Ireland Women suffered a blow in their bid to reach next year’s Rugby World Cup with defeat to Spain in the opening match of their qualifying group.
Adam Griggs’ side lost 8-7 to Spain in Parma and now face an uphill task, having to beat Italy and Scotland in the round-robin competition to earn a place in the New Zealand tournament next year.
Ireland led for most of an error-ridden game but lost their edge when Spain crossed for a try with nine minutes to play.
#ShoulderToShoulder
Not the result we wanted in Parma. Congratulations to Spain on a hard-fought win.#NothingLikeIt #IrishRugby #RWC2021Qualifier #SPAvIRE pic.twitter.com/dPaDKpeFdS— Irish Rugby (@IrishRugby) September 13, 2021
Earlier today, tournament hosts Italy ran in six tries as they beat Scotland 38-13.
Ireland face Italy on Sunday, then Scotland the following Saturday, with the winner of the four-team group qualifying automatically for the World Cup.
The runner-up gets a second opportunity to make it to New Zealand by moving into the Final Qualification Tournament.
