Being without Briggs will be Ireland’s spur, says Tierney
By DAIRE WALSH
AHEAD of their opening Women’s Rugby World Cup pool game against Australia at the UCD Bowl tomorrow (7pm), Ireland head coach Tom Tierney is hopeful that the absence of Niamh Briggs can have a galvanising effect on his squad.
Briggs was set to captain the host nation in the hotly-anticipated tournament, but after she injured her Achilles tendon during rehabilitation from a long-standing hamstring issue, she was ultimately withdrawn from the 28-strong selection.
As a veteran of the 2010 and 2014 World Cup campaigns, the Waterford native’s absence will be felt, but Tierney believes his charges will enter the competition with the right mindset.
“Sport has a funny way of doing that [galvinising you], especially team sports. It’s like a switch that goes on, and suddenly you’re in a different mindset. The mindset is the key.
“We’re very conscious, we’ve done all the hard work. From a strength and conditioning perspective, we’re very clear how we want to play,” said Tierney.
“Also, we’re rock solid in team cohesion. If we have all three of those, then we’re going to be a difficult team to play against, and all the expectations outside, we’ll be able to handle that in the best possible way.”
Briggs had also missed out on this year’s Six Nations Championship, when Ireland finished second to reigning world champions England, and Tierney acknowledges that this has helped them to prepare for her absence.
“She’s been rehabbing this since October, so it’s something we’ve always planned for. From an injury perspective anyone can fall down at any stage.
“We have to be vigilant that we have cover, but also from growing the squad, and creating a player pool that’s big enough to handle the setbacks.”
Paula Fitzpatrick had acted as stand-in skipper for Briggs during the Six Nations, but as the most capped player in the set-up, Tierney felt that openside flanker Claire Molloy was the ideal choice for the World Cup.
“She’s [Molloy] the most capped player in the squad. Since I got here she’s been a driving force in the leadership group, and we felt she was the outstanding candidate just to bring the squad further on.
“Paula did a superb job standing in for Niamh in the Six Nations, and Niamh did a superb job in her time, so it’s something we felt was the right time for Claire.
“She’s got 100 per cent backing from all the players. All the senior players [will be] helping her, because it’s not just a one person thing.”
In addition to their sessions at the National Sports Campus in Abbotstown, Ireland also prepared for the tournament by utilising the facilities at Cork’s Fota Island.
They also played two warm-up encounters against Spain during this period, and Tierney is confident that there is a strong bond within the squad as a result.
“The facilities were second to none [in Fota]. We were down there for four days. It was longer and more intense camp than we’d usually have. Usually a two day camp over the weekend, so that was worth its weight in gold.
“We went up against the Spanish a couple of times. That was very beneficial, and it just brought the squad closer together.
“It’s very cohesive. We’ve a real solid bond, everyone is on the same page with what we’re trying to achieve. We’ve set a real good foundation block that hopefully we can launch off on Wednesday.”
Because they are hosting the World Cup for the very first time, there will undoubtedly be pressure on Ireland to deliver strong performances in each of their games.
Tierney (who played for the Ireland men in the 1999 World Cup) understands that there is a huge expectation on the shoulders of his players, but can ultimately see this having a positive impact on the team.
“There’s two ways of looking at it. One, you can see it as a negative and it can get to you, and you’ll lose your focus because that’s all you’re focusing on.
“And two, what we’ve tried to do is right, every single player is responsible for their job. They do their job, the management do their job, and we bring that together as a team.
“Then we have a situation where we can bring that on to the pitch, and suddenly all the outside factors and the occasion is not going to affect performance levels, but help it,” added Tierney.
“The girls are very clear on that, and they’re driving it themselves. Its been a long summer. You’re always waiting for the tournament to start. We’re very happy with how we prepared.”