Ireland head into Six Nations with preparation ‘gone up a level’
DAIRE WALSH
Ahead of their Six Nations opener against France at Stade Marie-Marvingt in Le Mans on Saturday (kick-off 2.15pm Irish time), Dorothy Wall has said there is a completely different feeling to the Ireland women’s rugby team for their 2024 campaign.
Under the guidance of then-head coach Greg McWilliams, Ireland finished at the foot of the 2023 Championship table courtesy of five straight defeats. A debutant against Scotland in the 2020 Six Nations, Tipperary native Wall started the opening three games of last year’s tournament at blindside flanker before appearing as an early replacement for openside Grace Moore in a final round visit to Scotland in Edinburgh.
Since then, former England women’s lead coach Scott Bemand has taken over from McWilliams in the Irish hotseat and guided his new charges to victory at the inaugural WXV 3 in Dubai last October. There have also been a number of other additions to the Ireland women’s backroom staff and Wall believes the set-up has changed substantially from this time 12 months ago.
“It’s completely different to last year in terms of our preparation and everything. Our knowledge around the detail we want to play. Game plan, everything, it has just gone up a level. It’s great that we have that level of detail, and physical and mental preparation, for what is to come on Saturday,” Wall explained.
Along with Wall taking up a new role as a lock – she partners the equally versatile Hannah O’Connor in the second-row for the game – a number of players who didn’t feature in the 2023 Six Nations are now very much back in the saddle.
Members of the Ireland 7s squad, Eve Higgins, Beibhinn Parsons and Aoibheann Reilly (who was still recovering from a cruciate ligament injury this time last year) are included amongst the Irish backs this afternoon after playing significant roles in that aforementioned WXV success.
It was anticipated that Edel McMahon and Sam Monaghan would co-captain the team from openside flanker and second-row respectively, just as they had done in Dubai last year. Yet with Monaghan not quite ready for action after a recent head injury she sustained on club duty with Gloucester-Hartpury, it is left for McMahon to act as the sole skipper of the side in France.
McMahon’s presence in the Irish starting line-up for the contest is warmly welcomed by Wall after the Clare woman missed out on the entirety of last year’s Championship because of a toe issue.
“She is a great security. She’s someone you feel like you can rely on. If things don’t go to plan on the day, you have Tricky [McMahon’s nickname] there and she’s going to be a great foundation for our team and a great sounding board.”
While uncapped teenager Katie Corrigan is handed a spot on the right-wing – on the back of scoring 12 tries in just five appearances for Wolfhounds in this season’s Celtic Challenge – she is the only newcomer amongst Ireland’s match day 23 for the trip to Le Mans.
Although there are 10 players in the reckoning for the fixture that have 10 caps or fewer, the likes of Linda Djougang (32 caps), McMahon (24), Wall (23) and Parsons (21) do have considerable know-how in the international test arena.
This will certainly be required amidst a cauldron-like atmosphere in Le Mans as Ireland will be coming up against a French side that are currently ranked third in the world and have held the upper hand in this fixture for quite some time. Les Bleues last tasted defeat to the Irish in the 2017 Six Nations and more recently enjoyed a 53-3 victory at Musgrave Park in Cork last April.
Coming into this year’s Six Nations, Ireland have a stated aim of achieving a top-three finish – which would guarantee them qualification for the 2025 Rugby World Cup finals in England. Even though France are already assured of a place at that particular tournament, their joint-head coach Gaelle Mignot admitted in a press conference ahead of this afternoon’s fare that they are already building towards the RWC.
“Our desire remains to create a large group with a long-term vision, and therefore to integrate young people, keeping in mind the goal of 2025,” Mignot said.
“We want girls who dare, who try, while being careless. [With the] will to produce a show, to create enthusiasm around our team, so that people want to cross the English Channel to come and see us play in England [at the World Cup].”
L Delany; K Corrigan, E Higgins, A Dalton, B Parsons; N Fowley, A Reilly; L Djougang, N Jones, C Haney; D Wall, H O’Connor; A Wafer, E McMahon, B Hogan.
Replacements: S Delaney, N O’Dowd, S McGrath, F Tuite, G Moore, M Scuffil-McCabe, D O’Brien, M Deely.
E Boulard; K Arbey, N Konde, G Vernier, M Menager; L Queyroi, P Bourdon Sansus; A Deshaye, A Sochat, A Khalfaoui; M Feleu, M Fall; C Escudero, G Hermet, R Menager.
Replacements: E Riffonneau, A Mwayembe, C Joyeaux, K Zago, E Gros, A Chambon, L Tuy, M Bourgeois.