ANNA CAPLICE’S SMILE widens when it’s brought up.
Her unquestionable passion and pride in the badge is evident through her trojan work-rate on the pitch every single time she dons the green jersey. But it’s also clear as day before a ball is even touched.
There was plenty of conversation on social media after the anthems in Donnybrook on Sunday afternoon, just before Ireland opened their 2020 Six Nations campaign on a high.
Cork native Caplice graced screens across the length and breadth of the country, belting out Amhrán na bhFiann and Ireland’s Call, before bringing that undying passion and enthusiasm into battle.
Heart on her sleeve, through and through.
“It comes from when I was younger,” the star flanker beams. “Just watching sport on the telly, watching Cork GAA doing well and seeing the players on the field singing Amhrán na bhFiann in Croke Park… I’ll always remember that.
Just being a proud Irish person and being able to sing that with your Irish teammates alongside you, as well as Ireland’s Call, it’s something special so I always try to give it 110%.
“I think the cameras happened to just pick it up a bit more this week. I always belt it out because if you sing it at the higher octave, you’ve to really belt it out. If you sing the lower octave, you can’t sing out, it’s really quiet!
"Sing it out" she says... Sing it out she did...@bananacaplice
— VOTN (@Videosonthenet) February 4, 2020
We know who we would like to be #shouldertoshoulder with for the @IrishRugby
Anthems - captured this on Sunday while on tunnelcam duty. More of the same this weekend 🤞 pic.twitter.com/OhwxAaYPf8
“I always choose the higher octave and just go for it! You get extra pumped from it as well so yeah, I really enjoyed it. Same again this weekend.”
In another big moment for the Harlequins ace this week, a giant mural of her appeared on the side of her local pub in Mallow.
The project is the brainchild of Irish Rugby sponsors, Aer Lingus, who have decided to split their sponsorship equally between the men’s and women’s teams.
And Caplice’s smile again widens when she’s asked about it.
“It’s amazing,” she continues. “It was just lovely to put Mallow on the map as well because I started playing rugby in Mallow and obviously went to school there.
“I played other sports in Mallow as well like tennis, golf, fishing… I was a member of the angling club down there. So all those wonderful sporting clubs in Mallow, to have someone on the wall now who has represented all of them is hopefully proud for them.
“Just to see a big version of yourself up on a wall is a bit crazy! Also, in Albert’s pub, where me and my friends go at Christmas time, was really nice. It’s amazing.”
While she’s clearly pleased with her side’s win at the weekend and her entire focus is on Wales coming to town tomorrow and the work-ons needed, Caplice takes some time to reflect on her club career to date.
The 30-year-old joined English outfit Harlequins after an impressive individual showing in the 2019 Six Nations, and has been blossoming there since.
“It’s been really good,” she notes, mapping her move across the water from Richmond.
“There’s a real shift and revolution in women’s rugby over there where you have to provide so many…[resources], opportunities to players in terms of strength and conditioning, analysis.
“What I love the most about Harlequins is the player environment and that there’s so many players all looking for the same thing which is a high-quality training and rugby and all those…resources, that’s the word I was looking for.
“That’s been really positive for me and I’ve been really enjoying it. I started working with Harlequins as well so that’s been amazing. I went in at the deep end in Harlequins style of things over there, so it’s been great.”
“It’s nice to play Leinster, obviously, being from Munster,” she adds on the visit of the eastern province after Christmas. “It was just a real cherry on top of a really amazing year for me last year. I really enjoyed it.”
Here’s to another year of cherries on top.
This time on the international scene, as Ireland’s Six Nations bid roars on with all-important World Cup qualifiers looming further down the road.
And that all continues with Wales tomorrow [KO 1pm, live on RTÉ]
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