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Irish Examiner
4 days ago
- Sport
- Irish Examiner
Use of 'granny rule' a delicate balancing act as Ireland approach World Cup
All sorts of sensibilities get trampled underfoot when it comes to team selections. Players' ambitions rest on the views and the whims of head coaches. Clubs and provinces, and supporters, see them through glasses tinted in their own colours. Grumbles are guaranteed. When some of the names chosen belong to players who had owed allegiances to other countries – and this on the eve of a World Cup – then it can give rise to a debate that goes beyond the meritocracies of form and ability. Ellena Perry has played 11 games of Test rugby for her native England, the last of them in 2020. Though part of the Red Roses' extended squad as recently as last year, she is now eligible to play for Ireland as three years have passed since her last Test involvement. The loosehead prop, who qualifies through a grandparent, will do just that this Saturday when she makes her inaugural appearance in green off the bench against Canada at Belfast's Affidea Stadium in the last of the team's warm-up fixtures. Nancy McGillivray, whose transition contract with the English union ended without an appearance in June, made her debut for Ireland last week in Cork. Brought up in Hong Kong, the Exeter Chiefs centre also qualifies through her family background. World Rugby's rule whereby players can switch nationality after 36 months of inactivity on the Test stage has its critics, but it can work both ways. Witness Jean Kleyn playing for his native South Africa having already earned five caps for Ireland in 2019. Kleyn's case is an apposite one here. The Munster forward became eligible for his adopted homeland in early August of that year. Less than a month had passed before he was chosen ahead of the hugely experienced Devin Toner in the men's squad for the World Cup in Japan. Remember the furore that caused? Timing in these things can be everything. When the Republic of Ireland women's team sealed their place at the 2023 World Cup in Australia, then coach Vera Pauw revealed how she had been inundated with correspondence from players eager to share their Irish lineage and availability. The Dutchwoman had already used the 'granny rule' to bring the likes of Kyra Carusa, Lily Agg and Lucy Quinn into the fold. Sinead Farrelly and Marissa Sheva, two US-born players, would ultimately follow and be key players Down Under. The use of the diaspora was hotly-debated at the time. Not so much the practice in itself, but for the fact that the late introduction of such players would inevitably shunt out others who had played a part in getting the squad to the finals. Scott Bemand was asked about this after naming his matchday squad to take on the Canadians. Was there a risk, basically, in undermining players already in the dressing-room, and maybe even in unsettling the squad itself? 'If handled incorrectly,' he said. Read More Gareth Steenson has eyes only for World Cup role with Ireland Perry, an experienced front row who started the recent PWR final for Gloucester-Hartpury, owes her chance to an ongoing injury for Christy Haney. And Bemand put it that a summer pre-season was actually the perfect time to be feeding new players in. 'It gives people time to acclimatise,' he explained. 'It gives people time to understand what the culture is of the group. It's not just an on-pitch piece. There's an off-piece culture where people like to be themselves, and add to our wave.' Bemand stressed that the squad needs 'the finest talent available both on-pitch and off-pitch'. A former assistant with England, he worked with both Perry and McGillivray in his former role and this no doubt helped bring both into the fold. 'As we grow our squad depth, as we grow our playing pathway, we also have to be cognisant of people that are Irish and identify as being Irish, that play over in the UK, for example.' Perry, he said, is absolutely a live contender for a place in the World Cup squad. Balance is important here. The FAI has been criticised in the past for leaning too far on the UK for international players, but Bemand is confident that the IRFU is putting together a domestic pathway that will improve its own existing conveyor belt going forward. Ireland's depth now, he says, is 'night and day' to how it looked when he started with the team two years ago. Debuts given to Ivana Kiripati of Creggs RFC and Ailish Quinn of Ballina RFC against Scotland last week were highlighted as evidence. 'Ellena gets the opportunity on the weekend to stake her claim. To be honest, it all leads to a healthy level of competition, which lets your training identity become a higher level, which hopefully improves your performance within the Test match arena.' Bemand names his World Cup squad on Monday.
Irish Times
6 days ago
- Sport
- Irish Times
Wealth of GAA skills in team will stand Ireland in good stead at women's Rugby World Cup
Gareth Steenson, assistant coach of the Ireland women's rugby team, has praised the range of GAA skills among members of the World Cup squad as they prepare for Saturday's final tournament warm-up against world number two side Canada in Belfast . Steenson, who won two Premiership titles and a Champions Cup during a 12-year stint with the Exeter Chiefs, said the handling and kicking of those with a GAA background has been a huge boon to the side. 'It's one thing I've noticed massively since I've come back, having been away in England for so many years,' said the Armagh-born former outhalf. 'The GAA players, the skill level right across the board, the high-ball skills, all those elements. It's fantastic to have that in the locker and a lot of the girls actually have that.' READ MORE Ireland outhalf Dannah O'Brien is expected to face a physical Canadian side, who played a kicking game last year when the sides met in the WXV1 tournament, with Canada winning 21-8. Irish players were shown two yellow cards in the match, a discipline issue they will not wish to repeat. Ireland assistant coach Gareth Steenson notes a marked improvement in the team over the last year. Photograph: Ben Brady/Inpho 'The girls have come a long way since that game,' said Steenson. 'I've been here a year and working with the girls and the evolvement of how they've performed . . . ultimately when we went across into that competition, kicking was a big part of what our DNA was. We've been developing that the last year. 'But from Dannah's point of view, it probably gets highlighted a little bit more because she's obviously a player in the position that she's playing. 'For us, it's about developing and getting her understanding of when it's best to use it, how to use it and when it becomes a little bit more of where we're actually looking and kicking at spaces and parts of the field, all that sort of thing. So, I've noticed since being here that her understanding has developed massively.' England are the top-ranked team in the world with Canada second, New Zealand third, France fourth and Ireland in fifth place. Although he knows what strengths Canada will bring to the newly monikered Affidea Stadium at noon on Saturday, Steenson hopes it will be a different, more polished Irish team that lines out for the final warm-up match before meeting Japan in Franklin's Gardens on August 24th for the first pool match of the World Cup. 'Obviously, Canada are going to bring a lot of threats across the board, whether it be the kicking game, whether it be their physicality and everything they can bring,' he said. 'We're going to look to use that potential to have that in the back-burner, but we also have a few other tricks up the sleeve when required.'
Irish Examiner
6 days ago
- Sport
- Irish Examiner
Gareth Steenson has eyes only for World Cup role with Ireland
Gareth Steenson is blocking out all talk of what comes next for him in order to concentrate on his role with an Ireland women's senior team just weeks out from its first pool game at the 2025 Rugby World Cup. The former Ireland U21 and Exeter Chiefs out-half has been working with Scott Bemand's squad for a year now in a role as kicking coach, but the IRFU has since appointed a certain Jonathan Sexton to a similar brief. Sexton's contract with the Irish union kicked in on August 1st, at which point he was still in Australia working with Andy Farrell's British and Irish Lions, but the Leinster legend is about to take over a large brief now that he is back on home soil. The IRFU has itself labelled it an 'expanded coaching role' from the part-time job he was doing last season with Sexton slated to work with the various men's and women's national grade teams up to senior levels. 'My future is I'm going to the World Cup so post-that it will be a matter of seeing where we are really,' said Steenson. 'When I moved back home a year ago I was very lucky to come in and work with the pathway, work with the sevens right across that kicking regime. 'I've been very lucky since the Six Nations, doing a little bit more with the backs, a bit more work in that area, looking to strike plays and stuff like that. I've been very fortunate to be part of the growth piece as well so it's been really exciting. I've loved it. 'All the focus has been really getting to this World Cup. Now we know that we are on the brink of it, it's very exciting.' Steenson has come to his current chapter via a long association with Exeter Chiefs with whom he won a second-tier Championship title and then two Premierships and a Champions Cup to boot. In all, he spent 13 years at Sandy Park. So successful was he at the English club that he was awarded the status of freeman of the city of Exeter a few years ago, following on from such luminaries as Chiefs boss and legend Rob Baxter and Admiral Horatio Nelson. Steenson has yet to graze any sheep on the common, or walk through the town with his sword, as the honour allows. Now back living on this side of the water, there is the carrot of returning to Sandy Park for a World Cup quarter-final next month. Advance from Pool C, either as winners or as runners-up, and Ireland will play their quarter-final at the stadium he called home for so long. Beat Japan and Spain in their first two games and they will make it that far regardless of events third day out against New Zealand. 'Well, it would be fantastic,' said Steenson. 'First of all, get to the quarter-final. We've got to respect what we've got to do. We've got to make sure we get those first couple of games. I know it's a cliché, but we've got to get those games. 'We've got to rock up well, play well this weekend (in the warm-up game) against Canada to give us confidence going into that competition. For me personally it would be fantastic to go back. I know that there is a lot of excitement already. 'I was back in Exeter three weeks ago and there's a real energy around the World Cup. To go back with the green jersey would be very exciting, even better if we win. Even so we've got a lot of work to do.' Steenson never got to play senior rugby for Ireland. He did go to two World Cups at what was then U21 level, and he was a key player in a team including Jamie Heaslip and Tomas O'Leary that reached the World Championship final at the grade in 2004. Coaching may not hit with the same punch as playing for most people, but the 41-year old is still thrilled at the chance to play a part for Ireland at a senior equivalent and on the back of a club career that delivered so much. 'For me, it just was the journey that I took, the journey I had at Exeter chiefs. Would I have changed it for one or two caps? Well, I was quite happy how I finished with a double but, yeah, I've always wanted to be involved.'
South Wales Guardian
04-08-2025
- Sport
- South Wales Guardian
Moloney-MacDonald backs 'honest' Mitchell to lead England to glory
The 61-year-old former New Zealand men's boss took the reins at Allianz Stadium in 2023 and has since led his side to back-to-back Six Nations Grand Slams. England are currently the world's number one ranked side and are enjoying a 25-game unbeaten run stretching back to the 2022 final, in which New Zealand became world champions. But this time around, winger Moloney-MacDonald feels Mitchell has the squad in the right frame of mind to win a trophy that has eluded them since 2014. 'John Mitchell has been an absolute game changer for us,' she said, as part of a new LG OLED TV collaboration ahead of this summer. 'It is always about having the right coach at the right time and he is the coach we needed at this time. 'He is an incredibly honest person. He is himself and he does silly things which makes him more human. It means that we can do silly things, and it reduces the expectation on each of us to be perfect. (Image: Richard Washbrooke) 'Naturally we're all incredibly competitive, but I think the way that he conducts himself, he drives high standards, he wants us to be the best version of ourselves, but he also recognises that comes with making mistakes along the journey. He values the mistakes and the errors as much as he does the bits that we get right. 'That is huge for us as a team. To get to a new place where we are even better than we already are, know that we can make mistakes, that we can learn from them, and we can be better for it.' Moloney-MacDonald is hoping England's exploits on the pitch this summer can take the women's game to new heights, a task that will be aided by all matches being broadcast on free-to-air television. And the 29-year-old is looking forward to her sport having elevated visibility across the country. 'The live free-to-air TV is huge because you pick up so many more fans,' continued Moloney-MacDonald. 'The biggest barrier that we face in women's rugby is getting people to watch it. 'I've never really heard someone say they watched [women's rugby], and they hated it. It is always, they watched it, they loved it, and they were surprised they did. 'Being live in the middle of the day is going to be massive because people can just easily pop it on TV and they will see us. It will bring new people to the game.' LG is helping the nation get closer to the action with LG OLED TVs. Life's Good for sport fans as LG's leading technology provides an unmatched immersive sporting atmosphere thanks to incredible OLED picture quality, Motion Pro technology for the smoothest action possible and unbelievable soundbar surround sound to bring the stadium feeling home. The action this summer will also provide Moloney-MacDonald with the chance to build on her recent run in the side and put her recent injury woes behind her. The Exeter Chiefs star has spent two lengthy spells out with neck injuries in recent years, admitting she considered retirement and was left 'terrified to be near a rugby pitch'. But now back to full fitness, she is ready to make up for lost time having missed the most recent tournament three years ago. 'I love being around the girls, that is where you want to be,' she added. 'You want to be pushing through the hard work together because you come out stronger as a team. 'I've loved being back and hopefully I can put my best foot forward.' Members of the Red Roses England women's rugby team joined a recent training session with LG and girls from Turing House School in Whitton, Richmond as part of the leading TV manufacturer's ongoing partnership with the RFU. The LG All In Pledge encourages people to engage and watch women's sport. Together we can grow support through fandom and audience numbers to inspire new players to pick up the sport themselves, as watching changes everything. For more information, go to
Leader Live
04-08-2025
- Sport
- Leader Live
Moloney-MacDonald backs 'honest' Mitchell to lead England to glory
The 61-year-old former New Zealand men's boss took the reins at Allianz Stadium in 2023 and has since led his side to back-to-back Six Nations Grand Slams. England are currently the world's number one ranked side and are enjoying a 25-game unbeaten run stretching back to the 2022 final, in which New Zealand became world champions. But this time around, winger Moloney-MacDonald feels Mitchell has the squad in the right frame of mind to win a trophy that has eluded them since 2014. 'John Mitchell has been an absolute game changer for us,' she said, as part of a new LG OLED TV collaboration ahead of this summer. 'It is always about having the right coach at the right time and he is the coach we needed at this time. 'He is an incredibly honest person. He is himself and he does silly things which makes him more human. It means that we can do silly things, and it reduces the expectation on each of us to be perfect. (Image: Richard Washbrooke) 'Naturally we're all incredibly competitive, but I think the way that he conducts himself, he drives high standards, he wants us to be the best version of ourselves, but he also recognises that comes with making mistakes along the journey. He values the mistakes and the errors as much as he does the bits that we get right. 'That is huge for us as a team. To get to a new place where we are even better than we already are, know that we can make mistakes, that we can learn from them, and we can be better for it.' Moloney-MacDonald is hoping England's exploits on the pitch this summer can take the women's game to new heights, a task that will be aided by all matches being broadcast on free-to-air television. And the 29-year-old is looking forward to her sport having elevated visibility across the country. 'The live free-to-air TV is huge because you pick up so many more fans,' continued Moloney-MacDonald. 'The biggest barrier that we face in women's rugby is getting people to watch it. 'I've never really heard someone say they watched [women's rugby], and they hated it. It is always, they watched it, they loved it, and they were surprised they did. 'Being live in the middle of the day is going to be massive because people can just easily pop it on TV and they will see us. It will bring new people to the game.' LG is helping the nation get closer to the action with LG OLED TVs. Life's Good for sport fans as LG's leading technology provides an unmatched immersive sporting atmosphere thanks to incredible OLED picture quality, Motion Pro technology for the smoothest action possible and unbelievable soundbar surround sound to bring the stadium feeling home. The action this summer will also provide Moloney-MacDonald with the chance to build on her recent run in the side and put her recent injury woes behind her. The Exeter Chiefs star has spent two lengthy spells out with neck injuries in recent years, admitting she considered retirement and was left 'terrified to be near a rugby pitch'. But now back to full fitness, she is ready to make up for lost time having missed the most recent tournament three years ago. 'I love being around the girls, that is where you want to be,' she added. 'You want to be pushing through the hard work together because you come out stronger as a team. 'I've loved being back and hopefully I can put my best foot forward.' Members of the Red Roses England women's rugby team joined a recent training session with LG and girls from Turing House School in Whitton, Richmond as part of the leading TV manufacturer's ongoing partnership with the RFU. The LG All In Pledge encourages people to engage and watch women's sport. Together we can grow support through fandom and audience numbers to inspire new players to pick up the sport themselves, as watching changes everything. For more information, go to
