When I was on the trolley in Vincent’s, I definitely didn’t think I’d play again’
Women’s Six Nations
Scotland v Ireland
Daire Walsh
Ireland winger Alison Miller has revealed she seriously contemplated retirement following her season-ending injury against Italy in last year’s Women’s Six Nations.
It has been a long road back to fitness from the compounded ankle fracture she sustained in the early moments of that contest and the Portlaoise native admits fearing the worst at the time.
“When I was on the trolley in Vincent’s being brought in, I definitely didn’t think I’d play again. In those moments, the pain is so immense you don’t see how you can get past that. Even the three, four, five weeks at home after, you’re still in that huge pain,” Miller said.
“You can’t see how you could go out and play a hugely contact sport again. It’s a tough game, rugby; there’s injuries and not everyone is lucky enough to get back after an injury like that. Definitely, you would think about it.”
It has been a challenging 12 months for the Old Belvedere star, but she ultimately made a full recovery in time for this year’s championship. She made her competitive comeback in last week’s heavy opening round defeat to England and is now picked to start in tomorrow evening’s away assignment with Scotland (Scotstoun Stadium, 7.35pm).
While she didn’t return to the international fold to prove her doubters wrong, she acknowledges it served as an extra layer of motivation.
“Maybe there’s a different attitude towards you as a woman. If I was a man now playing for the Irish team… I suppose it’s a profession. People are like, ‘Ah, you’re done, yeah. You’re done,’ ‘I saw it, you’re absolutely done,’ ‘You’ll never get back to that level’.
“I don’t know if people realise what they’re saying when they’re meeting you three or four weeks on after a serious leg-break. Maybe that spurs you on and you store it somewhere inside and use it to motivate yourself to get back.
“Not that you’re trying to prove them wrong. You don’t do it to prove anyone else wrong, but I suppose it acts as a little bit of motivation too when people are saying that,” added Miller.
IRELAND: L Delany; E Considine, S Naoupu, M Claffey, A Miller; N Fowley, A Hughes; L Feely, E Hooban, L Lyons; A McDermott, N Fryday; A Caplice, C Molloy, C Griffin.
Replacements: D Nic A Bhaird, L Djougang, F Reidy, C Boles, C McLaughlin, K Dane, E Murphy, M Williams.