Anna Caplice column: Ireland are on the right trajectory to finish on a high

“All the world’s a stage; And all the men and women merely players.”

Now, I’m not entirely sure that William Shakespeare was referring to the Aviva Stadium when he penned As You Like It, but it is a useful metaphor to describe a Guinness Women’s Six Nations Round 5 meeting between Ireland and Scotland at Lansdowne Road this weekend… hopefully from here on out.

Scotland, who have hit the big three of Celtic stadiums in this competition, having played at the Principality Stadium in Cardiff, Scottish Gas Murrayfield in Edinburgh and now the Aviva Stadium in Dublin, where they will be the guests for the first standalone Ireland women’s rugby fixture at the venue.

Over 30,000 tickets have already been sold. Which will smash the previous attendance record for an Irish home match, achieved just a few weeks ago at Round 2’s fixture in Galway. 9,206 fans enjoyed Ireland’s nine-try win over Italy that day. This weekend will see a 233 per cent increase in ticket sales. That is how you smash a record.

Ireland v Scotland is the second fixture of this Super Sunday – sandwiched between Wales welcoming Italy to the Cardiff Arms Park earlier in the afternoon and France welcoming England to Bordeaux.

The stakes intensify as the day progresses, finishing with a red-hot Grand Slam decider, where the Red Roses must be ready for arguably their biggest Test since the same fixture a year ago, when they cleared the French hurdle by just one solitary point.

Can Wales avoid a third successive wooden spoon? Can Ireland complete a full house of home game wins? And can France finally pip their nemesis to the post when the strength and depth of the world champions is being challenged like never before?

As we prepare for the big occasion in Dublin, the girls in green remain on task in their preparation for the centrepiece performance. With all the growing fanfare around women’s rugby and yet another record-breaking attendance in store for Sunday, it’s with huge satisfaction that I anticipate the occasion, knowing that the rugby we will watch has the potential to match and even surpass the hype.

Ireland – although they had two very tough away days at Allianz Stadium and Clermont – are aiming to win their third home game of the Championship, something they haven’t achieved since 2019. They have turned up beautifully at home so far and by the look of their performance against Wales last week, are on the right trajectory to finish this year’s tournament on a high.

Wales came to Belfast last week with their tails up after stealing a try bonus point against England in Round 3 – something that only France have achieved across the past decade. Defensively they were impressive and forced Ireland to be patient and clinical in attack. The Ireland of old would have crumbled. This team has grown into a side who can maintain possession even when options one, two or three have expired.

Ireland have many hooks to hang their hat on in attack, all of which Scott Bemand’s team have shown us in this competition alone. Forwards starting their run up from deep and receiving the ball while not having to stall is a thing of beauty to watch. Those inside passes around the ruck have been well identified also and offer a huge boost of excitement for the crowd.

Ireland fans have become accustomed to the image of Aoife Wafer picking from the base of the scrum and taking off to the right with her red scrumcap bobbing in the direction of defenders.

However, we’ve been treated to another set piece launch move featuring Wafer where she’s hanging out in midfield with Eve Higgins on her shoulder ready to run full pelt onto a flatly delivered ball – even if they don’t break the line they punch the defensive line backwards and force them to commit two or more to the tackle. This, in turn, opens up space for the likes of Béibhinn Parsons biding her time at the end of the attacking line.

The eagerness of both Ireland’s pack and their backline to deliver in attack is satisfyingly sewn together by Dannah O’Brien who gets better to watch each week. Don’t be surprised if you see her toeing the attacking line so finely that she ends up in the thick of things herself, unafraid of the physical battle.

Defensively, Ireland have been enjoying themselves too. Their fitness has shone through in their discipline and organisation. A defender who is well connected to the players either side of her is filled with confidence to move quickly and hit hard – just like Ireland have been showing in all areas of the park. When you have players like Erin King lurking around looking for a slight gap to try and steal the ball back it puts a stall to the opposition’s attacking plans and the ball is back in Irish hands.

What a pleasure it has been to have written about the rugby that this Ireland team has produced this tournament. There is much at stake with such an ambitious side that is determined to show that they belong amongst the best teams in the world.

It’s an even bigger pleasure to think that this rugby will showcase on Sunday in front of this record crowd. Although this Irish side is becoming increasingly accustomed to the larger crowds from earlier this tournament and during last year’s Women’s Rugby World Cup, a home crowd of this magnitude is going to be almost indescribably special.

To the ones that have been here since the start; well done, you’ve built this too! To the ones that have joined along the way; thank you for trusting in women’s rugby.

And to the ones who will join us for the first time this weekend; welcome, you are going to love it here!