Munster’s Enya Breen excited by prospect of facing Kathryn Dane
Having previously watched closely as she worked her way back to full fitness and health, Munster’s Enya Breen is excited by the prospect of facing Kathryn Dane in Virgin Media Park this weekend.
Amongst the first batch of players to be fully contracted to the IRFU Women’s 15s High Performance Programme, Dane suffered a brain haemorrhage in November 2022 while rehabbing an anterior cruciate ligament injury at the IRFU’s High Performance Centre.
It has been a difficult road back to recovery for the Fermanagh woman, but having come through a warm-up game against Connacht last month, she is now in line to feature for Ulster in their Women’s Interprovincial Championship opener against Munster in Cork on Saturday (kick-off 2.30pm).
Given she spent a lot of time with the scrum-half in the HPC as she battled back from a knee injury sustained in Ireland’s Six Nations clash against Wales in March 2023, Breen recognises how hard Dane has worked to get to this point.
“Me and Kathryn did a lot of rehab in here together as well when we were injured. I’d know her quite well and we came in at the same time [to the Irish set-up] too,” Breen remarked at a Women’s Interpro launch in the HPC last week.
“We’d be very familiar with each other and I’m looking forward to playing against her again. It was a long time not seeing her on the pitch. Delighted that she is back and looking forward to having a good battle with her.”
From the 32-strong squad that new Munster head coach Fiona Hayes has assembled for this season’s Women’s Interpros – which will end in a finals day at Kingspan Stadium in Belfast on August 31 – Breen is one of four players who are currently lining out for Dublin-based clubs.
She and her Blackrock College team-mates – sisters Ellen and Maggie Boylan – are joined in the squad by Old Belvedere’s Deirbhile Nic a Bháird, but despite some gentle ribbing from her provincial colleagues, she is always proud to reconnect with some old faces in the Munster set-up.
“Even though we get slagged for leaving Munster and leaving Bohs and Cork, it is nice to get back and playing with all the girls you would have played with growing up. I played with all the girls down in Limerick as well. It is nice to come back and come together. You really feel a big sense of belonging to being from Munster.”
Before being glued to the television last Friday to her fellow Skibbereen natives Paul O’Donovan and Fintan McCarthy claiming gold medals in the lightweight double sculls for the second consecutive occasion, Breen also took a keen interest in Ireland’s historic first appearance at the Women’s Rugby 7s at the Olympics in Paris.
“For them it was a great achievement to get there and we’re all so proud of them. No matter what the results were [they finished eighth overall], it was great to see them there on the world stage where they belong. We’re delighted for them,” Breen added.