Ivana Kiripati
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| Born | 6 August 2003 New Zealand[1] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Height | 157 cm (5 ft 2 in)[2] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Rugby union career | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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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]
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]