GREAT WALL
Ireland’s star forward relishing French test
“That’s the
goal - to get to the World Cup”
DESPITE her age, 23, and relative modest number of international caps (also 23), Dorothy Wall now find herself as one of the most experienced players in a youthful Irish pack ahead of the upcoming Six Nations.
Nichola Fryday’s shock retirement last year has led to the promotion of Sam Monaghan and Eden McMahon as co-captains, a pair of forwards with just 42 Ireland appearances between them.
Wall is still very much learning her trade but the expectation is that the Fethard-born forward will be a real leader of this Irish team going forward.
‘Yeah, that’s weird when you say that,’ when she is reminded of her current caps tally.
‘I suppose I am when you look at what I’ve learned but on another scale I’m absolutely not but you pick up different things from playing with your club team from Munster to the Clovers or learning from the girls who come back from the (English) Prem.
‘I think it’s just taking whatever knowledge you can from coaches and players around you. We’ve a great leadership group within the squad and there’s definitely some older voices there that may have more caps but there’s still some very experienced players in terms of club level and Prem level that come in and have been around that little bit longer than me so I’ll definitely try and get as much information from them as possible.’
Wall burst onto the scene in recent years with her powerful ball-carrying and all-action game. Recently, she has been lining out in the second row for Munster and the Clovers, the representative team playing in the Celtic Challenge competition.
‘I don’t think I’ve ever been quiet,’ she says, with a laugh.
‘I captained Munster and the Clovers this year so that was definitely a learning curve for me. A good one.
‘It has brought its own challenges and you definitely have to look in and you kind of realise that everyone leads in their own ways.
‘I would have talked to a lot of people that I see as leaders for advice and how to handle situations, how to plan for games.
‘I’d still be good friends with Junior (former Ireland captain Ciara Griffin) and Nichola Fryday. I’d text them. If I can’t figure something out, I know who to go to.
‘In the Irish camp, our co-captains are Sam (Monaghan) and Tricky (Edel McMahon) and they’re doing a fantastic job and we’ve really built our culture since Scott (Bemand) came over in September. It’s been a huge point of interest for us and having Sam and Tricky leading it all is just excellent. They’re doing a really good job and there’s two sides to leadership. There’s those who lead in title and stature. And Sam and Edel really do.
‘Then there’s an important point of being able to follow the leadership as well so it’s working well at the moment and hopefully will continue to do so.’
After last season’s grim Six Nations campaign, featuring a first Wooden Spoon finish since 2004, hope springs eternal ahead of the new championship. Bemand, the highly-rated coach who has joined from the all-conquering England set-up, is on board. He has already guided Ireland to victory in the WXV3 series.
The standard of opposition was fairly modest — including the likes of Kazakhstan and Colombia — but a galvanising win against Spain, who defeated Ireland in that ill-fated World Cup qualifier back in 2021, felt like another step forward.
The addition of Béibhinn Parsons, Eve Higgins, and Aoibheann Reilly — three stars of the Sevens circuit — to the squad is another major bonus.
Parsons is a generational talent who can break games wide open while Higgins should provide a bit more thrust in midfield while Reilly is a livewire at scrum-half.
There will certainly be a step up on Saturday with France, on their home turf in Le Mans, providing the opposition in the opening round of the Six Nations.
Co-captain McMahon spoke last week about the potency of the French crowd during Ireland’s 40-5 in front of a full house at Toulouse’s Stade Ernest-Wallon in 2022.
‘I got to play there two years ago in Toulouse and that was a full crowd,’ McMahon said.
‘We actually chat about our experiences on the pitch, and you hear quite a lot of noise. It does help them when they’re on the front foot. It’s just an experience to relish.
‘It’s the same when we play in Ireland. The fans get behind us and you just feel the momentum that comes with you, so I’m sure the French relish that as well. It’s a cool experience.’
It is a tough start to the championship by any measure.
‘It’s never going to be easy. It’s going to be a test but I think we’re all ready for it,’ Wall states.
There is also the added layer of World Cup qualification to this championship. Third place will be enough to secure a spot at next year’s global showpiece in England.
Missing out on the last World Cup was a low point for the women’s game and Wall says this squad will not shy away from the challenge.
‘That’s the goal — to get to the World Cup.
‘It’s game by game. Everyone says it.
‘It really is because you can’t think of the overall goal before you get all the little things in order first.
‘The little things being the first game against France which isn’t little at all really. So, you really need to focus on the task at hand and do as much as you can to compete in that area before you compete in the grander picture.
‘If you can get the small increments of the plan right then hopefully you’ll achieve the overall goal.’
The majority of this squad have been on full-time contracts for the best part of a year now. The hope is the long-suffering national team will begin to reap the benefits on the pitch. ‘It’s been great,’ Wall adds. ‘I’ve definitely become a better athlete in terms of fitness and strength. Just having time on the ball during the week which I wouldn’t have had before.’
“I’ve never
been quiet on the pitch”