Sam Monaghan: 'It was the strongest we've been as a group in the last couple of years'

Sam Monaghan co-captained Ireland to a maiden WXV 3 victory last October alongside Edel McMahon which included a record-breaking 109-0 victory in their tournament opener against Kazakhstan. With the announcement of a British and Irish Lions tour sparking conversation of late, the Irish second row spoke to RugbyPass about the impact of Ireland's WXV 3 victory, their hopes for the upcoming Six Nations, and her thoughts on the 2027 Lions tour.

Monaghan, who plays for 2022/23 Premiership-winning team Gloucester-Hartpury, stressed that while Ireland would ideally prefer to be competing at a higher level, the experience of winning WXV 3 in Dubai was invaluable in providing a springboard for the development of the team, particularly the younger players involved.

“It was the strongest we've ever been as a group in the last couple of years,” she said. “I know it was WXV 3 and we know that's not where we want to be, we want to be playing in WXV 2 and WXV 1, but I think it was good especially to get some experience for some of our younger players coming through who wouldn't have had a lot of game time. Seeing the girls doing well in the Celtic Challenge, I've watched a good few of the games and seeing how they're coming on even from WXV to now, little things they've been working on, how they've improved their game knowledge and management.”

In a few weeks, focus will turn to the Guinness Women's Six Nations, but this year's preparations will look slightly different for the blossoming Irish squad with Scott Bemand at the helm.

“We're back in camp at the end of February ahead of the Six Nations which is good because we have a bit more time to prepare than we did last year," the co-captain said. "We only had about two weeks together as a squad before our first game so we have a bit more ground time together now which is good. We have a bigger playing squad so more numbers in camp, developing that next generation as well which is great to see.”

This year’s Six Nations also presents the opportunity for Ireland to face the Red Roses at Twickenham in the penultimate round. Last year’s standalone women's fixture at Twickenham between England and France saw a record-breaking crowd of 58,498 people watch England seal the Grand Slam, and Ireland are hoping to add to the spectacle this year when they travel to London.

Monaghan recently played at Twickenham when Gloucester-Hartpury faced Harlequins at Big Game 15, winning 31-19, and looks forward to hopefully returning in a green jersey this April.

“I love playing at Twickenham, it's great. I just played there for Big Game 15 and it is such a special place to play, especially against England," she explained. "They’re Grand Slam champions, you couldn't ask for more going to their backyard.

"It's going to be a big game and I'm excited for it but there are a few games before that to get under our belts so we'll concentrate on them first and when that one comes along, we'll hit them hard. I thought we played the best defensively we did last year against England to see that we're able to put ourselves up defensively for those bigger games is good. But, we've been really working on our attack this year so hopefully we can implement that for this year's Six Nations.”

The recent announcement of a women’s British and Irish Lions tour in 2027 has piqued the interest of many rugby spheres in recent weeks. From an Irish perspective, the first tour being held in New Zealand presents a golden opportunity to face the Black Ferns.

“I grew up watching the men's Lions and seeing how great it is with the nations coming together and playing for one purpose,” Monaghan said. “To be playing in New Zealand [in 2027], especially for the Irish, the one nation out of the four that didn't go to the Rugby World Cup there in 2022, it was hugely disappointing not to play there. For Ireland [players] as well to get the chance to be able to be able to play over there and against them [Black Ferns] is an amazing opportunity and something we'll all look forward to.”

While the announcement of the Lions tour in 2027 has been the topic of many conversations of late, Monaghan remains focused on the tournaments in the near future and discussed the mixed emotions involved for any players who are planning on retiring after the Women’s Rugby World Cup in 2025.

“To be honest, I haven't overly thought about it that much [playing for the Lions in 2027]. It's that far away that there are so many big moments before then like the opportunity of the next Six Nations, WXV, getting qualification for the 2025 World Cup.

"There are a lot of mixed emotions at the minute. Yes, there is so much excitement, but even in the last year so much has changed in women's rugby and in personal journeys as well that you never really know where you're going to be. For the women's game in general, it is class. It is the next stepping stone. It's probably a pity that it didn't happen sooner but great that they've picked New Zealand as well to have it in."

“I know there are probably some mixed emotions," she added. "A lot of players will be potentially thinking about retiring after the next World Cup [2025], three years is a lot to hold on for as well. But, it's great for the younger players seeing this. It's class that that's where the game is going and how exciting it is for another massive stepping stone for women's rugby.”

In contrast to the four men’s teams who combine to form the men’s British and Irish Lions, their female equivalents are still experiencing vastly varying levels of professionalism. This has been a contributing factor to many discussions surrounding a potentially English-dominated women’s Lions team due to them being the team who have led the way in terms of professionalism in the women’s game.

“I know from an international perspective, Scotland, Wales, and England are all fully professional. Ireland are still a good few years behind, unfortunately. The [Irish] girls that play over here [Premiership Women's Rugby], we're semi-professional at our clubs and train, but we need to work alongside that.

"The girls who are home in Ireland, we have a number of players who are fully contracted who are now involved in the Celtic Challenge, so it's kind of just closing the gap and bringing those together so we can have more of a full-time programme so we can have more cohesiveness across the squad,” Monaghan explained.

“The PWR, it's quite difficult at the minute I'm sure for coaches and players as the game moves forward and there are more full-time players, for those dual career athletes to stay competitive. I know for us personally we've done day sessions and then they're coming in from work in the evening and probably missing analysis, after working a long day, fatigue comes into it as well. I know as the workload gets more it's hard for the dual-career girls to catch up. That would be the ideal scenario to see the PWR be fully professional in the next couple of years.

“The Red Roses are strong, they have some really good players, but I think individually across the PWR, the Welsh, Scottish, and Irish are well represented. At the end of the day, it's who puts their hand up for it, who's the best player for the role country-wise, because that's what the Lions is about, and on-pitch performance,” she added.

In addition to a Lions tour hopefully prompting increased support for the women's teams in the four nations, it is also possible that the aspiration to host and face a prestigious Lions team could additionally prompt increased action in other nations to add to the provision for their women’s teams in order to be considered as viable opponents.

"I definitely think that there are other teams like Australia, and South Africa, who have really come in in the last couple of years as well, they've put more investment into their women's team, it's great to see some of the South African players now playing in the PWR as well and doing so well and thriving in this [full-time] environment. It [the desire to host a women's Lions tour] definitely could help. That would probably be 2031 or onwards so they would still have a good bit of time and competitions in the meantime that gives them more time together," Monaghan said.

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