Hannah O'Connor

And they just look to be absolutely right at home in that setting.

And I think we talked about it in the last few weeks on here that.

the likes of the Twickenham occasion the likes of the under the lights in France those are occasions and we've talked about them that getting up for an occasion can be difficult and being used to that occasion but this whole group has also by and large been through that world cup where it's big crowds big occasion and those days are now thankfully you know behind them in the bag where they don't have to worry about nearly being overawed by the sense of kind of

huge momentous kind of feel that is to those days and I think they've been waiting for that one that one has been in the books in the calendar for a long long time and and they would have all been chomping at the bit those Irish girls to be on that pitch for the Aviva game and I think they showed every sign of it as you said like coming straight out the doors they just looked in full flow straight away they were going for blood straight away every chance they had every kick return

whether it was Mall, whether it was Scrum, they were going for them every time.

And you just felt that the two sides, it was interesting watching it, that Scotland were a team that were depleted in numbers and they didn't quite look like they were able to match anything that Ireland were throwing at them anywhere on the pitch.

Yeah and it's interesting like it was probably a bit unfortunate the way things had fallen not unfortunate but I think probably the factoring in that Ulster had played the night before you know those home fans may be unlikely to make two trips back in the space of 24 hours to the same stadium and perhaps people teeing themselves up for a big weekend in Dublin on the final finale so it's that part of it too but yeah it's interesting to see that yeah they got the job done but me and you talked about it it was very much a kind of a meh performance against Wales and it was literally show up and we'll show up almost in terms of

performance will give you is matched by the the crowd and the atmosphere and it just shows you like it's that 16th man cliche that you hear about but you do absolutely feed off it and the atmosphere in the Aviva on Saturday like I've been to or on Sunday and like I've been to a lot of men's matches there as you will have too Neil and it's like it's a different kettle of fish altogether the noise and just the amount of times even walking into the stadium it was surreal walking in like yes a normal match day feel but

Just the amount of people of past women's players who've represented Ireland or just people coming in as fans and just being like, this is unreal.

This is crazy.

This is mad to see the women's team here, to have the pyrotechnics, to have all the fanfare that comes with it, have the roads closed, as we talked about, all of that that goes with it.

It was just surreal.

It was mad to think that you were coming into the Aviva to watch the women and not the men.

So it was a really, really cool feeling too.

And I'm just delighted that the girls managed to put in a performance that was worthy of the day.

Yeah, and as I said, it mightn't be the most spectacular tries for the audience to watch, but in terms of the players themselves, you know yourself, there's nothing like those ones that you either get held up on or you've made that last gasp push to go for the line and you've been made look a fool by either being held up or the opposition team just managing to get underneath you at the right time.

So yeah, those are particularly pleasing.

You talk about green zone conversions and

you know, to see like at the weekend, Cliona Maloney-McDonald's try and get chalked off for a, you know, a borderline infringement around the book and for Ireland to receive, to receive the ball straight back and march straight back in the same moment.

Cliona coming with a vengeance, literally running it straight to make another 30 meters to get Ireland right back there and to convert it.