Amee-Leigh Costigan will captain Ireland for their opening Six Nations game against France in Belfast on Saturday. It will be fifteen-a-side for the Tipperary-born left-winger who previously led Ireland Sevens on the HSBC SVNS Series. Coach Scott Bemand has opted for Dannah O'Brien and Emily Lane as the half-back combination while World Rugby Women's Breakthrough Player of the Year Erin King makes her Six Nations debut. Remarkably, all seven backs play for Leinster clubs, as do six of the eight forwards with just hooker Neve Jones at Gloucester-Hartpury and Dorothy Wall who is at Exeter Chiefs the odd pairing out. READ MORE: Wooden Spoon 2023, third place 2024, beat Black Ferns summer 2024 - Eve Higgins sees the only way as up for Ireland in 2025 READ MORE: Ireland women's team believe they can upset France in Six Nations opener - that's how much they have come on this last year Moreover, things have been looking up for Ireland this past 12 months, finishing third in last season's Six Nations and defeating world champions New Zealand last September. “The biggest difference has to be how connected we are," says second-row Fiona Tuite. "We’re so tight as a group. We would do anything for anyone in the group. "There’s no cliques, there’s no little groups. You’d sit down and have a coffee with anyone. You’d put your arm around anyone when they’re having a bad day. “I think what coach Scott Bemand has led us through and the culture that we have created, all as a group, it’s really powerful. "And I think how connected we are as a group is starting to spread out into the media, to the support that we’re getting, the crowds and everything like that, I think it’s just starting to spill from what we have built here. “Everything is starting to spill out into the public, and it’s class. I think it’s really special and I think there’s really special things to come.” Tuite, who made her Ireland debut in October 2023, is an example of the all-change and her pre-rugby sporting endeavours have proved a boon for the group. “I was a Gaelic footballer and a shot putter, so I guess I have pretty explosive, powerful skills from the shot putting and pretty good hand-eye co-ordination from football as well. “But, I’ve had to work hard at it, I’ll be honest. I remember the first Six Nations I was in, it was in 2023. I hadn’t a birdie what I was doing. I had only played two games in the second-row and they were both in the Celtic Challenge. “I remember coming in, Nicola Fryday and Hannah O’Connor were looking at me and going: ‘What is this girl doing?’ "And I’ve had to work really hard at it, but there’s definitely a crossover from other sports, and all the help from ‘Coders’ and all the other coaches, and the S&C as well, has been great in evolving me into a line-out leader.” France have selected Carla Arbez, who makes her first appearance for France since November 2023 at no10, while Olympic sevens star Séraphine Okemba, who transitioned to 15s during the WXV, comes into the second-row. Speaking ahead of the match, Irish coach Bemand added: "We are really excited to get our 2025 season underway in front of our home crowd in Belfast this Saturday, and no better challenge to start with than the visit of a very talented France side. "We have had a strong block of preparation leading into the Championship and the intensity of training and competition for places within the Match Day Squad has driven standards in camp. "Building on from our WXV1 campaign last Autumn, we're now focused on producing a performance this Saturday and showcasing further growth and evolution in our game at the start of a very exciting year for Irish Rugby." Ireland: Stacey Flood (Railway Union RFC)(14); Anna McGann (Railway Union RFC)(6), Aoife Dalton (Old Belvedere RFC/Leinster)(18), Eve Higgins (Railway Union RFC)(21); Amee-Leigh Costigan (Railway Union RFC/Munster)(13) capt, Dannah O’Brien (Old Belvedere RFC/Leinster)(19), Emily Lane (Blackrock College RFC)(10) 1Niamh O’Dowd (Old Belvedere RFC/Leinster)(11), Neve Jones (Gloucester-Hartpury)(30)(vice-captain), Linda Djougang (Old Belvedere RFC/Leinster)(41), Ruth Campbell (Old Belvedere RFC/Leinster)(2), Dorothy Wall (Exeter Chiefs/Munster)(32), Brittany Hogan (Old Belvedere RFC/Ulster)(27), Erin King (Old Belvedere RFC)(4), Aoife Wafer (Blackrock College RFC/Leinster)(11) Replacements: Cliodhna Moloney (Exeter Chiefs), Siobhán McCarthy (Worcester Warriors/Munster)(4), Christy Haney (Blackrock College RFC/Leinster)(19), Grace Moore (Trailfinders Women/IQ Rugby)(17), Fiona Tuite (Old Belvedere RFC/Ulster)(10), Edel McMahon (Exeter Chiefs/Connacht)(30), Aoibheann Reilly (Blackrock College RFC/Connacht)(12), Enya Breen (Blackrock College RFC/Munster)(25). France: 15 Morgane Bourgeois (Stade Bordelais); Mélissande Llorems Vignères (Blagnac RF), Nassira Konde (Stade Bordelais), Gabrielle Vernier (Blagnac RF, 27); Marine Ménager (Montpellier HR,); Carla Arbez (Stade Bordelais), Pauline Bourdon-Sansus (Stade Toulousain); Yllana Brosseau (Stade Bordelais), Agathe Sochat (Stade Bordelais), Rose Bernadou (Montpellier HR), Manaé Feleu (FC Grenoble) capt. Madoussou Fall-Raclot (Stade Bordelais), Charlotte Escudero (Stade Toulousain), Séraphine Okemba (LOU), Téani Feleu (FC Grenoble) Replacements: Manon Bigot (Blagnac RF), Ambre Mwayembe (FC Grenoble), Clara Joyeux (Blagnac RF), Axelle Berthoumieu (Blagnac RF), Léa Champon (FC Grenoble), Alexandra Chambon (FC Grenoble), Lina Queyroi (Stade Toulousain), Émilie Boulard (Blagnac RF) Saturday's match is live on Virgin Media One and BBC Northern Ireland, while there is live radio commentary available on RTE Radio 1. 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