THIS TIME LAST year, Aoife Dalton was getting ready to play the U18 inter-provincial championship with Leinster.

Today, she lines out for her second senior Ireland cap against Japan [KO 11am Irish time, TG4], having scored a try on her impressive debut against the same opposition last weekend.

“Surreal” is how the Offaly woman describes it. She only finished the first year of her radiography degree a couple of months ago. Now, the 19-year-old is a Test player. 

Her first-half try was an important moment in last weekend’s 57-22 comeback win, with Dalton picking an excellent line off out-half Dannah O’Brien to burst through a tackle, keep her balance, and finish to the right of the posts.

“10 minutes before I scored, Niamh Briggs [Ireland's assistant coach] came over to me and said that I had to start running square,” says Dalton of that five-pointer.

“She was like, ‘If you run square, you will break the line.’ The forwards carried for a few phases and were getting tired. Enya [Breen, her centre partner] said, ‘Run a hard line and I’ll be out the back.’ The ball ended up coming to me.”

Dalton makes it sound as if she had little to do with the try but her exciting potential was obvious in that moment and a couple of others. She will hope the game flows her way a little more today after getting just three carries and two tackles last time out. Ireland will be keen to involve the 5ft 2ins centre more regularly.

Dalton scores on her Ireland debut. Akito Iwamoto / INPHO Akito Iwamoto / INPHO / INPHO

Dalton started playing rugby when she was 15 but explains that her family are “big GAA heads.” Her dad, Tony, was a football star for Clara and her brother, Marcus, has played for Offaly. Her mother’s family, the Morrisons, are heavily involved in GAA too.

Having played football herself, Aoife joined Tullamore RFC when they were short on playing numbers and three years later she was in the Leinster U18 team. 

“It took off a bit from there,” says Dalton, who is now part of the IRFU’s Women’s National Talent Squad, a collection of the most talented young players in the country who train under the tutelage of women’s performance pathway coach Katie Fitzhenry.

“Katie is just amazing, she’s taken all of us under her wing,” says Dalton. “It’s like an extra support, to be honest. We were so young coming into it.

“She’s always just a text away. If we have any questions we can just go to her.”

As Dalton has risen rapidly through the ranks, she has taken inspiration from the likes of Ireland back row Dorothy Wall, who only recently turned 22.

“She was 19 making her debut for Irish rugby and now I’m playing with her which is so weird. She’s amazing, a real leader, and you wouldn’t think that she is as young as she is. It is the way she carries herself. She’s a real role model.”

Dalton playing for the Leinster U18s last year. Ben Brady / INPHO Ben Brady / INPHO / INPHO

Dalton’s first involvement with the Ireland senior squad came during this summer’s training programme and head coach Greg McWilliams saw enough to be convinced she was ready for this tour of Japan. Dalton made her debut alongside five other new caps last weekend.

She praises McWilliams for the belief and clarity he has given the new players, while Briggs also gets a glowing review.

“When I came in, I didn’t expect to be in the squad or the team, so it was an awful shock. Niamh Briggs has been fab, she has been amazing. They put all their faith in younger players. They have confidence in you and that radiates back to you.”

It has also been nice for Dalton to have a few fellow Tullamore products in this Irish squad in Ailsa Hughes and captain Nichola Fryday.

“It’s mad,” says Dalton. “I would never have played with Nichola or Ailsa. I remember when I was going to training with Tullamore they have a big picture of them on the wall at an Irish international.

“I have always seen Nicola as someone who plays for Ireland, this big massive character and now I am in the room across from her. It’s really weird.”