We had our last session before the Six Nations on Saturday 31 January on the excellent all-weather rugby pitch at UCD. It was a nice change not being covered in muck while we trained! There were 28 squad members there, each of us looking to impress the coaches before the final 22 were announced at the end of the session.
There’s a combined total of 431 caps in the squad, a very experienced line-up by any standards. But it was tough for the six girls who weren’t included, as they were surrounded by those delighted to be on the team. All you can do is offer your sympathy to the girls who lost out, but nothing you say or do will take away their disappointment.
Three days later the starting 15 for the match against France was announced, and it was a strong-looking team, with a huge amount of strength and depth on the bench. There were also six players from my club UL Bohs on the squad. It is great having team-mates you play with week in, week out on the team, as it gives you a sense of familiarity.
On the Thursday before the game our preparations were turned upside down thanks to the bad weather. In fact, even the prospects for the game going ahead were in jeopardy. Two of the squad’s exiles were stranded in London as the airports were closed and wouldn’t be able to travel until Friday morning.
We heard later that evening that the game would not be taking place in St Mary’s RFC and was being moved to Ashbourne RFC, pending a pitch inspection the following morning. But we didn’t let any of these events upset us. We have a saying in the squad, ‘control the controllables’, and there was nothing we could do about this.
On Friday morning we had a light run-out in a local gym. This was followed by a talk from sports psychologist Enda McNulty, an All-Ireland football winner with Armagh. It was very beneficial having Enda talk to us prior to the game, and we set certain targets with him. But I really feel that in order to maximise the use of a sports psychologist, we would need it over a whole season, not just for one hour.
Before we knew it, it was time to head to our new venue, Ashbourne RFC. On arrival we were amazed that the pitch was in such good condition, with nice and firm ground. The volunteers and staff were absolutely amazing in making us feel welcome.
For the first half of the match we completely dominated the French, but we could not convert pressure into points and were also our own worst enemies, conceding eight penalties. We didn’t need to give them away as we were in control, but sometimes over-eagerness or a lack of concentration can make us slip. At half-time we were unlucky not to be ahead.
During the break I had my feet soaked in a basin of tea. I suffer badly from the cold and I had asked for a basin of lukewarm water, but for some reason someone thought tea was better to defrost my frozen limbs!
In the second half the French came out fighting and they put us under huge amounts of pressure. As a result, they scored the first try out on the wing. But we didn’t let our heads drop and we continued to pressurise, and after a line-out 10 metres from the French line, we got closer and closer, and I was the lucky player to get the ball across the line, thanks to a huge effort by the forwards. Then our out-half Niamh stepped up and slotted the conversion to put us ahead.
Our hearts fell when the French won a penalty to take the game in the last two minutes, but thankfully it drifted wide! We had beaten France for the first time, 7–5. The crowd were brilliant, running onto the pitch to celebrate with us.
Of course, this is just step one of a five-step process. Although it was not our best rugby, too often we have been the better team and lost, so we will take the win.
Fiona Coghlan is an Irish International rugby player. Her column appears every fortnight in Metro Éireann
