There has been some disappointing news for the Irish squad, as number of experienced players have decided to retire or take a year out of rugby.
Fiona Coghlan's Rugby Diary
There has been some disappointing news for the Irish squad, as number of experienced players have decided to retire or take a year out of rugby. These players have been key to the squad over the last number of years and they will be a huge loss. Sarah Jane Belton, Marie Barrett, Patrique Kelly and Jess Limbert are women that have become household names in Irish women’s rugby.
Being involved in international rugby takes a huge amount of commitment, and in order to be involved other things must be put on hold. I’ve have no doubt that the girls thought long and hard about their decision, and it wouldn’t have been easy for them. Coupled with this, there are a number of other players on the sidelines with injuries. I just hope that they recover quickly to retake their places in the squad.
We were back together again in the gym last week to do our weights session. It is brilliant having people around to compete with and push yourself against. When you are doing weights on your own it is difficult to push yourself out of your comfort zone. The day after the sessions I was in serious pain, but it is the good kind (if there is such a thing). The kind when you know the results will be good.
The trek to Limerick on Wednesday nights for club training is so difficult in winter. Maybe it’s worse because I’m sitting in a car for two hours to get there, thinking how cold it’s going to be outside. However, after the sessions I’m always delighted that I made the effort. After every session we also do some conditioning work. Although at the time it’s horrendous, afterwards you feel great, with endorphins racing around your body.
Last weekend we played Navan in the AIL. This is Navan’s first year in Division 1, but they have been consistently good performers in Division 2 for a number of years. It was clear from the beginning of the game, however, that we were a far superior team. There is always a danger in games like this that your game will drop to the standard of the team you’re playing. Our squad must therefore be commended for remaining composed and in control for the entire game, and we finished with a very convincing 68–0 score-line.
Meanwhile, the Irish Vixens, the rugby sevens team I often play with, are out in the Middle East competing in the Dubai Sevens. I am so jealous that I couldn’t go; as I am a teacher I can’t really pick and choose my holidays, so unfortunately I don’t think I’ll ever get a chance to attend.
A number of international teams are using this competition as a training ground to prepare for the IRB Sevens World Cup in February, so the standard will be very high, with England out to win it. Unfortunately Ireland did not enter a team in the IRB Sevens, so the girls with the Vixens have entered as a separate entity, funded by themselves to go out and compete. It will be difficult for them to play international teams as they haven’t trained or played together since May, but I have no doubt they will give it everything they’ve got.
Turning back home, the weekend before last I went to the Ireland–Argentina game at Croke Park. I brought my three-year-old nephew with me; he is rugby-mad and was amazed by the stadium, and also got a chance to see his favourite players O’Connell and O’Driscoll.
However, the atmosphere in Croke Park was absolutely shocking. The fans need to take responsibility for this, even prior to the game. I agree there wasn’t much to shout about, but this is when the team needs you to get behind them.
It was a particularly boring match, with too much poor kicking, but the team must be congratulated on getting a win – something they failed to do in the previous meetings. It also secured them a place in the top eight rankings, which is very important for World Cup pools. So the positive must be taken from the game.
Fiona Coghlan is an Irish International rugby player. Her column appears every fortnight in Metro Éireann
