JUST OVER 15 days to go.
According to Niamh Brigg’s Twitter bio, 2017 is the year of the Irish rugby team’s lives. And in slightly over two weeks time, the year of their lives is set to reach its peak.
This will be Briggs’ third Women’s Rugby World Cup (WRWC), and she’s leading her side on home soil.
A momentous occasion, and one which she is clearly relishing.
Of course, with any momentous occasion like this comes pressure. But the fact that it’s a home tournament brings another element. One which the UL Bohemians star welcomes.
“We’re at home. We have to embrace and cherish that pressure, and turn it back on something that we can use as a positive,” she told those present at the squad announcement in UCD earlier today.
“For us as a squad, it’s important that we embrace it and cherish the fact that this is a once in a generational thing for us. A home World Cup, it’s not happened before and it definitely won’t happen again in my rugby career, that’s for sure.
“It’s important for us to soak it in and enjoy the opportunity.
“We want to go and win. We make no bones about it, we want to win every tournament and this one’s no different.
“I’ve no doubt that if we can look after ourselves and keep ourselves in our own little bubble, come the 26 August we’ll be in a good place.”
The focus is on 15 days from now first though, not the final on the 26 August just yet.
9 August — Ireland’s opening fixture against Australia in the UCD Bowl.
It’s shaping up to be the first time the Waterford native will pull on a green jersey since last November’s loss to New Zealand.
Before that, she had been struggling with an injury but made it back to captain her side for the last of the November Tests. Maybe not 100% fit but she was back, and spent long hours over Christmas recovering and preparing for the year of her life.
The Six Nations was just around the corner when she was hit with another blow. This time it was much more significant though, and Briggs was left on the sidelines with a serious hamstring injury.
She was ruled out for the entire competition, with great uncertainty surrounding her future.
“You go from really excited to be leading a World Cup at home to not knowing if you’ll play again and that’s where I was,” she told The42 back in May.
Thankfully though, she’s made a full recovery and that excitement is back.
“It’s been a difficult enough season for me personally but it’s definitely in the past now,” the 32-year-old continued earlier today.
“I’ve been back training and really excited to get going. I’m fresh, and looking forward to it.”
One of four players — alongside Marie Louise O’Reilly, Nora Stapleton and Claire Molloy — that have been in three World Cup squads, Briggs is asked how the current crop fares against the 2010 and 2014 editions.
And she doesn’t hesitate to praise her counterparts.
“This is by far our best prepared squad in terms of strength and depth and the time that we’ve had together.
“There were very difficult decisions to be made. So many girls stood up [for selection] and made their job very difficult, and that’s what you want– girls pushing the boundaries all the time.
“It’s really exciting but a little bit bittersweet for the girls who missed out.
“It’s very difficult to compare — the last World Cup was huge for us in terms of stamping our mark in history and getting out of the group as winners and getting to the semi-final stage.
“But we’ve got a good core in this squad that have been there and done that before.”
- Additional reporting by Sean Farrell.
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