1
Ireland starlet Katie Corrigan: 'I have really tried to back myself and play with confidence'
This time last year Katie Corrigan had just played for Ireland in the under-18 Six Nations Festival at Wellington School – now she is set to play in front of a massive crowd of 45,000 plus at Twickenham this Saturday as her rapid rise hits new heights.
ADVERTISEMENT
The 18-year-old winger, who started playing at the Tullow club in County Carlow around six years ago, has been well-known in Irish rugby circles for quite a while as an exciting young talent.
And in the last few months, her stock has grown and grown week on week, first as the Old Belvedere and Leinster speedster helped the Wolfhounds win the Celtic Challenge title and then, more recently, as she has earned her first three full international caps.
Ireland head coach Scott Bemand backed her to start in week one of the Guinness Women’s Six Nations in Le Mans away to France on her debut and, since then, she has scored tries in the home loss to Italy in Dublin and the very important home bonus point win over Wales in Cork last weekend.
“It has certainly been a busy few months,” she said matter-of-factly.
“I was often playing 13 before I went to play for the Wolfhounds in the Celtic Challenge, so not only have I been stepping up the levels to play recently, but I have also been adapting to a new regular position on the wing.
“It has been a lot of learning, but the Celtic Challenge was a great place for me to do that learning first of all and I think playing regular games in that competition against Welsh and Scottish teams really helped me to make the next step up when I was called into the Irish squad ahead of this Six Nations tournament.
“I thought this whole experience might have been overwhelming, but that Celtic Challenge stint was a great staging post and made me feel more confident ahead of the Six Nations.
ADVERTISEMENT
“Communication is a massive thing as a winger, you have to be talking all the time out there on the pitch and I have been working on that, but I have also been working on my confidence.
“If you have any self-doubt at the top level then I think you will struggle to get anywhere, so although it has been daunting, over my first three caps I have really just tried to back myself and play with confidence.
“I have been making mistakes at training, but the squad are right behind me and are backing me and it has made me feel positive. It has also made me want to play my natural game and really try to bring a spark to matches when I can.”
Ireland will arrive at Twickenham at the weekend for their round four Six Nations clash as massive underdogs with England hunting another title and another Grand Slam.
ADVERTISEMENT
But the visitors will have a spring in their step after the 36-5 triumph over Wales last weekend at Virgin Media Park – their first victory in the competition since round five in 2022 – and they are still battling it out for third place with two games to go.
“I feel like we were ‘on it’ right from the start of the day and in the warm-up everything just felt calm and controlled,” Corrigan said about the victory over Wales.
“Everyone was relaxed, there was nothing hectic about things and we took those good vibes out onto the pitch and managed to execute the game plan that we wanted. It felt unreal to win for the first time in an Irish shirt.”
Ireland were 21-0 up at half-time and got the second period off to the perfect start when Corrigan charged down a kick and then scored the bonus point fourth try within 90 seconds of the restart to really knock the stuffing out of Wales.
“We work on our kick chase and our kick sprint quite a lot in training and, in this situation, it was good to be able to block down a clearance kick and then get the bounce so that I could pick up the ball and score under the posts,” Corrigan continued.
“I had scored my first international try in the defeat to Italy, but this was a totally different feeling because it came as part of a win.
“We had said at half-time that we wanted to start the second half as if it was 0-0 and not to get ahead of ourselves and I thought we did that. To score the team’s fourth try just after the break set things up nicely.
“Playing in France was an experience in week one, but both the home grounds have been really good and it has been so good to have family and friends there watching us over the last two outings.
“The crowd at Virgin Media Park against Wales were closer to the pitch than the crowd at the RDS versus Italy and that made the noise even louder and gave me a real buzz. Wherever we are the fans are always cheering us on and it means so much to us all.”
There will no doubt be a fair few Irish in the crowd at Twickenham this weekend, but Corrigan will probably have to pinch herself when she runs out of the tunnel at the home of English rugby.
“I would never have believed you if you’d told me a few months ago that I’d potentially be getting a chance to play at Twickenham, no way,” Corrigan said with a smile.
“Before I went to France for the Six Nations opener and played in front of 15,000 or so there I had never really even played in front of 2,000 so to think that there will be over 45,000 there this weekend is kind of mind-blowing really.
“Playing for Ireland so far has been a bit like a dream for me and now playing at a stadium like this seems like another dream.
“It’ll probably take me a few minutes to get used to the surroundings, but then I’ll just try and embrace it and I think the rest of the squad will too.
“The way we felt after the Italy loss drove us on to get better and beat Wales and we don’t want that Italian feeling again any time soon.
“The team is coming together really well and we’ll go out at the weekend and give it everything we have as we continue to build.”
Comments on RugbyPass
The more direct approach to your past time this time I see Ben. Look, it doesn’t need to be said, anyone watching the match knows the ABs played better and just got robbed by the officiating, but lets face it, their dominance in the match was only because South Africa choked and forgot how to play rugby with the ball. South Africa were still the better side. Of course Ireland and France were also better sides that New Zealand. Possibly even England on WC performances.
1 Go to commentsGreat mythology - no surprises Ox didn't talk about being driven backwards by Laulala in the RWC final!
4 Go to commentsJust shows how a hand up can help as long as the invitation is accepted. Good story.
1 Go to commentsKarma is a powerful force
21 Go to commentsFrench players said the same thing to the All Blacks after their pool match in 2011. But the French can back up their s**t talk with action.
67 Go to commentsThe problem is the officiating & changing rulings,& TMOs.Last weekend I saw a 9 penalized for a crooked scrum feed! the last time I saw that rule applied was In about 1975!!!!!!!!.Late or not the incident is history & Australians alleging that Kiwi rugby supporters wear eye patches is a bit rich.Try listening to Australian Commentators.Every new player who has an above average game is suddenly the next great sensation.
21 Go to commentsEvery Irish fan in the stadium celebrated like they had won the tournament after the SA and Scotland games so yeah, the way Etzebeth tells it stacks up. It was definitely ‘In Their Heads’!
67 Go to commentsEtsebeth is right about 1 thing. Boks after winning a RWC have been crap. Only in 2009 did they reach the heights of what a RWC Champion should look like but that was only after 3rd/last in the TriN 2008. Lost a home series in 1996 (vs ABs); didnt win even 1 x Rugby Championship after 2019. ABs and Wallabies and England at least played like Champions after winning RWC.
67 Go to commentsCrusaders will knock one of the top seeds out in the first round, hope it’s not my Chiefs
28 Go to commentsEben really seems like just a deeply unpleasant man.
67 Go to commentsDMac. BB crabs too much at 10.
4 Go to commentsIt is every boys dream to be a Springbok. I managed it in a discipline other than rugby…But rugby, I have always engaged with passion. It does my old heart good to see the mix of people in the team and this displays the possibilities for this wonderful country. The logo “stronger together” says it all. This current edition of the Boks is nothing short of inspirational.
4 Go to commentsIrish people about the best damn people on the planet. OK, in the NH. Fijians are the World’s best happiest friendliest people. But as far as European cultures producing good people, Ireland stands alone. But on the rugby pitch there is a creeping arrogance that has detached from humility. eg Sexton abusing a match referee, and not for the 1st time. He was extremely lucky to make it to the RWC, strings were pulled. And O’Mahoneys sledge to Cane was lowballing, attacking an opposition Captain seems opportunistic and gutter talk. Cane is a real gentleman. Have never seen ABs unleash after the whistle like they did on O’Mahoney after QterF, it was well deserved. Unlike Bok supporters, the Bok players understand history. Massive amount of respect between Boks and ABs is evident, they get on well and have throughout history. Even Pinetree Meads best mate (except his old cobber Kel Tremain) were Springboks, friendships forged after tours. And Meads was always targetted given his star status (he even played 2 x Tests with a broken arm). On the contrary, ABs and Wallabies famously dont get on, bad blood after Aussies not taking offer of beersies postmatch.
67 Go to commentsHaha god NZ journalism is so crap listen to this guy “We’ll be proven in a few weeks if our baseless bs can stick” lol Everywhere else uses experts to write stuff but here they’re just career guys that don’t care about what they write, NOT CONCEDED A TRY IN YEARS lol > “Naturally, you’re looking for performance, sometimes that means you can’t think logically or use evidence to arrive at any sort of clarity of decision. Pretty much sums it up to a tee Paul ignores the articles in here about then runs off each team this year, that Penney is just a yearly stop gap until, who, Ellison is released by ABs, the huge imbalance of the injury front between teams at each end of the table, or who it was that _should_ have been coach. But of course if they actually do evidence and investigative work theyre shy of their article not hitting that sensationalism boundary and lose revenue. Leaving us non the wiser. They look like they would have been best with a geeup coach this year to turn around the razorless depression the clubs obviously going through. Hard to think of someone fitting the Bill to have been chosen instead, the clown Cheika? Id have been tempted to double play and entice O’Gara down. Hell maybe that is who they are waiting for, he wants a international gig and it could be after Scmidt or razor
28 Go to comments_Dan Carter weighs in on who should be Scott Robertson's All Black 10_ Dan: “It’s a toss up between Beudy and Dmac, although Mounga would be nice - but he can’t… so…” The Rugby Public: “Thanks Dan. For nuthin!”
4 Go to commentsEngland did this way back for the Croke Park match in the 2000’s. The shame actually seemed to weigh on them during the match. It will not be easy for Northhampton players to rationalize how their army went into a stadium of a major city of the then United Kingdom and opened fire indiscriminantly into terraces killed 14 and wounding scores. I am sure with a pro setup they will get this balance right. I live beside the stadium. A very old woman on the street remembers as a very young girl the crowds of people filling the street to escape the massacre. A lot of water under the bridge and the match has really little historical relevance for Irish/Leinster supporters any more. Those ghosts were freed in the trashing of England in the 2000’s match. Sure, it will motivate Leinster but Northhampton should not overly consider it or weigh on it in my opinion. Dowson is right to learn the historical importance and Northhampton are indeed giving the occasion due respect. It is important to show respect. But that’s enough for Northhampton. Fair play to them. On to the rugby now.
15 Go to commentsDouble World Cup Champions ? Wow since when did 4 become 2!
215 Go to comments“See you in the final” from a winning (Irish) team is just away of wishing a team well for the rest of the tournament. It’s actually saying I hope we both make it to the final. Etzebeth was the only player who PUBLICLY said that his team would make the final after that match. Does anyone honestly think Ireland who took 100 years to beat NZ and got hammerred by them in 2019 would for the slightest moment not take the perilous threat as seriously as it should be taken? Getting sick of Boks and Kiwis who spend all year every year trying boasting about how great and humble they are and then accusing others of arrogance. Respect people by trying to understand them before hitting a pretty humble people with this crap.
67 Go to commentsThe feelings of gratitude I feel when thinking about the Boks is difficult to describe. It really means a lot to people here. I would flat out ask Ox for a big hug if I met him in person. And then probably pass out after the squeeze. Totally worth it.
4 Go to commentsFarrell seems to be an outstanding coach and Ireland a very well prepared team. But they looked like they had no plan B against NZ. Maybe they really were looking past them, as Eben says.
67 Go to comments