Ellena Perry on swapping Red Roses for Ireland: 'I thought 'I can't turn this down'
The 28-year old made her debut in green last Saturday in the warm-up game against Canada in Belfast having featured eleven times previously for the Red Roses, and has since been named in the 32-strong squad for the upcoming tournament.
Perry qualifies via her maternal grandfather, William Foster, who hailed from Derry, and she spoke fondly on Thursday before the squad flew to England of how her mum would tune into Ireland's Six Nations game down the years.
Irish sport has leaned heavily on the diaspora down the years but the idea of switching allegiances having represented other jurisdictions at the elite level is a more modern phenomenon and one that doesn't sit well with everyone.
Declan Rice is the most famous example of that in an Irish context, the now Arsenal midfielder having represented the Republic of Ireland from U17 through to senior level, where he played three times, before declaring for his native England.
It was in late 2021 that World Rugby introduced a regulation that allowed players to switch countries where there was a familial link once they had served a three-year period without featuring for their original national team.
'It's just such an amazing opportunity to be part of this is,' said Perry of her move. 'I just wanted to take it with both hands and be able to say that I've represented Ireland and had the honor and the privilege to even be invited.
'I thought, 'I can't turn it down'.' The sheer speed of all this is, if anything, more eye-catching. It's less than a month, July 21st to be exact, since Perry received a text from Ireland head coach Scott Bemand asking if she was free for a chat.
Bemand had been assistant coach with England during Perry's time in that squad and the front row was playing her club rugby at Gloucester-Hartpury alongside Sam Monaghan and Neve Jones, two key forwards in the Irish setup.
So she was on the radar.
It was when loosehead Christy Haney picked up an injury that will ultimately keep her out of the World Cup that Bemand scrolled through his old contacts and sent out the SOS to Perry who hasn't played for England since late 2020.
The logistics weren't straightforward with the player scrambling to organize childcare for her three-year old son Herbert, and to smooth everything over with the company where she works in admin capacity.
'It was crazy. So I got that sorted and I rang back [the same] evening and said, 'Yeah, I'll come into camp'.'
The third remarkable part of this story is that Perry had actually retired from rugby after the birth of her son three years ago only to be persuaded back into the club game by then Gloucester-Hartpury head coach and current Wales boss Sean Lynne.
'Before I had my son, I'd kind of had a bit of a love-hate relationship with rugby. I put loads of pressure on myself, and I kind of fell out with a love of the game. Then we had my son, and after that I kind of watched it on the telly.
'I saw what they were doing at Gloucester-Hartpury and I just got the itch to go back a little bit. I didn't mention anything and then Lynney messaged to ask would I like to go out for a cup of coffee. I wasn't sure. I really wasn't sure.'
Read More
Ireland declare their hand ahead of Rugby World Cup campaign
Starting a family helped to change her mindset. Now she was playing for herself. If anything, rugby was a break from everything else, rather than the focus it once had been. It kept her fit and healthy and it offered interaction with the team at large.
When once she 'dreaded' training, now she loves it and it was reflected in what was her last call-up with England, which was to an extended squad prior to the 2024 Six Nations. Ireland wasn't even mapped for her at that stage, but look at her now.
'It's been a whirlwind couple of weeks,' she smiled.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Irish Examiner
4 minutes ago
- Irish Examiner
McMahon underlines handball dominance, McConnell shocks McCarthy
Martina McMahon once again underlined her dominance when she overcame Kilkenny's Amy Brennan to win the All-Ireland Ladies Senior Softball Singles title in Abbeylara, Co Longford. Limerick's McMahon has battled adversity in recent years – after a freak soccer injury, she required an L5 S1 spinal fusion on her back and she revealed after her win over Amy Brennan that she was playing with a broken finger. 'Handball, like anything in life, is kind of a mental game and I suppose if you believe you can do something, nine times out of 10 you'll achieve it,' she remarked. 'Not to take away from Amy's performance today but I actually broke a finger on my right hand during the week. I just think when you're inside these four walls and adrenaline is kicking in, you don't feel anything. You'll feel it afterwards but I just think for as long as I can play and as long as I can give back to the game of handball, I'll continue to do so.' McMahon produced another clinical performance in the decider, her powerful serves and relentless accuracy setting the tone as she raced into commanding leads in both games. Brennan (21), a member of the Kilkenny U23 camogie panel, showed her quality in spells but McMahon was always in control, winning 21-8, 21-11. The victory extends McMahon's unbeaten run, which stretches back to last August, during which time she has captured a string of major titles across handball's three main codes. 'Softball is our traditional game and my favourite code. Big kudos to Amy Brennan, she put it up to me there today. I have no doubt she will be back again.' While McMahon's success maintained her remarkable streak, the men's final produced a seismic shock. Meath's Gary McConnell in action at the GAA Handball All Ireland Championship final at Abbeylara, Longford. Photo by Stephen Marken Meath's Gary McConnell defeated 11-time champion Robbie McCarthy of Westmeath to get his hands on the Ducksy Walsh Cup for the first time. McConnell controlled the opening game with superb fly kills and tactical dominance, running out a 21-8 winner. McCarthy raced into a 6-0 lead in the second but McConnell fought back to edge ahead 8-7. At that point, the 38-year-old Mullingar man was forced to retire injured, an anti-climactic finish to what was an enjoyable contest. McCarthy, who had been unbeaten in softball since 2019, announced his retirement immediately afterwards, bringing the curtain down on one of the great careers in Irish handball history. For McConnell, though, this was a career-defining triumph. The 35-year-old Kells man has enjoyed major success in doubles but this was his maiden senior singles crown. 'A fella said to me a couple of years ago, and it really annoyed me, 'you're like Andy Murray's brother in tennis, you only win in doubles'. It really bugged me,' he revealed. 'I was wondering if everybody thought that and it was definitely one of the things that pushed me on this year.' He admitted he spent the early exchanges probing for weaknesses before asserting control. 'It was all about me, being in the right frame of mind. I'm a firm believer that if I show up on my game, nobody can touch me, especially in the big court,' he said.
Irish Times
29 minutes ago
- Irish Times
Wallabies break South Africa's aura of invincibility in win that asks: is Australian rugby back?
For 18 minutes, everything was going according to script. The double world champions were running riot at Ellis Park, stomping over the gain line with every carry, shrugging off tacklers and hammering anyone unlucky enough to be wearing a gold jersey. Australia had touched the ball twice before Kurt-Lee Arendse scored the opening try; once when James O'Connor kicked off, then again when Tom Wright spilled a contestable kick. Twelve minutes later André Esterhuizen sliced through the right before Siya Kolisi bulldozed over under the posts. Manie Libbok kicked seven extra points to nudge the score to 22-0 in South Africa 's favour. We'd not yet reached the quarter mark of this one-sided contest. Ireland's World Cup: limping to the start line or a golden opportunity? Listen | 28:38 Joseph-Aukuso Suaalii had his nose bloodied by Eben Etzebeth. Will Skelton was being bullied. O'Connor, parachuted in at outhalf, had been steamrollered on three occasions. The Wallabies had arrived in Johannesburg with reputations enhanced after their Lions series defeat. This felt like a reality check. And then Fraser McReight won a penalty on the ground in his own 22. 'Momentum' is an overused word in rugby, usually cited only in hindsight. Yet this was the spark. It was here that Australia turned around, dug their heels in and fired shots of their own. It was here that Australian rugby under Joe Schmidt ascended another level. Four consecutive penalties later and Dylan Pietsch was sliding over in the corner. READ MORE South Africa's failings compounded matters. 'We were really dogshit on the day,' their coach Rassie Erasmus said. Too often they overplayed and were inaccurate in the red zone. Their inability to secure the ball was a concern against Italy and Georgia during the July internationals. Now it is a glaring weakness. Any team with a back row as dynamic as the one under Schmidt's watch will cause the Boks a world of trouble. Australia's Harry Wilson evades a tackle from South Africa's Manie Libbok to score a try for the Wallabies. Photograph: Wikus de Wet/AFP via Getty Images Two minutes after the restart Nick Frost nicked a lineout. Then Angus Bell thumped Malcolm Marx before finding Harry Wilson on a superb line. Ellis Park was hushed, as if 60,000 people realised at once that the Springboks' aura of invincibility was just a story they'd been told. The players seemed to sense it too. Most of them lifted the Webb Ellis Cup two years ago after a hat-trick of one-point victories. They've made a habit of snatching triumphs from hopeless causes but momentum was fully against them. Perhaps this is why Libbok forced the issue from inside his own half with an ambitious floating pass only to see Suaalii pluck it from the thin Highveld air and dot it down for a try on the hour. Wilson had his second, sparked by the magnificent Wright who didn't put a foot wrong after that opening knock-on, to give Australia the lead. Mere seconds after the restart Max Jorgensen was flying down the right tramline to open up the advantage. And when McReight stooped low with just seven minutes left, getting his meaty frame over the ball with the Boks swarming inside Australia's 22, the game was won. Wright's cherry-on-the-top, counter-attacking, zigzagging try turned the result from a nail-biting upset to a bona fide shellacking. Make no mistake, this is the biggest hiding the world champions have copped since their fairytale run began in 2019. Australia head coach Joe Schmidt ahead of the game. Photograph: Phill Magakoe/AFP via Getty Images 'I don't think it was about one moment,' Schmidt said when asked how his team pulled this off. 'It was about sticking to what we'd talked about all week. The boys showed a lot of courage, and when we got a foothold, we kept building.' That is the emerging story of Schmidt's Wallabies: a side that doesn't collapse but grows when written off. They stole a late win at Twickenham last year, rallied against the Lions after a poor first Test, and now turned a 22-point deficit into a first win in Johannesburg since 1963. Does all this put the Lions series result in context? Are South Africa's veterans now a step behind? Are they caught between two philosophies, one that trusts in traditional might while the other compels them to run it from deep? Can we declare that Aussie rugby is officially back? This always seems to happen when Australia flips the script and produces something special. But maybe this is the script. Maybe a team with a solid set-piece, a totem in the lineout, berserkers at the breakdown, ballers in the midfield and dazzlers in the backfield are simply a formidable outfit that deserve more respect than they've been shown. Maybe those players under the guidance of a coach who appreciates rugby's fundamentals and knows how to get the most out of his charges can be more than just a plucky side character. If this is indeed the redrafting of a story we thought we all knew, then the entire sport will be better for it. Not that Erasmus will be too bothered with all that. He'll already be plotting a way back in the sequel next week. – Guardian
The Irish Sun
34 minutes ago
- The Irish Sun
‘Shutting them up' – Darts star blasts social media ‘haters' after losing to Luke Littler in New Zealand Masters final
De Decker and a darts rival were subjected to brutal trolling WHAT THE DECK 'Shutting them up' – Darts star blasts social media 'haters' after losing to Luke Littler in New Zealand Masters final MIKE DE DECKER blasted social media 'haters' during the New Zealand Masters. The World No.19 reached the final of the Australian Darts Masters last week before losing out to Luke Littler in Auckland. 2 Mike De Decker has endured a difficult few months Credit: Getty 2 De Decker congratulates Luke Littler after their Australian Darts Masters clash Credit: Shutterstock Editorial Advertisement De Decker's place at the World Series events had come under scrutiny following a challenging few months on the oche since his World Grand Prix triumph. The Belgian thrower admitted the online abuse from trolls can be harsh on everyone in the sport but he isn't letting it derail his focus. He said: 'When I reached the final in Australia and I lost to Luke (Littler) I opened up social media and I didn't see one bad comment. 'I was thinking 'where are all the haters now?' Advertisement 'Everyone is slagging you off when you have a bad performance and forgetting what you've done before. 'It's not only with me but it is with everyone. They have been slagging off Luke Humphries as well. 'Look at what he's done the last two years. 'So, it was a big confidence boost to reach the finals and shutting them up to be honest.' Advertisement BEST ONLINE CASINOS - TOP SITES IN THE UK The 29-year-old was dumped out at the first hurdle in the World Cup and exited the Matchplay in round two which led to a bombardment of 'cruel' messages from online trolls. He added: 'Social media is a hard world to live in. 'After the World Cup as well when me and Dimitri (Van den Bergh) lost in the group stages, social media was a really tough place to be on. 'It's how you cope with it, but some reactions and messages are just too cruel to be left out.' Advertisement
