LONG AFTER THE final whistle had sounded, Ciara Griffin was still out on the RDS turf. Part of that was the Ireland captain just soaking in the occasion of her final cap, but even if she wanted to disappear into the night, you felt that wouldn’t be possible.
Even before kick-off, she was the story of the day. Her two tries which turned the tide against a bright Japan side then made sure it stayed that way.
After being hoisted aloft by her teammates, doing her post-match TV interviews and re-joining the squad for a song, Griffin remained the last player out on the pitch, waving to the supporters who had sung her name and waved home-made banners thanking her for a stellar career in green.
It had been an emotional day for the 27-year-old, who bows out after 41 caps. In the moments before kick-off, Griffin had struggled to hold back the tears during the anthems.
“Everyone knows I wear my heart on my sleeve. If it’s your last time singing your anthem for your country, it is an emotional time, it is something that stands out,” she said.
“It caught me during the anthems, but it was enjoyable. To honest, it was just thinking of everything, what this jersey means and what it’s about, and I just realised that moment.”
Griffin’s shoes will be big ones to fill. For much of the game, Ireland were a clear second best. Their handling and setpiece let them down on numerous occasions and their defence was cut open repeatedly by a pacey, skillful Japan team.
Then Griffin grabbed the game by the scruff of the neck, scoring two tries early in the second half to put Ireland back in the lead, and paper over the cracks.
“That afternoon was a mix of everything. We dug in, we got the result that we wanted, got the win that we wanted,” she continued.
“We acknowledged we needed to improve at half-time, we came out then and put in a complete group performance and ground out the win. It was great.
“It was just us focusing on our systems, our defensive line, checking the rucks and focusing on ‘D’. That discipline gave us go-forward then and gave us that momentum. And then it was just taking our chances when we got them, and I’m super proud of the girls to get that win.
“I’m very comfortable with it (decision to retire), I know it’s the right time to leave.
“It was a lovely way to go out too, so I’ll take a lot of solace from that.
“Players fighting for each other, backs against the wall. You can take a lot of solace from that, the team has your back.”
Bernard Jackman, Gavan Casey, and Murray Kinsella reflect on Ireland’s stunning win over the All Blacks, hail Ciara Griffin’s Ireland career, and chat about Rassie:
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