Though the score line may not have gone Ireland's way on Saturday in Le Mans against France, there is still a sense of hope and accomplishment amongst Irish fans as the dust settles on the result.
With last year’s campaign ending in disappointment and the word beginning to spread of whether or not Ireland deserved their place in the Women’s Six Nations (much like what we have seen time and time again with Italy in the men’s iteration), Ireland this year entered the competition with nothing to lose, but a whole lot to prove.
In the lead-up to Saturday's game and the start of the Guinness Womnen's Six Nations, head coach Scott Bemand and captain Edel McMahon both praised the skill and talent of this French side but were sure to note that they won’t be afraid to put up a bit of a fight.
And from the performance we saw on Saturday, it was clear the Girls in Green went down swinging.
The score line of 38-17 was a vast improvement on the 53-3 score last year. Here are five other positive takeaways from the game.
READ ALSO: French Dominate Determined Ireland In Women's Six Nations Opener
1. The 'Green Wall' Defence
23 March 2024; Manae Feleu of France is tackled by Brittany Hogan of Ireland during the Women's Six Nations Rugby Championship match between France and Ireland at Stade Marie-Marvingt in Le Mans, France. Photo by Hugo Pfeiffer/Sportsfile
The most important takeaway to note is how well we performed in defence. Though France scored a try after three minutes on and added a further 4 more tries, Ireland held them out for long periods of play.
Ireland also put France under the pump a number of times due to brilliant line speed defence. This was even noted by commentators throughout the game as they nicknamed it the ‘green wall’. This line spend allowed Ireland to be up in France's faces once Bardon Sansus had picked from the ruck causing mismatched passes and forced plays.
Overall it was a performance that newly-appointed defence coach Declan Danaher could be proud of.
2.Competent Kick Game
Though there was many a time throughout the men’s campaign that Ireland were cursing anyone that got rid of possession, Saturday that was not the case. Out-half Nicole Fowley showed great command of the back line during her time on the pitch. She gained vital territory and was cool as cucumber when under pressure (even managing to switch foot as a French player was bearing down on her which is a feat within itself).
Dannah O’ Brien mirrored this when she was introduced at half time.
Kicking was key as Ireland got out of sticky situations and gained some vital metres. Though one or two went awry, Ireland still gained 877 metres throughout the game because if it.
3. Aggression At Breakdown
Bemand and McMahon were not kidding when they spoke to the media earlier in the week stating how they’ll put a good fight up against the French and that they weren’t afraid of them.
You could see the aggression throughout the game. There was no heads dropping as the scoreline widened. Every ruck was a contest as players poached balls, even the backs got involved at Eve Higgins got stuck right in.
At lineout it was much the same. Every one of them was contested and even stripped from the French once or twice.
The girls truly never backed down and were in that game until the bitter end.
4. Fighting to the very last whistle
As I’ve already mentioned going into this game the team were holding their heads high and not shying away from the task that was toppling the French
This truly showed throughout the game. There were mistakes and missteps but you could see they never let it get to them. It was all about the next ball and next play.
They never once let their heads drop and fought until the final whistle which clearly paid off as both Aoife Wafer and Aoife Dalton scored after the 70th minute.
5. Injuries (or the lack thereof)
After what was an exceptionally physical game and a gruelling 80 minutes, Ireland thankfully came out the other side injury free. Speaking post-match Bemand confirmed there was no injury concerns and made sure to note that Nicole Fowley’s early substitution was purely tactical and to give O’ Brien equal game time.
Assia Khalfaoui 😯
📺 @FranceTV #FRAIRL | #SixNationsRugby pic.twitter.com/9CZfq2XqEP— Six Nations (FR) (@SixNations_FR) March 23, 2024
With Sam Monaghan due to return next week after finishing her Return To Play Protocols, this team will only get stronger which is a boost going into their first home game of the season.
Overall Saturday’s game was a starting point and showed improvement from last year. There are still things to be tweaked and sorted but it does give fans hope and will hopefully now lead to a more competitive Six Nations campaign.
