Still within the IRFU’s 7s programme back then, Nic a Bháird had just returned from a World Series tournament in Sydney at the beginning of the week and subsequently made her Irish bow in the 15-a-side code as a 60th replacement in a Friday night clash at Scotstoun Stadium in Glasgow. Edinburgh Rugby Stadium is the venue this Saturday for their latest meeting with Scotland, who are coming into the game on the back of an impressive win over Italy last weekend.

“Thinking back to that game, it was a bit of a whirlwind. Definitely feeling a bit more prepared going into this one. Really looking forward to playing over there as well. They have a record crowd, as far as I’m aware. They’re a passionate bunch, the same as ourselves. It should be a good atmosphere,” Nic a Bháird explained at a press conference on Tuesday.

Whereas the Leesider is now part of an Ireland squad that is relatively inexperienced overall in test rugby, she found herself alongside some star performers back in 2019. Grand Slam winners Alison Miller and Claire Molloy both started that game, while Sene Naoupu and Ciara Griffin were some other notable figures to feature on the night.

Despite the fact that this quartet (and a number of others from that day) aren’t part of the current set-up, Nic a Bháird continues to take inspiration from their performances in an Irish shirt.

“I still look up to a lot of those players. I know they’re not playing at the moment or any more, but they were my role models and I think that was a really special thing for me. A lot of the sports I played growing up, you possibly didn’t have a senior female role model in that sport.

“I played rugby at U12 with a boys team and at the time I wasn’t aware of any women playing. The chance to take the pitch with them after having played in club with some of them as well was huge. Absolutely massive and to learn from them, what it actually means and what it takes to get those results was a massive opportunity for me.”

Thanks to tries from Aoife McDermott, Leah Lyons, the aforementioned Miller and Anna Caplice, that success over Scotland – their solitary victory of the campaign – was also a bonus point one. If they are to avoid a wooden spoon finish for the first time since 2004 in this year’s Six Nations, it is more than likely that Ireland will need to get a maximum return from Saturday’s game.

Yet given they have recorded four straight defeats thus far, Nic a Bháird said she would look upon a win of any description as a positive in the final round of the tournament.

“I can’t speak on behalf of the whole team, but any win is a win. Despite maybe that being a difficult thing to swallow, we have to take the wins when they come. If it’s off the back of a good performance, we have to take that as well,” Nic a Bhaird added.

“What we’re building towards is good performances, building the depth and experience in the squad. So each of those things is as important as anything else.”