Improved set-piece can boost Irish hopes
PARIS 2024 will be a seismic moment for Sevens in this country.
David Nucifora’s pet project has been polarising but the fact that both the men’s and women’s teams will represent Ireland at the Olympic Games for the first time deserves credit.
And the women’s team in particular will be quietly fancying their chances of serving up a medal later this year. The likes of Lucy Mulhall, Amee-Leigh Murphy Crowe, Beibhinn Parsons and Eve Higgins have been achieving great things at this level in recent times, winning silver on the Seville leg of the Sevens circuit in 2022 and following that up with a first-ever tournament victory, beating a brilliant Australia team in their home turf in Perth in January.
And if Mulhall and Co do something special at Stade de France in August, they will be lauded for their efforts. But will it have captured the public consciousness?
Because this afternoon’s Six Nations clash at the RDS feels like the kind of event which will capture a lot more imaginations. This championship fixture — the first in Dublin since 2022 — is headed for a record attendance, surpassing the 6,000-odd spectators who descended on the same venue for a Six Nations game against Wales two years ago.
Thousands of young girls, parents, budding coaches and volunteers who could be inspired to take the game forward. Crucially, this is all on free-to-air on a Sunday afternoon. There are going to be a lot of eyeballs on Ireland’s fortunes today.
That brings its own pressure, of course. At times last year, if felt like the glare of the media spotlight was blinding for an Ireland squad stumbling around in the dark. The memory of former captain Nichola Fryday breaking down in the front of the cameras after a harrowing experience against a French team operating on a different plane remains vivid. This squad simply weren’t ready for the scrutiny and exposure.
It’s early days in the Scott Bemand project, but there are tentative signs that the class of 2024 can cope with the hype, expectation and pressure.
The way they fronted up against France in Le Mans will have heartened this playing group. One early defensive blip aside, the hosts got nothing easy against an Irish team which looked far more
organised and determined. If they can sharpen up the set-piece — the return of Sam Monaghan will be a major boost on that front — and get a bit more front-foot ball, they can make life difficult for the Italians.
Bemand sprang some big surprises when his team selection was announced earlier this week. Deeming co-captain Edel McMahon and Hannah O’Connor surplus to requirements in his matchday squad says a lot about the Ireland head coach’s approach. He wants to build depth and competition.
It will be fascinating to see how this group fare in front of a sizeable crowd. In Neve Jones, Monaghan and Brittany Hogan, they have a trio of forwards who fall into the ‘follow me’ category. If we start seeing Parsons, Higgins and Katie Corrigan getting on the ball in a bit of space, then this could be a big day.