Irish captain Niamh Briggs has said she is "absolutely devastated" to be missing out on the Women's Rugby World Cup due to injury, writes Ciara Phelan.
Niamh, despite successfully recovering from a hamstring injury which ruled her out of the Six Nations, she has now picked up a new injury to her Achilles while training.
In a message posted on Twitter, Niamh said it would have been a dream come true for her to captain the team in a home World Cup game.
She also said she was "incredibly humbled" with the support and messages she has received since management confirmed the news yesterday.
She said her focus was now on rehabilitation and working towards next years Six Nations.
Tom Tierney, Ireland's Women's head coach has said the team and management are really disappointed for Niamh.
"Both the players and management are really disappointed for Niamh as everyone has seen the incredible work and effort she's put in over the last number of months in an attempt to get herself right for this tournament," he said.
"For her to have recovered well from her hamstring injury and then suffer a new injury is really unfortunate for her, as everyone knows how much she was looking forward to leading the team in the World Cup."
Kerry native, Louise Galvin, has been called into the squad as replacement for Niamh.
A new Ireland Captain to lead the team during the Women's Rugby World Cup campaign will be confirmed by the Ireland Women's Management team in the coming days.
Hosts Ireland kick off their World Cup campaign against Australia at Dublin's UCD Bowl on August 9.
— Niamh Briggs (@niamhbriggs15) July 31, 2017
