IRFU will amend club fixtures to avoid clashes with Women’s Six Nations

The IRFU are to amend their women’s club fixture list having realised they clash with Ireland’s home Six Nations matches.

“A revised fixture schedule was drafted last week and will be confirmed and communicated directly with clubs when the Women’s Six Nations fixtures are officially confirmed [Thursday],” stated the IRFU on Tuesday.

The national team’s core support comes from female club players. The IRFU opted to host Italy, Wales and Scotland on Sundays in Donnybrook despite RTÉ offering to televise these games live in primetime slots on Friday or Saturday night.

“It clashes with a full programme of AIL and Leinster League on the same day and time as the proposed Italy game, the All-Ireland Cup semi-finals for Wales, and AIL and Leinster League finals for Scotland,” tweeted Railway Union RFC. “It’s repeating the same mistakes that kills. This happened two years ago [against] Italy. We had five players starting [for Ireland], some making debuts but our seconds had a Leinster fixture one hour from Dublin. We tried to change it, no joy. Best offer we got from Branch was 9am Sunday.

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“Our seconds chose to concede the game and go watch their friends and teammates who they train with every week play for Ireland. As it was a cup game, we got kicked out of the plate too.

“So we will be once again left with the choice of fulfilling domestic fixtures or going to support Ireland, our teammates and our peers who we play every week in league.”

In response the IRFU initially stated, “The fixtures for the February 11th [Italy] and March 11th [Scotland] are being looked at at the moment by the league organisers with a view to finding suitable dates.”

So, seemingly, a direct AIL fixture clash with Ireland will be avoided for two matches.

Despite the guaranteed drop in viewing figures and attendances, the IRFU’s reasoning for early Sunday kick-offs is that amateur women players struggle to get time off work for Friday games. That assertion has been challenged by Railway Union, a club with 70 active female players and at least 10 current internationals.

“Players 100 per cent prefer Friday night double headers with the [men’s] under-20s,” stated Railway Union. “Atmosphere, profile, crowd, relevance. No one wants the Sunday graveyard slot. There’s no issue with employers, they’ll be flexible, was never an issue in Ashbourne or heading off on Thursday or Friday for away Ireland games.”

Ireland face France in Toulouse on Saturday night, February 3rd and travel to England for a Friday night, March 16th game.

“Fundamentally, this comes down to the debate we are having on governance,” added the Railway statement. “Leinster Rugby bans women’s teams from senior status, so you’ve no-one on any committees in Leinster representing the women’s game. Which leads to no-one on IRFU committees representing women’s game, as you get promoted from the provinces. Poor governance and a lack of representation leads to sub-optimal ill-considered decision making. That is why we always seem to be shooting ourselves in the foot.”

Railway have written a motion seeking senior status, which requires a two-thirds majority from Leinster clubs, schools and referees at the branch’s AGM in May.