Ireland captain Ciara Griffin is expecting this year’s Women’s Six Nations to be more competitive than ever, but says her squad are ready to go the extra mile to meet the challenge.
The Women’s Championship starts next Friday with last year’s runners-up England travelling to Dublin to play Ireland, themselves looking to improve on a third-place finish.
Griffin and her squad then travel to Scotland and Italy before hosting France and finishing up against Wales in Cardiff.
The 2019 edition of the Women’s Six Nations will be another landmark Championship in terms of growth and change for women’s rugby, with England competing as full-time professionals for the first time.
Tickets for Ireland Women’s Six Nations opener against England can be purchased here
Griffin commented: “We have to work hard to keep the pace with the likes of England, who have gone full-time.
“It’s going to be a tough start this year – England are a great team to play against.
“But we know we are accountable for our own performances and definitely all have the drive to succeed.
“We are trying to create a hard-working culture – putting in that extra one percent to achieve results.
“We love a challenge. We’re all really looking forward to kicking off the Women’s Six Nations at home – we want to be a team who are difficult to beat.
“We’ve had a good few camps and last Sunday we had a challenge game against Wales, which went very well. It’s been great to see some of the young girls coming through and putting their hands up for selection.”
That match against Wales saw Ireland win out 29-19, with back-rower Griffin scoring the first of her side’s five tries.
Head coach Adam Griggs included seven uncapped players in his squad for the game, and hinted that the younger players will get plenty of opportunity in the Women’s Six Nations itself.
“It is still important to give younger players a chance at this level,” commented Griggs. “Many of them are playing well for their clubs and I think the Six Nations could open a door to them.
“They need the chance to work with the more experienced players. Of course, it’s going to be a work in progress but I think they can have a real impact over the next couple of years.”
