{{Short description|Irish rugby player (born 1991)}} {{Use dmy dates|date=January 2018}} {{Infobox rugby biography | birth_date = {{birth date and age|1991|08|18|df=y}} | clubs1 = Railway Union | clubs2 = Leinster | repsevensteam1 = {{nwrut7|Ireland}} | repsevensyears1 = | reppoints1 = 0 | repcaps1 = 12 | repteam1 = {{nwrut|Ireland}} | repyears1 = 2017–present | points1 = | apps1 = | years1 = | years2 = | years3 = | birth_place = Tullamore Ireland | amatteam1 = Tullamore RFC | amatyears1 = | position = Scrum-half | weight = {{cvt|63|kg|lb stlb}} | height = {{height|m=1.55}} | caption = | image = Ailsa Hughes 15April2023.jpg | repsevenscomp1 = 0 }} '''Ailsa Hughes''' (born 18 August 1991) is an Irish rugby player from Tullamore. She plays, at scrum-half, for Railway Union and the Ireland women's national rugby union team.
== Club career == Hughes won All-Ireland medals at camogie but wanted to play rugby so much that she helped set up the women's team in Tullamore RFC. Their women's team saw rapid growth, starting in 2013 and reaching All-Ireland League status within four years.<ref>{{Cite news|last=O'Connor|first=Amy|title=Even a 105-0 loss can't dampen the spirits of Tullamore RFC|url=https://www.irishtimes.com/sport/rugby/even-a-105-0-loss-can-t-dampen-the-spirits-of-tullamore-rfc-1.3276513|access-date=2021-05-04|newspaper=The Irish Times|language=en}}</ref>
To further her career she moved to All-Ireland League club Railway Union in 2014.
== International career == Hughes made her debut for Ireland, starting against Scotland, in the 2017 Women's Six Nations.<ref>{{Cite web|date=2017-01-26|title=Ireland Women's squad named for Six Nations|url=https://www.leinsterrugby.ie/ireland-womens-squad-named-for-six-nations/|access-date=2021-05-18|website=Leinster Rugby|language=en}}</ref> She also started against Italy that season but did not make the Ireland squad for the 2017 Women's Rugby World Cup that was held in Dublin.<ref>{{Cite web|date=2017-07-24|title=Briggs back as skipper as Ireland name World Cup squad|url=https://www.rte.ie/sport/rugby/2017/0724/892587-womans-squad-named-for-rugby-world-cup/|language=en|website=rte.ie}}</ref>
She was Ireland's starting scrum-half in their first four 2018 Women's Six Nations game and came off the bench, to replace Nicole Cronin, in the final round against England.<ref>{{Cite web|date=2018-03-14|title=England women win, but miss out on title|url=https://www.bbc.com/sport/rugby-union/43401646|access-date=2021-05-18|website=BBC Sport|language=en-GB}}</ref>
She played twice in the 2019 Women's Six Nations, starting against England and Scotland.<ref>{{Cite web|date=2019-02-20|title=Ireland Women make one change for Italy trip|url=https://www.sixnationsrugby.com/2019/02/20/ireland-women-make-one-change-for-italy-trip/|access-date=2021-05-18|website=Six Nations Rugby|language=en-GB}}</ref> Her only appearance in the 2020 Women's Six Nations was as a replacement against Italy.<ref>{{Cite news|title=Determined Ireland beat Italy in Dublin|language=en-GB|work=BBC Sport|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/rugby-union/54677410|access-date=2021-05-18}}</ref>
== Personal life == Hughes won All-Ireland Minor B (2008) and All-Ireland Intermediate medals with Offaly (2010) in camogie before concentrating on rugby.<ref>{{Cite web|date=2008-09-30|title=Offaly Player Profiles|url=https://camogie.ie/news/offaly-player-profiles/|access-date=2021-05-18|website=The Camogie Association|language=en}}</ref> She has worked as a community development officer and coach for Leinster Rugby and is now a development officer for the Offaly Sports Partnership.
== References == *{{cite web|url=https://www.irishrugby.ie/women/ailsa-hughes/|title=Irish Rugby | Ailsa Hughes|website=irishrugby.ie|access-date=2021-09-15}} {{Reflist}}
== External links == *{{cite web|url=https://www.irishrugby.ie/women/ailsa-hughes/|title=Irish Rugby | Ailsa Hughes|website=irishrugby.ie|access-date=2021-09-15}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hughes, Alisa}} Category:1991 births Category:Living people Category:Irish female rugby union players Category:Ireland women's international rugby union players Category:Railway Union rugby union players Category:Ireland international women's rugby sevens players Category:Irish rugby sevens players Category:Rugby union players from County Offaly Category:Sportspeople from Tullamore Category:Rugby union scrum-halves Category:Leinster Rugby women's players Category:Barbarian F.C. Women players Category:21st-century Irish sportswomen