‘She’s not the finished article’: Bemand challenges record-breaking Parsons to keep improving

Ireland head coach Scott Bemand believes that his team’s all-time leading try-scorer Béibhinn Parsons still has room to grow.

On Sunday, the 24-year-old scored two tries in her team’s 31-24 win against Japan to take her individual tally to 24 tries in 37 caps – surpassing the previous record-holder Alison Miller in the process.

If it was not already a special enough achievement, Parsons achieved the feat in her home province of Connacht. Born and raised in Ballinasloe, she made her Test debut as a 16-year-old in 2017 and represented Ireland at the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris.

“Beibhinn’s such an important player for Ireland women’s rugby,” Scott Bemand said. “She’s incredibly professional. She turns up. She’s come back from an ankle over the summer.

“Two weeks ago you could tell she was absolutely raring to play, and we managed to hold her back one week.

“We’ve got a good stack of wingers. It’s competitive piece. It’s nothing like Bei wanting to show and put her own stamp on it, saying ‘that you just listen here, you lot. I’m still in, I’m still here’.

“Bei’s going to continue to score tries over the next however many years so it’s really exciting to see how good she can become because she keeps going after it.

“She knows she’s not the finished article yet, but each time we challenge her, she keeps getting better and crikey, she keeps scoring tries, so more of that please.”

Ireland got back to winning ways in their second WXV Global Series fixture of the autumn. In their first fixture of September, Bemand’s side were beaten 40-36 by the USA Women’s Eagles.

A week later at Dexcom Stadium, Ireland saw off a strong Japan team in Galway to get back to winning ways immediately.

They will play Japan again next weekend in a non-WXV Global Series fixture in Cork. In October, Ireland will play two Tests against South Africa in Cape Town.

In those fixtures Parsons will have the opportunity to extend her try-scoring record even further.

“It’s not something that I went in, playing at 16, thinking that it would ever be associated with me,” she said. “It sounds good. That’s the main thing, just being back with the squad and getting to train and play. I love training, so being part of the group is so special to me.

“So, yeah, I’ve definitely missed a couple of games, a few campaigns and fixtures, but it’s all about the squad and where we’re at now. And I think this squad is going places. So to be a part of it now and be present is really important.”