IRELAND have been hit with another injury blow as Aoife Wafer has again sustained a knee injury in the lead up to the World Cup.
Ireland’s Six Nations stand-out performer is now racing to get fit in time for the World Cup opener against Japan on August 24 in Northampton.
The former Leinster backrower looks set to miss the World Cup warm-up games against Scotland on August 2 and August 9.
Wafer was ruled out of Ireland’s final Six Nations game against Scotland after damaging knee ligaments back in April.
The knee injury occurred during Ireland’s 40-14 win against Wales where Wafer scored two tries as they earned a bonus point win.
Despite missing the final round, the Wexford native’s performances in the competition earned her Women’s Six Nations Player of the Tournament.
It was announced in May that Wafer would join up with Harlequins at the end of the Rugby World Cup.
She has been with Leinster her whole professional career having led the Wolfhounds – a Leinster and Ulster combined team – to back to back Celtic Challenge Cups.
The Quins were impressed with the former Enniscorthy RFC player as she was named in the 2024 World Rugby XVs Team of the Year.
The 22-year-old joins key players Erin King and Dorothy Wall on the growing Ireland injury list.
King was ruled out of both the remainder of the Six Nations and the World Cup when suffering a knee injury – which required surgery – in Ireland’s third round 49-5 defeat at the hands of the Six Nations champions England.
Wall World Cup dreams were also shattered during the Six Nations, sustaining an Achilles tendon injury in the final Six Nations game against Scotland.
Ireland’s pack will be heavily weakened without three of their star players if Wafer fails to reach match fitness.
Scott Bemand’s side finished third in the Six Nations table for the second year in a row following a last place finish in 2023 with no points on the board.
Ireland bettered last season’s Six Nations points tally by one point but saw a significant change in score difference as they went from -71 in 2024 to +5 in 2025.
