Ivana Kiripati
| Born | 6 August 2003 New Zealand[1] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Height | 157 cm (5 ft 2 in)[2] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Ivana Kiripati (born 6 August 2003) is an Irish rugby union player who plays in the back row for Creggs RFC and Connacht, and represents Ireland at international level.[3][5][4]
Early life and education
Kiripati was born in New Zealand and is of Samoan heritage.[1][6] She was raised and educated in Athlone, and played her underage rugby with Buccaneers RFC.[6]
She earned a scholarship to American International College in Springfield, Massachusetts, and graduated in 2025, studying criminal justice and psychology.[6]
Rugby is a family tradition: her parents Kolo and Mele both played, and Mele coached Kiripati during her time with Buccaneers.[7]
Club and provincial career
After playing underage rugby with Buccaneers, Kiripati became registered with Creggs and progressed through Connacht’s age-grade pathway.[6][7] She also featured for the Clovers in the Celtic Challenge.[7]
International career
Kiripati represented Ireland at under-20 level, including selection for the 2024 Six Nations Women’s Summer Series squad, where she was listed among the under-23 players available for selection.[8]
In May 2025, she was named in Ireland’s Rugby World Cup preparation squad.[9] She made her senior debut against Scotland at Virgin Media Park, Cork, in August 2025.[10][11] She won a second cap during the same warm-up window, against Canada.[6]
Kiripati was named in Ireland’s squad for the 2025 Women's Rugby World Cup.[4]
Contracts
In November 2025, Kiripati was awarded her first senior national contract as part of the IRFU’s centralised Women’s High Performance Programme for the 2025–26 season.[12]
References
- ^ a b Lawless, Louise (9 August 2025). "Ivana Kiripati: 'I am a Samoan girl, born in New Zealand, doing life in Ireland – how cool is that?'". The Irish Times. Retrieved 29 November 2025.
- ^ "Ivana Kiripati – Player Profile – Women's Rugby World Cup 2025". rugbyworldcup.com. Retrieved 29 November 2025.
- ^ a b c "Ivana Kiripati". Connacht Rugby. Retrieved 29 November 2025.
- ^ a b c d "Ireland announce squad for Women's RWC 2025". rugbyworldcup.com. 11 August 2025. Retrieved 29 November 2025.
- ^ a b "Ivana Kiripati". Irish Rugby. Retrieved 29 November 2025.
- ^ a b c d e "Ivana Kiripati excited about World Cup adventure with Ireland". Galway Bay FM. 14 August 2025. Retrieved 29 November 2025.
- ^ a b c "'Ivana And Ailish Have Got Some Impact In Them' – Bemand". Irish Rugby. 1 August 2025. Retrieved 29 November 2025.
- ^ "Ireland U-20 Women's Squad Finalised For Inaugural Summer Series". Irish Rugby. 28 June 2024. Retrieved 29 November 2025.
- ^ "Bemand Names Ireland's Women's Rugby World Cup Preparation Squad". Irish Rugby. 29 May 2025. Retrieved 29 November 2025.
- ^ "Creggs player set to make senior international debut". Roscommon Herald. 31 July 2025. Retrieved 29 November 2025.
- ^ "IVANA WINS FIRST SENIOR CAP". Buccaneers RFC. 6 August 2025. Retrieved 29 November 2025.
- ^ "IRFU Announce 35 Centralised Women's Contracts For 2025/26 Season". Irish Rugby. 26 November 2025. Retrieved 29 November 2025.