HISTORY AWAITS THE Ireland women’s rugby team on Sunday, and while their first standalone home game at Aviva Stadium has long been marked in the calendar, the realisation is only starting to hit home.
Yesterday some of the squad made the trip to Lansdowne Road for a media day ahead of Sunday’s Six Nations closer with Scotland, where Scott Bemand’s team will play in front of a record home crowd for an Ireland women’s game. That number was set at 9,206 in Galway’s Dexcom Stadium just last month, but as of Monday evening ticket sales for this weekend had hit 28,000.
There’s a job to be done, with Ireland determined to back up last weekend’s defeat of Wales in Belfast with their third win on home soil of this championship, but the players also want to savour what promises to be a special, milestone day.
“Me and Beibhinn (Parsons) walked out here earlier together and we were like, we can’t believe we’re actually getting to finally play here,” says Ireland captain Erin King.
“We’ve come along and watched the guys play, so to finally get our chance, I think it’s definitely what we deserve and it shows how far the game’s come.
“It just shows the trajectory of the game and how the game’s going, and it’s getting more entertaining, some of the athletic performances that are being put out there are outstanding and we do it at the end of the day to see the young girls and the young boys at the games and when we ask them who their favourite players are, (and) they say it’s people on our team, that’s so inspiring.
Ireland are aiming to secure their third home win of the championship. Nick Elliott / INPHO
Nick Elliott / INPHO / INPHO
“I think a few years ago that wouldn’t have been the case, it probably would have been more men’s players as role models, so the fact that we are people’s role models these days is really nice and it shows the way the game’s going.”
Advertisement
This group are getting used to the bigger stages. As well as lining out in front of big crowds at last year’s World Cup, some of Bemand’s squad have Olympic experience from their Sevens days while last month, Ireland opened their Six Nations campaign in front of over 77,000 supporters in Twickenham. Yet for some the younger players, these experiences still feel very new. Some nerves are to be expected this weekend, but that’s all being accounted for in the preparation.
“We definitely talk about it, kind of name it to tame it, and we place a big emphasis on the fact that we’re all out there together and we have each other’s backs out there no matter what and how you’re feeling, like express it and name it,” King says.
“And it’s OK to feel the way you’re feeling and try use that energy in a positive way and embrace it. You’re nervous because you care and you’re excited because you’re excited and like enjoy that and enjoy these feelings and these emotions and bring them onto the pitch.
“We have such a tight-knit group that you never feel alone out there, which is what the culture is around and what we’ve been working towards for years . It’s great to get to do it all together as a team and have each other out there.”
Still only 22, King was named Ireland captain ahead of this Six Nations campaign by head coach Scott Bemand. Initially feeling some ‘worries’ around taking on the role, over the course of the championship the flanker has learned to embrace it and lead things her way.
“I think I’ve been enjoying it, and a big part of the way I want to captain is telling the girls to enjoy every moment and don’t let it kind of go past you and remember how lucky we are to be in the position we’re in and not take it for granted.
“That’s probably a big way I like to captain, (putting) the people before the player and enjoying the off-pitch stuff, enjoying the on-pitch stuff, but just remembering why you do it.
King has enjoyed taking on the Ireland captaincy. Ben Brady / INPHO
Ben Brady / INPHO / INPHO
“I didn’t know what to expect and I knew that it came with a lot of responsibility and pressure, but I think I’ve really embraced that and not shied away from it and just remembered, you know, Scott told me something really important when he first named me captain, he said ‘I want you to be captain because of who you are and don’t change a thing.’
“So I think once he said that, it kind of settled me and I’ve tried to really stick to that. If I can just stick to my morals and be myself, completely authentically myself, I’ll finish the day and be happy.”
It helps that King is enjoying her rugby on the pitch, forming a formidable back row alongside Brittany Hogan and the outstanding Aoife Wafer.
In Belfast on Saturday, Wafer went through for two tries and produced an outstanding assist for Beibhinn Parsons, while also making 20 carries and 12 tackles. Hogan matched the Wexford native for carries as the pair led the stats, and the blindside flanker topped Ireland’s tackle count with 15. At openside, King chipped in with 10 tackles and nine carries across a busy outing.
“I’m so lucky to be in a back row with two of the best players in the world, I think.
“We learn off each other every day and we’re also really competitive with each other, which I think drives us all along, we have that internal competition and we all bring something kind of different to the table, and it seems to be working really well.
“You’ve got Brittany making all her tackles and carrying hard and then Wafer scoring tries and her big carries and offloads.
“I feel like I’m learning off them all the time and they’re pushing me to be a better player and hopefully I’m doing the same.”
Currently third in the Six Nations table, two points ahead of Italy (who play Wales), a win on Sunday would keep Ireland in the right half of the table.
“I think we’ll be happy with our Six Nations if we get the three home wins and it’ll show that we are bridging that gap then between ourselves and the top two teams.
“In those performances (against England and France), obviously we didn’t get the result we wanted, but we showed at times what we’re capable of and that we can mix with the best in the world. If we have a nice gap between ourselves and the rest of the competition, that shows the gap being bridged.”
To embed this post, copy the code below on your site
Close
Comments
This is YOUR comments community. Stay civil, stay constructive, stay on topic.
Please familiarise yourself with our comments policy
here
before taking part.
'We can't believe we're actually getting to finally play here'
HISTORY AWAITS THE Ireland women’s rugby team on Sunday, and while their first standalone home game at Aviva Stadium has long been marked in the calendar, the realisation is only starting to hit home.
Yesterday some of the squad made the trip to Lansdowne Road for a media day ahead of Sunday’s Six Nations closer with Scotland, where Scott Bemand’s team will play in front of a record home crowd for an Ireland women’s game. That number was set at 9,206 in Galway’s Dexcom Stadium just last month, but as of Monday evening ticket sales for this weekend had hit 28,000.
There’s a job to be done, with Ireland determined to back up last weekend’s defeat of Wales in Belfast with their third win on home soil of this championship, but the players also want to savour what promises to be a special, milestone day.
“Me and Beibhinn (Parsons) walked out here earlier together and we were like, we can’t believe we’re actually getting to finally play here,” says Ireland captain Erin King.
“We’ve come along and watched the guys play, so to finally get our chance, I think it’s definitely what we deserve and it shows how far the game’s come.
“It just shows the trajectory of the game and how the game’s going, and it’s getting more entertaining, some of the athletic performances that are being put out there are outstanding and we do it at the end of the day to see the young girls and the young boys at the games and when we ask them who their favourite players are, (and) they say it’s people on our team, that’s so inspiring.
“I think a few years ago that wouldn’t have been the case, it probably would have been more men’s players as role models, so the fact that we are people’s role models these days is really nice and it shows the way the game’s going.”
This group are getting used to the bigger stages. As well as lining out in front of big crowds at last year’s World Cup, some of Bemand’s squad have Olympic experience from their Sevens days while last month, Ireland opened their Six Nations campaign in front of over 77,000 supporters in Twickenham. Yet for some the younger players, these experiences still feel very new. Some nerves are to be expected this weekend, but that’s all being accounted for in the preparation.
“We definitely talk about it, kind of name it to tame it, and we place a big emphasis on the fact that we’re all out there together and we have each other’s backs out there no matter what and how you’re feeling, like express it and name it,” King says.
“And it’s OK to feel the way you’re feeling and try use that energy in a positive way and embrace it. You’re nervous because you care and you’re excited because you’re excited and like enjoy that and enjoy these feelings and these emotions and bring them onto the pitch.
“We have such a tight-knit group that you never feel alone out there, which is what the culture is around and what we’ve been working towards for years . It’s great to get to do it all together as a team and have each other out there.”
Still only 22, King was named Ireland captain ahead of this Six Nations campaign by head coach Scott Bemand. Initially feeling some ‘worries’ around taking on the role, over the course of the championship the flanker has learned to embrace it and lead things her way.
“I think I’ve been enjoying it, and a big part of the way I want to captain is telling the girls to enjoy every moment and don’t let it kind of go past you and remember how lucky we are to be in the position we’re in and not take it for granted.
“That’s probably a big way I like to captain, (putting) the people before the player and enjoying the off-pitch stuff, enjoying the on-pitch stuff, but just remembering why you do it.
“I didn’t know what to expect and I knew that it came with a lot of responsibility and pressure, but I think I’ve really embraced that and not shied away from it and just remembered, you know, Scott told me something really important when he first named me captain, he said ‘I want you to be captain because of who you are and don’t change a thing.’
“So I think once he said that, it kind of settled me and I’ve tried to really stick to that. If I can just stick to my morals and be myself, completely authentically myself, I’ll finish the day and be happy.”
It helps that King is enjoying her rugby on the pitch, forming a formidable back row alongside Brittany Hogan and the outstanding Aoife Wafer.
In Belfast on Saturday, Wafer went through for two tries and produced an outstanding assist for Beibhinn Parsons, while also making 20 carries and 12 tackles. Hogan matched the Wexford native for carries as the pair led the stats, and the blindside flanker topped Ireland’s tackle count with 15. At openside, King chipped in with 10 tackles and nine carries across a busy outing.
“I’m so lucky to be in a back row with two of the best players in the world, I think.
“We learn off each other every day and we’re also really competitive with each other, which I think drives us all along, we have that internal competition and we all bring something kind of different to the table, and it seems to be working really well.
“You’ve got Brittany making all her tackles and carrying hard and then Wafer scoring tries and her big carries and offloads.
“I feel like I’m learning off them all the time and they’re pushing me to be a better player and hopefully I’m doing the same.”
Currently third in the Six Nations table, two points ahead of Italy (who play Wales), a win on Sunday would keep Ireland in the right half of the table.
“I think we’ll be happy with our Six Nations if we get the three home wins and it’ll show that we are bridging that gap then between ourselves and the top two teams.
“In those performances (against England and France), obviously we didn’t get the result we wanted, but we showed at times what we’re capable of and that we can mix with the best in the world. If we have a nice gap between ourselves and the rest of the competition, that shows the gap being bridged.”
To embed this post, copy the code below on your site
Erin King ireland womens rugby Record Breakers Rugby Women's Six Nations