SHE PREVIOUSLY DONNED the green jersey for home fixtures in Dublin, Cork and Belfast and now Béibhinn Parsons is looking to embrace playing a women’s international with Ireland in her native Galway this weekend.
A product of Ballinasloe RFC in the eastern part of the county, Parsons is in line to pick up her 33rd Ireland senior cap when Scott Bemand’s side take on Italy in the second round of the Six Nations Championship this Saturday at Dexcom Stadium in Galway city. This is a venue Parsons has been familiar with for some time as she featured there for her club’s underage teams in the past alongside future international stars Aoibheann Reilly and Méabh Deely.
Additionally, she has also experienced playing in the ground since it underwent a major redevelopment and was officially opened in its present form earlier this year.
Yet representing her country in Dexcom will be an entirely different prospect for Parsons, who was just four years old when the Ireland women last played an international fixture in Galway against Canada on 29 April, 2006.
“I think I’ll embrace it, to be honest. I feel really supported and it’s a happy, happy moment more than too emotional for me. I think I’ll just really enjoy it. I think it’s great that we have a travelling stadium and we know we can go to Galway and still sell out a stand. So for that reason, I’m really excited,” Parsons explained at the IRFU’s High Performance Centre ahead of a fixture that has already garnered more than 7,000 in ticket sales.
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“I’ve played two games now in the new stadium. One in the Celtic Challenge and then we train there every Tuesday for Clovers. Probably my favourite games there have been underage, Ballinasloe versus Westport in some Connacht finals. Me and Dexcom Stadium go way back.
“The fact that we’ve built our green wave so much and we travelled abroad with it playing in England in the World Cup. Now to finally come back and be able to play at home is amazing. There’s no better place than the west.”
Parsons in action against England in Ireland's Six Nations opener. Laszlo Geczo / INPHO
Laszlo Geczo / INPHO / INPHO
While she remains a relatively young player at 24, Parsons’ debut for Ireland at the senior 15s grade can be traced back to 18 November, 2018. By playing the final seven minutes of a test encounter with USA at Energia Park, she became the youngest Irish senior international rugby player – female or male – at the tender age of 16.
She had just six days to wait before picking up her second cap, as a 69th minute replacement against England at Twickenham Stadium.
Although this gave her an early taste of the London venue, Parsons acknowledges it paled in comparison to the experience of facing the same nation in front of 77,120 spectators for an historic standalone fixture in the Championship’s opening round last weekend.
“That was a double header with the [England] men and the men actually played first [against Australia]. So then by the time that we played, lots of people had trickled out of the stadium. I don’t know who was left after, but it was a completely different feel on Saturday.
“It was a full crowd dedicated to watching women’s rugby playing. We actually got the TV stats and figures, and they were outstanding. It just goes to show how invested people are in women’s rugby.”
After beginning this year’s Six Nations on a losing note against England in a cauldron-like atmosphere at Twickenham, Ireland will be hoping for a different outcome when Italy pay a visit to Dexcom on Saturday – a game that is set to be preceded in Galway by a clash between the same two sides in the U21 Women’s Six Nations Series.
The Italians had their own frustrating start to the Championship last Saturday as they lost out on a scoreline of 40-7 to France at Stade des Alpes in Grenoble. Although Ireland registered a 42-point victory over their forthcoming opponents in Parma last year, the Azzurre got the better of them when the teams met at the RDS in the 2024 Women’s Six Nations.
Parsons featured in the back-three for Ireland on that day and is wary of what Fabio Roselli’s charges could bring to the table in their latest showdown.
“We’re not going to underestimate Italy. We’re going to show them respect by bringing our ‘A’ game and our best game to them. They’ve got threats around the park and we know what they can bring, but this week is really about us. Dominating and firing our shots and getting our game plan out there.”
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'Me and Dexcom Stadium go way back' - Parsons gearing up for Six Nations game in Galway
SHE PREVIOUSLY DONNED the green jersey for home fixtures in Dublin, Cork and Belfast and now Béibhinn Parsons is looking to embrace playing a women’s international with Ireland in her native Galway this weekend.
A product of Ballinasloe RFC in the eastern part of the county, Parsons is in line to pick up her 33rd Ireland senior cap when Scott Bemand’s side take on Italy in the second round of the Six Nations Championship this Saturday at Dexcom Stadium in Galway city. This is a venue Parsons has been familiar with for some time as she featured there for her club’s underage teams in the past alongside future international stars Aoibheann Reilly and Méabh Deely.
Additionally, she has also experienced playing in the ground since it underwent a major redevelopment and was officially opened in its present form earlier this year.
Yet representing her country in Dexcom will be an entirely different prospect for Parsons, who was just four years old when the Ireland women last played an international fixture in Galway against Canada on 29 April, 2006.
“I think I’ll embrace it, to be honest. I feel really supported and it’s a happy, happy moment more than too emotional for me. I think I’ll just really enjoy it. I think it’s great that we have a travelling stadium and we know we can go to Galway and still sell out a stand. So for that reason, I’m really excited,” Parsons explained at the IRFU’s High Performance Centre ahead of a fixture that has already garnered more than 7,000 in ticket sales.
“I’ve played two games now in the new stadium. One in the Celtic Challenge and then we train there every Tuesday for Clovers. Probably my favourite games there have been underage, Ballinasloe versus Westport in some Connacht finals. Me and Dexcom Stadium go way back.
“The fact that we’ve built our green wave so much and we travelled abroad with it playing in England in the World Cup. Now to finally come back and be able to play at home is amazing. There’s no better place than the west.”
While she remains a relatively young player at 24, Parsons’ debut for Ireland at the senior 15s grade can be traced back to 18 November, 2018. By playing the final seven minutes of a test encounter with USA at Energia Park, she became the youngest Irish senior international rugby player – female or male – at the tender age of 16.
She had just six days to wait before picking up her second cap, as a 69th minute replacement against England at Twickenham Stadium.
Although this gave her an early taste of the London venue, Parsons acknowledges it paled in comparison to the experience of facing the same nation in front of 77,120 spectators for an historic standalone fixture in the Championship’s opening round last weekend.
“That was a double header with the [England] men and the men actually played first [against Australia]. So then by the time that we played, lots of people had trickled out of the stadium. I don’t know who was left after, but it was a completely different feel on Saturday.
“It was a full crowd dedicated to watching women’s rugby playing. We actually got the TV stats and figures, and they were outstanding. It just goes to show how invested people are in women’s rugby.”
After beginning this year’s Six Nations on a losing note against England in a cauldron-like atmosphere at Twickenham, Ireland will be hoping for a different outcome when Italy pay a visit to Dexcom on Saturday – a game that is set to be preceded in Galway by a clash between the same two sides in the U21 Women’s Six Nations Series.
The Italians had their own frustrating start to the Championship last Saturday as they lost out on a scoreline of 40-7 to France at Stade des Alpes in Grenoble. Although Ireland registered a 42-point victory over their forthcoming opponents in Parma last year, the Azzurre got the better of them when the teams met at the RDS in the 2024 Women’s Six Nations.
Parsons featured in the back-three for Ireland on that day and is wary of what Fabio Roselli’s charges could bring to the table in their latest showdown.
“We’re not going to underestimate Italy. We’re going to show them respect by bringing our ‘A’ game and our best game to them. They’ve got threats around the park and we know what they can bring, but this week is really about us. Dominating and firing our shots and getting our game plan out there.”
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Beibhinn Parsons Six Nations home comforts Ireland Italy Women's Six Nations