IRELAND WOMEN ARE backing 7s sensation Amee-Leigh Murphy Crowe to “tear it up” if she makes her 15s debut in the upcoming Six Nations campaign.
The Tipperary native has been a prolific try-scorer for Ireland on the World 7s Series and is now one of the uncapped players in Adam Griggs’ squad for the 15-a-side Six Nations, which gets underway this weekend.
25-year-old Murphy Crowe was the leading try-scorer on the 2018/19 Series with 35 tries and was named in the Dream Team that season.
Ireland aren’t in action in the opening round of the reformatted championship but with games against Wales and France to come next month, as well as a play-off fixture, Murphy Crowe is one of the five uncapped players hoping to win their first caps.
“She has a brilliant rugby brain,” said Ireland Women captain Ciara Griffin during today’s Six Nations launch.
“She does her homework. She works so hard off the field and performs so well on the field.
“I can’t wait to see her tear it up in this campaign.”
Murphy Crowe is joined in the Ireland squad by fellow 7s internationals Stacey Flood, Eve Higgins, Emily Lane, and Grace Moore, with Griffin praising them for “fitting in seamlessly,” having already trained with the 15s squad in the past.
It has been a deeply frustrating past year for Ireland Women with constant postponements, including the decision to push the 2021 World Cup in New Zealand – which Ireland have yet to qualify for – back to 2022 due to the pandemic.
Griffin highlighted that Ireland have at least been able to train together more regularly than usual, with over 20 camps, and she praised the resilience and dedication of the group as they look forward to showing what they’ve been working on behind the scenes.
“One big thing for us is our defensive system,” said Griffin. “Kieran Hallett has done massive work with us as a group.
“A lot of our defensive knowledge has improved, our linespeed is something we’ve worked on a lot, our work off the ball, work-rate, we’ve worked on that.
“Again, attacking rugby, playing what’s in front of you, playing that expansive game that we know we can play. It doesn’t matter what the picture is in front, if you see a gap, just go for it. We’re looking forward to applying those elements to our game.”
Watching on this weekend will be further frustration for Ireland but they will be well prepared for their Pool B visit to Wales on 10 April before a home clash with the French on 17 April.
Ireland will then face the equally-ranked team from Pool A – made up of England, Scotland, and Italy – on 24 April in the condensed championship.
“This format is new for us but every match is a cup final,” said Griffin. “You need to win every game, there’s no chances, which is what you need. It’s going to be very exciting rugby and that’s why I can’t wait.
“We’ve been chomping at the bit now for nearly six months waiting to play. A lot of work has been done in camps as a group.
“We’ve very happy with our preparation and all the work we’ve done, now we want to take to the field and play.”
