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Neve Jones column: Facing Japan, Traitors and stuffed dogs
By Neve Jones
Anyone who has gone to watch Ireland games in recent years may have noticed our pre and post-game tradition. We gather in a huddle. We’ll do three claps and shout ‘together’ in Irish, which is ‘le chéile.’ It’s a nice sign-in, sign-out for us before or after a session or a game. We’re here together.
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We’ve been doing it for a good few years. I’m not sure how it came about, but we do it all the time, it’s like second nature. The fact it’s a phrase in Irish makes it slightly more us.
When the group shouts ‘le chéile’ on Sunday at Franklin’s Gardens, the importance of the moment won’t be lost on us. We haven’t directly spoken about it in team meetings, but we are all aware of the Japan game marking Ireland’s return to the World Cup after missing out on qualification last time around.
Cliodhna Moloney – well, Moloney-MacDonald I should say, she’s newly married – is the only one who’s been at a World Cup before. She’s given us some insights on what it might be like, how she dealt with it.
We’ve had some of the girls who’ve been to the Olympics tell us their experience, what they’ve done to deal with the pressure of the tournament. Most of them have said you have to enjoy it, embrace it.
Amee-Leigh Murphy Crowe – well, Amee-Leigh Costigan now, another married one – spoke very well about how when they went to the Olympics they knew it was going to be an overwhelming experience. But when they got there it was bigger and cooler than they’d ever expected.
She thought, ‘this is where I want to be and where I want to play my sport.’ That’s where we’re all at. Some of us have been working at this since we were children. This is the top level of our sport.
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Taking on this challenge as part of this specific group certainly makes everything more enjoyable. We work hard at making sure we are connected on and off the pitch.
The coaches understand the importance of the off-field stuff, giving us time for things outside of rugby. These connections translate to on the pitch, you can see we get on and want the best for each other and what’s best for the team.
Since we arrived in England on Friday we’ve had plenty of time to unwind before our first big training day on Tuesday. The Irish embassy had a nice little band for us when we landed, they played some absolute tunes and we had a little dance around Heathrow airport.
We’re staying just outside Northampton, in the countryside. It’s idyllic, kind of like a scene from a movie. There’s a golf course near by but I’m not much of a golfer. I go to the driving range and knock about 100 balls off in 15 minutes, then call it a day.
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Beth Buttimer had her birthday on Monday. She’s really into her golf and a few of the girls took her out on the course. We actually visited the Guide Dog National Centre and they gave Beth a dog. Not an actual one – a toy dog. As the youngest, she’s now in charge of a stuffed animal. Classic.
Grace Moore and Brittany Hogan our are social committee for this World Cup. It changes from tournament to tournament. During the last Six Nations, we started our own game of Traitors, copying the BBC TV show.
It’s been going on again since the first week of preseason. We’re going to revamp it this week now we’re in Northampton to see how the girls cope. Myself and Niamh O’Dowd run the game.
Niamh’s nickname is Noddy, so we call her Naudia Winkleman. She’s the presenter and I do the behind the scenes bits- the traitors and faithful, who’s in, who’s out, who’s been banished, silly little tasks for them to do.
That’s been good downtime. You hear conversations, ‘so and so has to be a traitor, she blinked at me twice this morning’, all sorts of silly things.
We started preseason at the start of June. A long time in camp but it’s flown in. In pre season you always bond, you’re running loads, you’re pushing heavy in the gym. It’s an unusual bonding experience but anyone who’s done that will understand.
It’s all building up to this weekend. When we got our trip for the World Cup I was like, it’s happening’. Then we got on the plane and I was like, ‘ok it’s really happening’.
Then we went to the opening ceremony, ‘ok no it’s really, really happening’. Our first gym session, there’s another ‘oh my gosh it’s happening.’ The first game will be another 10 per cent onto that.
It’s about getting ourselves into the right mindset. When running out just before 12pm on Sunday, the importance of the occasion will be marked in our usual way. Three claps. Le chéile.
Together.
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