Moloney Ireland recall not on cards at the moment

Cliodhna Moloney is not in line for an immediate recall to the Ireland squad but the door is not shut on the Wasps hooker, according to scrum coach Rob Sweeney.

The 28-year-old was a surprise omission from Greg McWilliams first Six Nations squad when it was announced in March.

With Lindsay Peat, Claire Molloy and Ciara Griffin all retiring at the end of last year, Ireland lost a considerable amount of experience as they turned a new page following the failure to qualify for the World Cup.

That made the omission of 31-cap Moloney all the more strange but the head coach insisted it was a decision based on form only and was in no way related to her "slurry" tweet made about comments from former director of women's rugby Anthony Eddy.

The form in open play of Moloney’s direct replacement Neve Jones has been one of the bright spots in a tough campaign for Ireland so far.

Jones (below) has made 35 tackles in the losses to Wales and France, against whom she won her eighth cap.

However, the Gloucester-Hartpury player has also been part of a forward division, whose set-piece, both at lineout and scrum, has malfunctioned to an alarming degree.

Hooker Emma Hooban was an unused replacement against Wales and played 23 minutes off the bench in Toulouse last Saturday as she earned her 10th cap.

Meanwhile, Moloney, who has admitted to being "devastated" at missing out on selection, recently helped Wasps to Premier 15s Cup wins over Durham Sharks, when she scored a try, and Gloucester, and a first-ever Premier 15s victory over Harlequins.

"Cliodhna is a smashing player but I think Greg spoke about it at the start of the tournament. He made the call on that," Sweeney told RTÉ Sport.

France scrum-half Laure Sansus snipes down the short side to score