Aoife Dalton: 'We were at rock bottom. He has made us believe what we're capable of'

Aoife Dalton is only 21 years of age and already a familiar face in the Irish women’s 15s set up. She is also a face many Dublin commuters will recognise, seeing her alongside Josh Van Der Flier as Leinster promote their fixtures for the season on billboards at each DART station heading into the capital.

Having played a key role in their historic WXV campaign in Canada last October, starting in the number 13 shirt against the reigning world champions New Zealand- Dalton admits gaining an Ireland contract, playing in WXV 1 and beating the Black Ferns has all been a bit of a fantasy.

“A couple of years ago, I wouldn’t have dreamed of getting a contract with Ireland- it’s still a shock to me that I have one,” said Dalton, who is currently in her third year studying radiography at University College Dublin.

“Playing in WXV 1 out in Vancouver was an amazing trip. I really enjoyed it. We went over there and were pretty much written off going in but as a team that brought us closer. I think the win against Australia in Belfast before we left especially, just gave everyone a lift and boosted our confidence. It was our first tournament against tier one nations outside the Six Nations and we’d never experienced that before.

“That win against New Zealand, it still probably feels a bit surreal. I don’t even know how to describe it, beating the World Cup champions who we obviously have so much respect for, but you don’t want to go out there and let them run riot and just kind of stand back. Going into it, there was zero expectation on us.

“That’s when the ‘belief’ part ties into it, knowing that it’s okay to actually believe that you can do it, that’s now been instilled into us. However, we’re a very honest group and we’re fully aware that we’re not the finished product yet.”

The ‘belief’ Dalton talks about has coincided with Scott Bemand entering the fray. The former Red Roses backs coach has made a monumental impact on the women in green since he took up the position of head coach in August 2023.

Not only did Ireland finish third in the following year’s Six Nations, but they also qualified for the top tier of WXV, coming second overall behind England, beating the USA and aforementioned New Zealand, quite an achievement for a team who weren’t even at the last World Cup.

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“Scott (Bemand) is brilliant in fairness to him. When he came in, we were pretty much at rock bottom. We were in a third tier competition (WXV 3), and we hadn’t qualified for the previous World Cup in New Zealand. And he just kind of came in and showed us the way he wants us to play. Plus we had a culture reboot that everyone really bought into.

“He’s made us believe what we are capable of, you know to achieve big wins. Full credit to him.”

Another bright light for the Irish women this season has been the Celtic Challenge competition– a cross-border tournament for Irish, Welsh and Scottish teams, acting as a development pathway for current and future international talent. In its second season after a successful pilot year, Ireland now have two teams competing, the Wolfhounds (made up of players from Ulster and Leinster) and the Clovers (made up of players from Munster and Connacht).

Reinging champions Wolfhounds currently sit at the top of the table at the half way point of the competition, after a resounding 57-5 victory over Welsh team Brython Thunder, with Dalton scoring a hat-trick of tries.

This season for the Irish teams especially, the amount of international talent on show has been impressive, with Dalton’s team the Wolfhounds boasting some of Ireland’s best- 2024 World Rugby Breakthrough Player of the Year Erin King, Aoife Wafer, Dannah O’Brien, Stacey Flood, Eve Higgins and Linda Djougang.

“This season I’ve managed to hold down a shirt in the Celtic Challenge and we’re seeing it as a way for us to build momentum and play a lot of games together leading into the Six Nations.

“We wouldn’t be too worried about what the score is, win, lose or draw, it’s more about a performance and to build up our game time.

“Having two Irish teams allows for more competition across the teams and more people get more game time. A few of our girls who would have been on the Sevens World Series the last couple of years, it’s also an opportunity for them to come back into 15s and get a run of games under their belt.

“The Clovers and Wolfhounds have trained against each other a couple of times this season, so that’s always a bit fiery!”

When people comment on the best women’s league in the world, their thoughts will inevitably turn to Premiership Women’s Rugby (PWR) played in England. However, Dalton acknowledges that despite the standard across the pond, she’s happy to play on home soil for the time being.

“I think for me, the best place is definitely Ireland at the minute. I really enjoy it here and all the training and I’m only 21. I moved to Dublin from Clara (County Offaly) for my first year of college and then got offered a professional contract at the end of the year. But I come home most weekends. I’m a bit of a home bird.

“I won’t say no to moving in the future as you don’t know what the future holds. But for now, Ireland is the place for me.”

And who can blame her? What a time to be thriving in a green shirt. Ireland face France at home in their first match of this year’s Guinness Women’s Six Nations, then England on home soil a few weeks later, and then there’s the small matter of the Rugby World Cup with New Zealand in their pool.

A few years ago, many wouldn’t have given Ireland a sniff against any of these teams, however, after their second place WXV finish and improving player pool through competitions such as the Celtic Challenge, you’d be naïve to write Ireland off against any opposition.

You can watch this season’s Celtic Challenge competition for free on RugbyPass TV.