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'I lived and breathed the World Series, now I'm putting my best foot forward for the World Cup'
By Lucy Lomax
If it wasn’t for Covid, Stacey Flood admits she would probably have never played 15s. The Paris 2024 Olympian is a sevens athlete through and through having been involved in the national set up for almost a decade.
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A successful GAA player for Dublin before picking up a rugby ball, Flood has had the opposite journey to most. Scouted playing in a schools sevens competition at the age of 17, she has gone on to play in 226 matches on the World Series and become synonymous with the sport.
Now focussing solely on the 15s format of the game with the Guinness Six Nations and 2025 Rugby World Cup on the horizon, it was only due to the World Series being put on pause due to the pandemic that she gave 15s a try.
“I got the opportunity to move to 15s when the World Series wasn’t on. The coaches asked a few of us to go into the 15s camps and train to help with numbers and then I ended up getting selected. I was really lucky with that experience because I don’t know if I’d be playing 15s without it.
“I made my 15s debut during the shortened 2021 Six Nations off the bench, coming on as fly-half, I was a bit nervous as I’d never had a lot of experience. I think I’ve played eight club games still to this day.”
Despite her relative lack of game time on the 15s stage, the 28-year-old thrived in the number ten shirt with her kicking from hand and game management skills particularly impressive.
“I’m so lucky that I played Gaelic Football all my life and came into rugby knowing that I could catch and kick and it was something I had over other players. Kicking is such a valuable asset in the game, especially, the women’s game at the minute. There’s tactical kicks, there’s long kicks, there’s attacking kicks.”
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However, with the emergence of Dannah O’Brien at ten, Flood has been handed the full-back shirt where she started for Ireland in every WXV 1 game last Autumn.
“My first time starting 15 in an Irish jersey was in WXV against New Zealand. So, you can imagine how nervous I was for that. The team did so well, and it was a great performance for us, considering we didn’t even have that many weeks together.
“I’m really enjoying learning the game fully and figuring out what my position is and where I’m best. I started off in fly half when I first started playing 15s, and then I moved to 12 for one of the Six Nations seasons, but I’ve really been enjoying full back. I think 15 is a really exciting position. It’s a very hard position but I really like the challenge of that.
“I think when a 15 makes a mistake, a lot of people see it more than they see other people make mistakes on the field. You have to be on your toes all the time. You have to be watching the tens. There’s no rest in defence or attack.”
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When it comes to flip-flopping between the codes, Flood takes a measured view when we discuss the centralised group of players who play across 15s and sevens, which other countries such as Canada and France have implemented to some success, as well as stars from the Australian sevens team hoping to make 2025 World Cup selection, such as Charlotte Caslick and Maddi Levi.
“I think it’s important to have players playing both (formats), and I think it is the right thing for Irish Rugby right now, but sometimes one has to take priority. For example, at the minute, my goal is to play in the Six Nations and hopefully play in a World Cup. Last year, I was fully focused on sevens, with the Olympics and the World Series.
“It’s about balancing who goes where and having player plans in place. So if you don’t get selected for the Six Nations squad, then you can go back to sevens and go play on the World Series. It’s not a bad trade off!
“I’ve lived and breathed the World Series for the past nine seasons, and I’ve enjoyed every step of it. I was quite lucky that I got all that experience.
“Hopefully, we can get a good balance of sevens and 15s so both squads are performing on the biggest world stages.”
With the Women’s Six Nations only five weeks away, given recent results, this could be the most successful tournament for the Irish in a decade with the women in green last winning the tournament back in 2015, with a Grand Slam in 2013.
Ireland have become used to the underdog tag in recent years but do the current squad believe they can challenge the likes of England and France?
“100%,” replied Flood confidently. “Our first game against France will be really important and it’s at home. I do think we are challenging this year. We’re competitive in every position, and I think that’s what’s important in the squad, driving that competitiveness within the group. Everyone’s fighting for a position, no one’s safe.
“A prime example of that is the New Zealand game. I don’t think anyone expected us to win, but we weren’t surprised that we won.
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“It’s an 80 minute game, it’s 15, 23 players on 15, 23 players and I think it’s that belief that we have world class players on this Irish team, and we can be a world class team. And why shouldn’t we believe that?”
Currently plying her trade for the Irish Wolfhounds in the Celtic Challenge competition, sitting pretty top of the table with three rounds left to play, Flood is settling nicely back into 15s life. However, she admits her first love is sevens.
“I pretty much grew up in the sport and the program, and, I love watching the game. I think sevens is such an exciting game to watch, and the places we play are amazing. And the people you meet, you become friends with so many other girls on the other teams.
“But this year, I’m really looking forward to putting my best foot forward for the Six Nations and hopefully a World Cup. I look forward to seeing what we can do as an Irish squad this year, it’s been a long time coming.
“I feel like we’re only getting started and we will hopefully prove that we are a team to be reckoned with.”
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