LINDA DJOUGANG COULD be forgiven for feeling a little lost as she led Ireland out at Franklin’s Gardens today. The prop was sent out first to mark her 50th Test cap, in the process becoming the first Ireland player to hit the milestone since Nora Stapleton in the summer of 2017.
Djougang made her Test debut in 2019, so has never been involved in an Ireland team where a 50th cap has been celebrated.
So as she ran out onto the pitch in Northampton, Djougang found herself relying on the mascot to tell her where to go, what to do and where to stand.
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Djougang leads the team out. Ben Brady / INPHO
Ben Brady / INPHO / INPHO
“That was so special,” said Djougang, cap number 50 sitting proudly on her head.
“I didn’t know what to do. I’ve never been in that position before, thank you to the mascot, she was guiding me! She’s telling me, go around, do this. I said thank you so much. It’s really special. I’m going to remember this for a long, long time. I didn’t know how special it was to lead your team out.”
The achievement was marked in the dressing room post game, where Djougang’s teammates could be heard chanting “Go Linda, go Linda” in between breaks in the post-game playlist.
“It is amazing, such an honour, especially doing it here at the world’s biggest stage, especially with the girls. Honestly, it’s been incredible.
“The girls, I wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t for them. They guided me, they supported me through the ups and downs, and from my first jersey to this number, I wouldn’t be standing here if it wasn’t for them.
So this is not just not for me, it’s for them too, because it’s been a journey that we’ve all been through and honestly I wish this for them, but even for them to go above this number because they deserve that.
“Irish women’s (rugby) is definitely growing. I haven’t played with a player that celebrated a 50th cap, so for this group to have this opportunity to celebrate this with them, it’s just showing them and hopefully inspiring them that you know what, all of them are getting this cap soon. So I’m proud of us, proud of me, and the journey is just continuing.”
Ireland’s 43-27 win over Spain booked their place in the quarter-finals ahead of next Sunday’s clash with New Zealand in Brighton.
“We’re all soaking it in. The World Cup is so special, so I think that it’s so important for us to celebrate our win. No matter how we get it, it’s important for us to regroup and celebrate the week, the hard work, the hard training that we did, but also enjoy the win.
“And then we’ll move on. We’ll go and do analysis. We’ll fix the wrongs, that’s what we do and we focus on the next game next week, so that’s really important for us.
“The energy is just buzzing. The atmosphere is buzzing. We’re happy, but also we have so much to learn from this game.
“It wasn’t easy, so we enjoy today and then focus on next week because we know what’s ahead of us.”
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Djougang hits 50 caps: 'I wouldn't be here if it wasn't for the girls'
LINDA DJOUGANG COULD be forgiven for feeling a little lost as she led Ireland out at Franklin’s Gardens today. The prop was sent out first to mark her 50th Test cap, in the process becoming the first Ireland player to hit the milestone since Nora Stapleton in the summer of 2017.
Djougang made her Test debut in 2019, so has never been involved in an Ireland team where a 50th cap has been celebrated.
So as she ran out onto the pitch in Northampton, Djougang found herself relying on the mascot to tell her where to go, what to do and where to stand.
“That was so special,” said Djougang, cap number 50 sitting proudly on her head.
“I didn’t know what to do. I’ve never been in that position before, thank you to the mascot, she was guiding me! She’s telling me, go around, do this. I said thank you so much. It’s really special. I’m going to remember this for a long, long time. I didn’t know how special it was to lead your team out.”
The achievement was marked in the dressing room post game, where Djougang’s teammates could be heard chanting “Go Linda, go Linda” in between breaks in the post-game playlist.
“It is amazing, such an honour, especially doing it here at the world’s biggest stage, especially with the girls. Honestly, it’s been incredible.
“The girls, I wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t for them. They guided me, they supported me through the ups and downs, and from my first jersey to this number, I wouldn’t be standing here if it wasn’t for them.
“Irish women’s (rugby) is definitely growing. I haven’t played with a player that celebrated a 50th cap, so for this group to have this opportunity to celebrate this with them, it’s just showing them and hopefully inspiring them that you know what, all of them are getting this cap soon. So I’m proud of us, proud of me, and the journey is just continuing.”
Ireland’s 43-27 win over Spain booked their place in the quarter-finals ahead of next Sunday’s clash with New Zealand in Brighton.
“We’re all soaking it in. The World Cup is so special, so I think that it’s so important for us to celebrate our win. No matter how we get it, it’s important for us to regroup and celebrate the week, the hard work, the hard training that we did, but also enjoy the win.
“And then we’ll move on. We’ll go and do analysis. We’ll fix the wrongs, that’s what we do and we focus on the next game next week, so that’s really important for us.
“The energy is just buzzing. The atmosphere is buzzing. We’re happy, but also we have so much to learn from this game.
“It wasn’t easy, so we enjoy today and then focus on next week because we know what’s ahead of us.”
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ireland womens rugby linda djougang Milestone Rugby wrwc2025