THE GIRLS AND I are very excited for the historic game against Italy on Saturday at the Aviva, and we put together the ‘Be part of it’ video this week in the hope that more people will be in the stadium to watch us play.
It was good fun making it. A friend of mine, Denise McKenna, approached me about it as she has been studying film and media in college, and just said she wanted to make a video (as a mini project), would we be interested?
I was unsure as to how it would turn out, but I just thought ‘Let’s give it a go.’ I got a few of the other girls on the team who I knew were flexible with working hours, because it’s always hard to get everyone in the same place at the same time. Fair play to Denise, she got a few of her fellow students to help out too.
Myself, Maz [Marie-Louise Reilly], Sophie Spence, Jenny Murphy and Fiona Coghlan spoke about the message we wanted to get across in the video. It was basically just to say ‘We’re playing on Saturday as well.’ There’s been a long journey to get here, it’s not as though the women’s team are starting at this point or finishing here either.
As the hashtag said, we want people to be a part of it and come along to see what the game is like.
As for the acting, we were all pretty bad at different stages! We had to do some fake laughing beforehand just to make sure we could keep straight faces when the camera was rolling. Maz likes to think she was the best because it only took one take for her slow-mo shot putting on the jersey.
The video got a few shares on Facebook and Twitter, so hopefully it was effective. Every time people actually see our games, they’re surprised by the level and intensity, the type of rugby that we play. They realise that it’s often like watching the men’s game.
I’d say to those people who are at the men’s game, unless you’re rushing off somewhere, what have you got to lose by staying to watch our game? It would be great if those in doubt stayed for the first 15 minutes and then made their minds up. We’re not going to be tying people to the seats, but I’d imagine there are lots of people with a big interest.
There’s been quite a lot of talk about our team over the last year or so in the media, so we’re hopeful. People can grab a tea, coffee or beer after the men’s match and then come back out and join us for the anthems.
We’re warming up on the Lansdowne RFC pitch just outside the actual Aviva itself, but it’s really not an issue. It comes down to the timing of it and it’s actually less of a risk to warm up away from the main pitch.
A few years ago at Twickenham, the England Women had planned to do their prep on the main pitch, but due to various delays they got just four minutes to warm up for an international game.
This is the first time the IRFU have run a match after the men’s game like this, and everybody’s learning. We’re not particularly bothered, even though us warming up on the pitch might have held onto the crowd a bit more.
As soon as we meet up as a squad, our focus is purely on the game. Some people think it’s unfair that we’re not warming up on the main pitch, but it’s really out of our hands and we’re just there to get the job done.
Michael Corcoran, RTÉ’s rugby commentator, presented our jerseys to us the night before the England match and he spoke really well. We’ve had Katie Taylor doing the same thing this season as well, but we’re not sure who it’s going to be tomorrow night.
Our team talks tend to be very focused, picking out one or two things that we want to focus on in the next match. The night before a match, it won’t be too amped up, but then in the minutes before the games themselves, you’ll see more shouting and screaming.
Italy play a similar type of rugby to us and taking into consideration the quality of the Aviva pitch, I think it’s going to be an open, flowing game. I can’t give away the tactics we’re going to use, but both teams play an attacking, ambitious style of rugby and that’s what we’re planning to showcase.
We’re hopeful that the Irish rugby fans who fill the stadium for the men’s game will stay behind to give our match a chance too. We’re still playing for a championship title, so there’ll be nothing less than 100% effort given.
Nora Stapleton is the Leinster and Ireland out-half. You can follow her on Twitter. Nora made her debut against Italy in 2010 and was part of the Grand Slam-winning team in 2013.
Ireland Women face Italy on Saturday at the Aviva Stadium, with kick-off at 5.00pm.
