ERIN KING HAS spent the last nine months yearning for the chance to play rugby again for Ireland. So, when head coach Scott Bemand appointed her captain, her hopes for 2026 had already been surpassed.
His decision was unveiled during a three-day camp this week, telling King privately before revealing the news to the team on Monday. This was the full circle moment she never envisaged.
King spent most of 2025 recovering from a horror knee injury that threatened her career.
She had torn cartilage off the back of her kneecap, an injury which her medical team was unfamiliar with. A new type of surgery called microfracturing was required and the collagen of a pig was also used to structure her kneecap.
At one point, there was a real concern that her rugby career could be over. A full circle moment indeed.
“It’s beyond my wildest dreams,” she tells The42 about the honour of leading her country into the Six Nations.
“I imagined getting to put on the green jersey again and dreamt about that moment, but to walk out and get to lead this group of amazing girls is hard to put into words.”
Erin King suffered her knee injury against England in last year's Six Nations. Ben Brady / INPHO
Ben Brady / INPHO / INPHO
Previous co-captains Sam Monaghan and Edel McMahon have been an important sounding board for King since her appointment, although McMahon will be a major absentee for the Six Nations. Similar to King, she faces a recovery path of her own as she battles back from two knee operations.
“I’ve had nothing but support off Sam and Tricky [Edel McMahon]. I was so lucky when I first came into the squad that they were my captains and they brought me in and made me feel so welcome and they were great role models for me. I’ll definitely take a lot of learnings from them. I’m just so lucky to be surrounded by such an amazing group of girls.”
A return to rugby only became a possible goal for King in October. She was still in the depths of rehabbing her knee, but the light was starting to creep in. She started with some running, followed by some skills work and then some contact drills. Her knee responded to each new step. All those little progressions culminated in a 20-minute appearance for the Wolfhounds in the Celtic Challenge at the start of January.
She kicked that up to 40 minutes last weekend and completed the full slate of training with Ireland at the training camp. February was King’s initial target to get back on the pitch but she’s already ahead of schedule.
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“It all kind of just fell into place. Hopefully play 60 [minutes] this weekend and just keep building.
“I’m so lucky the way my knee went, but in saying that, it was a lot of hard work. I was in the HPC [High Performance Centre] most days on my own working long hours and putting in everything I could.
“I wanted to leave no stone unturned and I’ve definitely learned a lot. I wouldn’t wish it upon anyone, but I wouldn’t take that experience away because I think I’ve grown a lot as a player and a person.”
Those long hours were all the more daunting when King was facing an uncertain future in rugby. A return to rugby might not be possible for her.
King playing for the Wolfhounds against the Clovers in the Celtic Challenge earlier this month. Dan Clohessy / INPHO
Dan Clohessy / INPHO / INPHO
Along with the complex surgery and pig collagen, her knee was locked in full extension for 12 weeks in a brace. The lingering worry of never playing rugby again at 21 certainly impacted her mindset too.
A long-term injury was new territory for King after a rapid rise in rugby. In 2021, she balanced her Leaving Cert studies with becoming a Sevens player at just 17. Three years later, she was crowned the World Rugby Breakthrough Player of the year. The following April, she was struck down after Ireland’s Six Nations clash with England.
Moreover, Ireland’s first World Cup appearance since 2017 was ripped away from her.
King relied on her faith in the recovery programme, and the camaraderie in the Ireland dressing room.
“Our culture is probably one of the things that we’re most proud of,” she adds.
“We spend hours in here training together, and then we decide to spend time together outside of it. A lot of us live together and we’re kind of more than teammates. We’re like family, and we’re so lucky that we have them bonds.”
Her back-row teammate Dorothy Wall played a crucial role in King’s comeback too. A torn Achilles in Ireland’s last Six Nations game against Scotland meant she was also ruled out of World Cup selection. They bonded through their mutual setbacks.
They did their rehab work together, presented jerseys to the team on the day of their World Cup quarter-final defeat to France, and were both included in Ireland’s training camp this week.
King and Dorothy Wall supported each other through their recovery journey. Ben Brady / INPHO
Ben Brady / INPHO / INPHO
“She was kind of my rock through my rehab,” King continues.
“We were kind of the only two that knew exactly what we were going through. I’m so lucky that I had her. We have this amazing bond now.
“Even in camp, these last three days, we’re constantly checking up on each other, and it’s that little bit deeper, because we went through that together. I actually ended up staying with her for the [World Cup] quarter-finals, and we got to present the girls their jersey.
“Very honoured to be asked for a game of that importance, and the girls didn’t actually know until we walked into the room that we were doing it, which was a nice surprise.”
And there were other upsides to King’s injury lay-off. She went to Vietnam at the start of the World Cup hoping to decompress from the relentless drudgery of her rehab work.
She made the brave decision of travelling solo and immersing herself in the hostel scene.
“I was on the flight over like, ‘Am I doing the right thing here?’ But I wouldn’t change it for the world. It was a great experience.
“I would have never got to do if I hadn’t been injured. There’s definitely so many things that I was still grateful for. I would have obviously rather been at the World Cup, but they’re the cards I was dealt. You just have to do what you can with what you’re given.”
A first-ever tour in New Zealand for the women’s British and Irish Lions is in King’s eyeline. There’s still a bit to go before September 2027 but the drive to get a seat on that plane is already evident for her. King previously told RTÉ Sport that she would be open to a move to the Premiership in order to boost her credentials, but that’s for further down the line.
Her immediate concern is England in Twickenham on Saturday, 11 April. Starting their Six Nations against the defending champions — and now World Cup champions — will be her first game back in an Ireland jersey.
It’s the image that has powered her through the last nine months.
“You know, why not? Let’s take on that challenge of England, and see what we can do.
“We definitely have the team to do it and we have the energy and the passion. An exciting first game, and I can’t wait to get cracking from this camp.”
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'Beyond my wildest dreams' - King marks return from horror knee injury with Ireland captaincy
ERIN KING HAS spent the last nine months yearning for the chance to play rugby again for Ireland. So, when head coach Scott Bemand appointed her captain, her hopes for 2026 had already been surpassed.
His decision was unveiled during a three-day camp this week, telling King privately before revealing the news to the team on Monday. This was the full circle moment she never envisaged.
King spent most of 2025 recovering from a horror knee injury that threatened her career.
She had torn cartilage off the back of her kneecap, an injury which her medical team was unfamiliar with. A new type of surgery called microfracturing was required and the collagen of a pig was also used to structure her kneecap.
At one point, there was a real concern that her rugby career could be over. A full circle moment indeed.
“It’s beyond my wildest dreams,” she tells The42 about the honour of leading her country into the Six Nations.
“I imagined getting to put on the green jersey again and dreamt about that moment, but to walk out and get to lead this group of amazing girls is hard to put into words.”
Previous co-captains Sam Monaghan and Edel McMahon have been an important sounding board for King since her appointment, although McMahon will be a major absentee for the Six Nations. Similar to King, she faces a recovery path of her own as she battles back from two knee operations.
“I’ve had nothing but support off Sam and Tricky [Edel McMahon]. I was so lucky when I first came into the squad that they were my captains and they brought me in and made me feel so welcome and they were great role models for me. I’ll definitely take a lot of learnings from them. I’m just so lucky to be surrounded by such an amazing group of girls.”
A return to rugby only became a possible goal for King in October. She was still in the depths of rehabbing her knee, but the light was starting to creep in. She started with some running, followed by some skills work and then some contact drills. Her knee responded to each new step. All those little progressions culminated in a 20-minute appearance for the Wolfhounds in the Celtic Challenge at the start of January.
She kicked that up to 40 minutes last weekend and completed the full slate of training with Ireland at the training camp. February was King’s initial target to get back on the pitch but she’s already ahead of schedule.
“It all kind of just fell into place. Hopefully play 60 [minutes] this weekend and just keep building.
“I’m so lucky the way my knee went, but in saying that, it was a lot of hard work. I was in the HPC [High Performance Centre] most days on my own working long hours and putting in everything I could.
“I wanted to leave no stone unturned and I’ve definitely learned a lot. I wouldn’t wish it upon anyone, but I wouldn’t take that experience away because I think I’ve grown a lot as a player and a person.”
Those long hours were all the more daunting when King was facing an uncertain future in rugby. A return to rugby might not be possible for her.
Along with the complex surgery and pig collagen, her knee was locked in full extension for 12 weeks in a brace. The lingering worry of never playing rugby again at 21 certainly impacted her mindset too.
A long-term injury was new territory for King after a rapid rise in rugby. In 2021, she balanced her Leaving Cert studies with becoming a Sevens player at just 17. Three years later, she was crowned the World Rugby Breakthrough Player of the year. The following April, she was struck down after Ireland’s Six Nations clash with England.
Moreover, Ireland’s first World Cup appearance since 2017 was ripped away from her.
King relied on her faith in the recovery programme, and the camaraderie in the Ireland dressing room.
“Our culture is probably one of the things that we’re most proud of,” she adds.
“We spend hours in here training together, and then we decide to spend time together outside of it. A lot of us live together and we’re kind of more than teammates. We’re like family, and we’re so lucky that we have them bonds.”
Her back-row teammate Dorothy Wall played a crucial role in King’s comeback too. A torn Achilles in Ireland’s last Six Nations game against Scotland meant she was also ruled out of World Cup selection. They bonded through their mutual setbacks.
They did their rehab work together, presented jerseys to the team on the day of their World Cup quarter-final defeat to France, and were both included in Ireland’s training camp this week.
“She was kind of my rock through my rehab,” King continues.
“We were kind of the only two that knew exactly what we were going through. I’m so lucky that I had her. We have this amazing bond now.
“Even in camp, these last three days, we’re constantly checking up on each other, and it’s that little bit deeper, because we went through that together. I actually ended up staying with her for the [World Cup] quarter-finals, and we got to present the girls their jersey.
“Very honoured to be asked for a game of that importance, and the girls didn’t actually know until we walked into the room that we were doing it, which was a nice surprise.”
And there were other upsides to King’s injury lay-off. She went to Vietnam at the start of the World Cup hoping to decompress from the relentless drudgery of her rehab work.
She made the brave decision of travelling solo and immersing herself in the hostel scene.
“I was on the flight over like, ‘Am I doing the right thing here?’ But I wouldn’t change it for the world. It was a great experience.
“I would have never got to do if I hadn’t been injured. There’s definitely so many things that I was still grateful for. I would have obviously rather been at the World Cup, but they’re the cards I was dealt. You just have to do what you can with what you’re given.”
A first-ever tour in New Zealand for the women’s British and Irish Lions is in King’s eyeline. There’s still a bit to go before September 2027 but the drive to get a seat on that plane is already evident for her. King previously told RTÉ Sport that she would be open to a move to the Premiership in order to boost her credentials, but that’s for further down the line.
Her immediate concern is England in Twickenham on Saturday, 11 April. Starting their Six Nations against the defending champions — and now World Cup champions — will be her first game back in an Ireland jersey.
It’s the image that has powered her through the last nine months.
“You know, why not? Let’s take on that challenge of England, and see what we can do.
“We definitely have the team to do it and we have the energy and the passion. An exciting first game, and I can’t wait to get cracking from this camp.”
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Comeback King Erin King Ireland Rugby Women's Six Nations