Ireland upbeat ahead of daunting French test
THE Ireland Women’s team is gearing up for the start of their own Six Nations journey, facing a formidable challenge against France in their opening match next weekend.
Despite not being tipped for the same success as the men’s team, given the daunting strength of France and England in particular, Ireland Coach Scott Bemand is satisfied with the team’s preparations on the back of an encouraging series of wins in last autumn’s WXV competition, albeit against weaker opponents than they will face in this championship.
‘Putting 100-points plus on Kazakhstan is perhaps not the level of challenge that you necessarily want or need to go into a Six Nations. The thing we can control is the training piece. You can make some quite big gains with how competitive you make training,’ Bemand said.
‘We don’t shy away with what went on results-wise last Six Nations but the group have come together, we’ve built some winning momentum.’
‘We’ve got a mix of new and returning players, creating a vibrant atmosphere with plenty of energy evident in our discussions and around the training ground. Everyone is fully aware of the challenges that lie ahead,’ added Bemand.
Co-captain Edel McMahon, who missed the last Six Nations due to injury, expressed a renewed mindset for the upcoming campaign. McMahon noted the team’s growth, particularly among senior players like Aoife Dalton and Dannah O’Brien, instilling confidence ahead of the tournament.
‘I was injured for that last campaign, so my mindset is a little bit different. But a lot of girls have grown since that campaign to be quite senior players, the likes of [Aoife]
Dalton and Dannah [O’Brien],’ McMahon said. ‘So the confidence level, we’ve seen where we’ve grown from those performances to now. I think people are excited to get going and see where we’re at.’
The primary objective for this Six Nations, according to McMahon, is qualification for the 2025 World Cup in England, after missing out last time.
‘That’s what we want to achieve, building to 2025, it’s so important,’ said McMahon.