The disappointment of the summer World Cup is now behind them, and Ireland Women are turning over a new leaf as the 2018 Women’s Six Nations comes into view – according to Ciara Cooney.
The Leinster and Ireland lock was part of the side that finished eighth on home soil this summer.
But after a hard-fought inter-provincial series this past autumn – that saw Munster emerge victorious – and with Adam Griggs taking over the national team, optimism is high.
And Cooney – who plays her club rugby for Railway Union – is confident she and her teammates are ready to replicate the heroics of years gone by when they won it all back in 2013 and 2015.
“The Championship is highly competitive, every rugby player wants to play in it. You look forward to it and you want to be involved,” said Cooney, who studies at IT Carlow.
“There is always such a great atmosphere around the Six Nations games and in our squad there is a real sense of anticipation now.
“You can feel the excitement building and it is only around the corner now, we can’t wait to get into camp and start preparing for France at the start of February.
“We came together in November for two training days which was a first chance to get some decent sessions under our belts.
“But in early January we will be looking to get our heads down and get to work.
“It is hard to gauge where we are at, it will be the first time in the New Year that there might be some new players brought in.
“It is a fresh start for Adam (Griggs) and for players in the squad, that brings challenges but it is exciting.
“We look forward to what he can bring to the game.”
And while the World Cup is now in the rearview mirror, Cooney and co are still learning the lessons from a tournament that saw the likes of Nora Stapleton, Ailis Egan and Marie-Louise Reilly retire.
That means Cooney – who only made her own debut back in the autumn of 2015 – is now becoming one of the senior stars.
And after an inter-pro series where her Leinster side lost their crown, Cooney admits the future is bright.
“It is a great chance for every player to put their hands up for selection,” she added.
“It was not the result that we (Leinster) wanted, but it was a highly competitive tournament which was great.
“There were a lot of fresh faces there which is encouraging and will give plenty of food for thought to Adam Griggs and his team.
“I played under Adam this year and last with Leinster.
“He is a great person and it has been great to be coached by him this year.
“We had some new faces come in as well which was exciting for them to get a taste at provincial level.
“Competition is hugely important to have, it drives every player on in an extended squad.
“The World Cup is behind us. It is hugely important to learn from every single game, to learn from those matches. Every single game has small lessons and we need to right those wrongs.
“We have to learn but also put it behind us.”
Click here for the fixtures for the 2018 Women’s Six Nations
And the first order of business will be their Championship opener in February against France – at the Stade Ernest Wallon in Toulouse.
“At the moment our focus is solely on France, we will be eager to perform. We are playing away and the crowd in Toulouse, 19,000 or more, is fantastic,” she added.
“They have a great profile over there, it is a tough opening game but we are determined to go over there and perform and that is where our focus is for the coming weeks.
“We will be looking to perform over there.”
