Ireland head coach Scott Bemand commented: “We’ve had a really good training week here in Vancouver, including a valuable hit out against France on Wednesday.
“We’re facing into three matches against the top teams in the world, and New Zealand first up on Sunday present physical and ball movements threats, so the training we’ve done and the intensity of the session against France has let us tune into that.
“In terms of selection, we’ve had some good competition for places in recent weeks which has led to some difficult conversations. We’re pleased with how the group are performing, and we feel we’ve got the right blend in our matchday squad for the opening game of the campaign.”
Ireland: Stacey Flood; Eimear Considine, Aoife Dalton, Enya Breen, Amee-Leigh Murphy Crowe; Dannah O’Brien, Molly Scuffil-McCabe; Niamh O’Dowd, Neve Jones, Linda Djougang; Dorothy Wall, Fiona Tuite; Aoife Wafer, Edel McNahon, Brittany Hogan.
Replacements: Clíodhna Moloney, Siobhán McCarthy, Andrea Stock, Grace Moore, Erin King, Emily Lane, Eve Higgins, Vicky Elmes Kinlan,