'Everyone just trusts each other and backs each other': Niamh O'Dowd

It was never a case of if Niamh O’Dowd would one day play in Premiership Women’s Rugby. It was a case of when.

In all honesty, the 25-year-old’s arrival at Gloucester Hartpury came a little bit sooner than even the Ireland international expected. Right now, she is loving life with the three-time English champions and competing at the top of the PWR table.

When the prop arrived in the West Country, she only knew a few faces. Sam Monaghan, Neve Jones and El Perry are all international teammates. Wales internationals Bethan Lewis and Kate Williams were acquaintances too. But that was all.

It was only as a result of a Mackenzie Carson injury that Dan Murphy’s team needed cover, fast-forwarding the Wexford front-row’s arrival at Kingsholm Stadium.

“This wasn’t in the works months in advance,” O’Dowd told RugbyPass. “I got a phone call, and it was like, when do you want to come over?

“It all happened so quickly, and I was moving country and it was a big move for me. Everyone was so welcoming. I love training here. I’ve gotten a bit of game time as well. I just really love it.

“I kind of had it in the back of my mind that at some stage I would love to come over here and play.

“It was an opportunity that I didn’t really want to turn down. Who knows when something like this would come up again? Yes, there was a lot of pros and cons to weigh up, but I guess the answer was always going to be yes.”

Very quickly O’Dowd got a peek at what had super powered Gloucester Hartpury for the past three seasons. As back-to-back-to-back champions, the Circus have been the unwaveringly dominant champions of PWR. Faultless at every turn.

In 2025/26 the side have carried on their dominance. Having played 10 games, ahead of a Friday night clash with Exeter Chiefs, the club have picked up a perfect 50 points.

At this stage their main rivals are league leaders Saracens, who they beat 40-14 in the opening round of this new season and will play again in Round 14. Gloucester Hartpury even have a game in hand on the North London club.

“I remember my first couple of training sessions, I really got a sense that it was okay to try things, play like it doesn’t matter and see what happens,” O’Dowd said.

“Everyone is relaxed and there’s not too much time spent pondering over a lost ball. I do think you can see that on the pitch with their attack. When it works it works really well, because everyone just trusts each other and backs each other.”

O’Dowd’s confidence in a cherry and white shirt could no more be seen than in her stint off the bench against Harlequins in Round 11.

Released as a replacement alongside Maud Muir, the 20-cap Ireland prop was in her element charging towards the Londoners’ try line and provided the assist for her club colleague to dot down in the 45-22 win.

 

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“Everything is so much easier when you have Maud running on your shoulders, you know?” O’Dowd smiled. “She just runs that line perfectly every time and she did all of the hard work. There wasn’t too much skill involved.

“I think just having players around you that are so alive, that can run like that, it is a big help. I’ve always felt like if something goes wrong, that’s okay. We’re given license to express ourselves.”

At the time of writing there are just over five weeks to go until the 2026 Guinness Women’s Six Nations begin.

For all six teams, the Championships will provide teams with the opportunity to take their first steps seven months on from the Women’s Rugby World Cup.

In January, O’Dowd was called into a Scott Bemand training camp where Erin King was installed as captain and the group’s objectives for the year were laid out.

England, unsurprisingly, want to carry on their dominance. France want to make ground on England. Wales want some positivity. Scotland will be getting to grips under a new regime. Italy must put their Women’s Rugby World Cup behind them.

Ireland? Well, they need to start living up to promise. Because after the team forfeited a 13-0 half-time lead at Sandy Park, it was made abundantly clear just how close to sustained success the team are.

The side have an opening weekend clash with England at Allianz Stadium to look forward to. Already 60,000 people have purchased tickets for the fixture. A tournament record.

“It was very disappointing the way we exited (the Women’s Rugby World Cup),” O’Dowd said. “It took a while to ger over that. I think now everyone’s just really looking forward to getting into the Six Nations with a lot of positivity.

“I think while the end might have been disappointing, if you look at the squad over the last couple of years, we’ve improved so much. I think we can do some really good things.

“I can’t wait to get going. I love that our opening game is against England. That’s always the one you really want to play. When you have a big game at the start, it really gets you going. You have to be on it from game one.”

O’Dowd, at only 25, sits in the middle ground of a team bursting with talent. King, Dannah O’Brien, Ruth Campbell, Aoife Wafer and Aoife Dalton are all just 22, all of them possessing the promise to drive their country up World Rugby’s rankings at speed.

 

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This is before you consider the uncapped, yet highly rated, group of Niamh Gallagher, Caitriona Finn, Robyn O’Connor, Sophie Barrett, Jemima Adams Verling, Alana McInerney or Beth Buttimer.

“When you remember that (her teammates’ age) you’re like, if they’re that good now how good are they going to be when they’re 25 or 26?” O’Dowd said.

“That is what makes you quite optimistic about how good we can be in the future when we still have all these players and when they’ve built up even more experience.”

There is a gleeful look in the eye of O’Dowd when talking about the Guinness Women’s Six Nations.

Not only because it is the prop’s favourite tournament to play in, but because everyone already knows it will be record breaking.

Allianz Stadium will be just one of the large venues hosting showpiece fixtures. The Principality Stadium, Scottish Gas Murrayfield Stadium and Stade Atlantique will all host fixtures at what promises to be the best-attended Championships will be yet.

Ireland will even host the first standalone women’s rugby fixture at Aviva Stadium in Round 5. As well as a game in Connacht for the first time since 2006.

“It is probably going to be the biggest one,” O’Dowd beamed. “I just absolutely love the Six Nations. My whole year revolves around it. It is the pinnacle of our year every year.

“I think as long as we put in the performances, that we know we can, then results will look after themselves.

“Right now I’m really just trying to focus on making sure that I’m improving as much as I can and making sure that I’m in a really good place going into the Six Nations.”