Wafer ruled out of Ireland's South Africa Tests

Influential forward Aoife Wafer is ruled out of Ireland's WXV Global Series trip to South Africa later this month. Aoife Wafer has been ruled out of Ireland's WXV Global Series trip to South Africa later this month. The two-time Women's Six Nations player of the tournament missed Ireland's back-to-back wins over Japan in Galway and Cork after sustaining what the Irish Rugby Football Union (IRFU) called a "minor injury in training". However, the 23-year-old Harlequins player will not travel with head coach Scott Bemand's 30-player squad for the WXV contests against the Springbok Women in Cape Town on 24 and 31 October.

Former co-captain Sam Monaghan remains unavailable with an Achilles injury but second row Ruth Campbell returns from an ankle injury to make the squad. The squad, led by captain Erin King, includes recently capped players Beth Buttimer, Jemima Adams Verling, Kate Jordan, Sophie Barrett and Alana McInerney. Following a remote training week after the wins over Japan, the Ireland squad will return to the IRFU High Performance Centre on Monday before travelling to Cape Town on Thursday. Ireland's only previous meeting with South Africa was a 2006 Women's Rugby World Cup match in Canada, which the Irish won 37-0.