Monaghan started in the second-row for their 40-5 reversal in front of 12,000 spectators at Stade Ernest Wallon in Toulouse during the 2022 edition of the Championship, before also donning the number five jersey when Les Bleus registered a 53-3 success at Musgrave Park a little under 12 months ago.

Yet the atmosphere that was generated for their most recent trip to France ensured it was an eye-opening experience for Monaghan and while she stressed that communication will be key in what is expected to be a cauldron-like atmosphere in Le Mans, she is extremely hopeful the Irish players can put into practice what they have been working on in the lead-up to the game.

“I just think it’s an exciting challenge. You’re going away to France. I remember when we played them in Toulouse a couple of years ago, it was nothing I had ever experienced before.

“The brass band was playing, it snowed in the warm-up and then I got sunburnt by half-time! I was going up in the line-out and the whistles were blowing, I thought it was the referee,” Monaghan recalled of that 2022 clash with France.

“Something we’ve worked on this week is that sound drowning out our training, so you really have to think. Our communication skills have to be accurate. Not over-emphasising what we’re saying, but being clear and direct.

“Because on that pitch with all that noise going, we’re going to have to be clear and direct in our communication. Just embrace the atmosphere because what better way to showcase what you’ve been doing the last three weeks than in front of all those fans that are there to support French rugby.”

Upon taking over as head coach from Greg McWilliams last summer, one of the first tasks that Scott Bemand had on his hands was to select a new skipper for this Irish side.

However, instead of picking just one player to replace Nichola Fryday (who retired from international duty after the completion of a winless 2023 Six Nations for Ireland), the former Leicester and Bath scrum-half elected to give Monaghan and Edel McMahon the joint responsibility of leading the team for the immediate future.

This move has certainly paid off thus far as the industrious duo played a significant role in Ireland’s successful march towards a WXV 3 title in Dubai last October.

Compared to when she first made her debut as a 28-year-old in a World Cup qualifier against Spain back in September 2021, Monaghan believes she is now in a much better position to take on a captaincy role – even though she still has just 18 international caps to her name.

The Meath native has insisted that she and McMahon aren’t alone when it comes to leading the way in this Irish group, though she also credits her club Gloucester-Hartpury for helping to develop her own skills in this area.

“You definitely have to think a lot differently. I think I was definitely a greenhorn coming into this a couple of years ago, I hadn’t played much rugby. Now all of a sudden you’ve 40 players looking at you to make a decision. The great thing about this is we’re growing the leadership across a lot of the players, so we’ve so many experienced players,” Monaghan added.

“Dorothy [Wall] was on before me, Hannah O’Connor, Lauren Delany, Enya Breen. So many other names, so it’s not just on myself and Tricky [Edel McMahon]. It’s throughout the whole squad as well.

“Luckily, I signed with Gloucester and they put me into this leadership position and I captained two games against my old club Wasps last season and then against DMP [Durham Sharks].

“I had experience from that sense.”