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<\/p>\nAnd wondered whether Irish rugby is getting remarkable benefit from this group’s varied skills, Tennis to GAA to Eventing and more…<\/p>\n
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New Zealand Black Ferns vs Ireland – Ireland’s Stacey Flood, Cliodhna Moloney-MacDonald, Siobhan McCarthy, Sadbh McGrath, Eimear Corri-Fallon, Claire Boles, Emily Lane and Anna McGann (Image: \u00a9INPHO\/Ben Brady)<\/p>\n
We asked the Ireland women’s rugby, ahead of their opening Six Nations game against England, just how did they get here.<\/p>\n
Specifically how does it feel to be about to play in front of 75,000 plus against a reigning world champion side…<\/p>\n
And if these are the things that dreams are made of…<\/p>\n
What were they dreaming of growing up a time when there was very little structured rugby in Ireland, certainly not one with a year-on-year wage packet!<\/p>\n
No15 – STACEY FLOOD: “We’ve done Stade de France with the Olympic Sevens, 68,000 people at an all-women’s event. There’s nothing better than a noisy stadium, pressure, because players go into their shell or come out of their own, it says a lot about people.<\/p>\n
“I loved Serena Williams playing tennis but my sister Kim (former Ireland full-back) was my hero, my favourite player growing up. Carla Rowe was my Dubs minor captain and she’s still Dublin captain. She’s had an extraordinary journey, she got such a bad injury and came back.<\/p>\n
No14 – BEIBHINN PARSONS: “My parents took me to Old Trafford, it was phenomenal. The English are so behind their women’s teams so we’ll feel the energy and noise in Twickenham. Our All Blacks game in Brighton, standing against the haka and the fans singing, didn’t break us, a good sign.<\/p>\n
“Getting to the Olympics, you see sports that you’d never actually experience and my appreciation for the boxers and everything that they did, even though it’s individual, how much they rely on the team, I thought that that was just fantastic.”<\/p>\n
No12 – EVE HIGGINS: “I’ve been at Barcelona Camp Nou on the tour but it was empty! I was with the 2022 team (lost 10-88) for Twickenham and what stuck in my head was there was probably more people there for that walk into the stadium than crowds we have played in front of.<\/p>\n
“I didn’t play tennis but I loved watching Steffi Graf, going on YouTube and watching countless games – she had full matches that are just 32 minutes long. Also watching Katie Taylor win gold in 2012 was something that drove me to want to play in the Olympics.<\/p>\n
No9 – EMILY LANE: It’s will be amazing playing in front of 75,000-plus. I’m a proud Cork woman so growing watching Munster at Thomond Park with my dad Ger was brilliant. For me, they really embodied ‘Never Say Die’, they just put their bodies on the line.<\/p>\n
“I enjoy athletics and Ireland have some fab athletes, Rhasidat Adeleke, but didn’t meet her at the Olympics as we were there early on. We spent a lot of time with the boxers, Kellie Harringon, Grainne Walsh are super athletes, great to see their setup, how they approach it.<\/p>\n
No7 – ERIN KING: “The only thing I can probably relate it to is the Olympics Sevens and playing in front of a sold out Stade de France. Personally, I kind of strive off of that energy and I can’t wait to walk out at Twickenham.<\/p>\n
“Before I moved here from Australia at 12\/13 I’d never picked up a gaelic football before but I really enjoyed it, loved being part of your parish. I played with Wicklow star Niamh Cullen and along with Lucy Mulhall, who played for Tinahealy before we ended up playing Sevens together, they were big role models of mine.”<\/p>\n
No4: DOROTHY WALL – I know the importance of Twickenham, I loved watching the Six Nations men’s games when I was younger while my family are big Munster fans so Thomond Park was the best I’ve been to as a youngster.<\/p>\n
“I did triathlon but I love watching Badminton, Olympics gold medallist An Se-young is great, and the eventing at Burghley. My family are from Fethard which is near Coolmore, are big into horses and my uncle, Hugh O’Connor, bred Langer Dan (twice Cheltenham Coral Cup winner)<\/p>\n