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Reaction to Ireland vs Japan: "It just made you so proud to be Irish.”
By Josh Bamber at Franklin's Gardens, Welford Road
The Women’s Rugby World Cup 2025 opened with record-breaking buzz, and Ireland wasted no time making their presence felt.
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Back on the biggest stage for the first time since 2017, the Irish powered past Japan 42-14 in front of 13,053 roaring fans at Franklin’s Gardens in Northampton.
For winger Beibhinn Parsons, who crossed the line in the opener, the atmosphere was as important as the scoreboard.
“It felt like a home game, every inch of the place was covered in green,” Parsons said. “It just made you so proud to be Irish.”
Ireland’s young squad, with only one player boasting previous World Cup experience, looked right at home. Loose forward Fiona Tuite, who went the full 80 minutes and scored a try of her own, admitted the stage was daunting at first.
“I was genuinely so nervous this morning,” Tuite said. “But when I saw the crowd, it instantly put a smile on my face. At 65 minutes, my legs started to lag, but the roar from the Irish crowd just kept me going.”
It wasn’t all smooth sailing. Ireland struggled at times in the set piece despite the influence of new forwards coach Alex Codling. But when Japan threatened a comeback early in the second half, centre Eve Higgins shut the door with a length-of-the-field intercept try that swung momentum back green.
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Japan, buoyed by their own pockets of support, showed flashes of resilience. Captain Iroha Nagata praised her side’s fight after halftime, while coach Lesley McKenzie focused on the positives.
“We’re more experienced than 2022, but we still had nerves today,” McKenzie said. “I loved our response in the second half. That’s something we’ll take into next week.”
Next week, the challenges only grow. Japan heads to Sandy Park in Exeter to face reigning champions New Zealand, while Ireland returns to Franklin’s Gardens for a clash with Rugby Europe winners Spain.
And for Parsons, it’s only the beginning, “This squad is so young and so new,” she said. “We’re going to pave our own way in this World Cup.”
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