably come out fast and look to disrupt the Irish early on. They have done this against England and France in this season’s competition, but they don’t appear to be at the level yet of keeping this up for 80 minutes.
Part of the process for Ireland in Newport will be patience. The gaps are going to open up later in the match, so it’s feasible that the scoreboard may be fairly even at the half-time break. However, Ireland Women can push on and target points in the second half of the match.
If you want to check out the latest Women’s Six Nations rugby odds for Wales Women v Ireland Women, then head to Tonybet. From the match outrights to the wide range of in-play markets after kick-off, every angle of the match will be covered. You can also check out the rest of the Women’s Six Nations markets from the outright winner to pre-match odds for every remaining 2025 W6N fixture in the sportsbook.
