Our own Clara Barrett spoke to IRFU Media today and said she's relishing the opportunity to continue her exciting development for the Combined Provinces XV in the inaugural Celtic Challenge competition.

Clara was one of the stars of the recent Inter Provincial Championship, earning the Vodafone Player of the Match award for her brace of tries during Connacht’s win over Ulster in Belfast, and following that up with another double against eventual champions Munster at The Sportsground.

The 19-year-old winger’s performances have earned her a place in the Combined Provinces XV squad for the upcoming four-game Celtic Challenge, with Ireland Women’s Head Coach Greg McWilliams and the National Coaching Team using this as a valuable window to expose young players to cross-border competition.

Barrett’s talent has been known for some time, her performances for Ireland at the U18 Women’s Six Nations Festival last April standing out, a campaign she acknowledges has helped fast-track her development to this point.

Now, the Mayo flyer is ready to step up again as she joined the rest of the Combined Provinces XV squad at the IRFU High Performance Centre in Dublin this week. The team’s first game is away to the WRU Development XV in Cardiff this Sunday at 11am.