NICHOLA FRYDAY HAS made it clear that she, and her Ireland team, want to repay the loyalty shown to them by new head coach, Greg McWilliams.

The Ireland captain was impressed by McWilliams’ decision to name an unchanged line-up for today’s round 2 TikTok Six Nations game against France, even though Ireland blew a lead to lose their championship opener against Wales.

“That (decision by Greg) sends out a message that the squad did really well last weekend, not in terms of the result but in how we performed in certain patches, so basically, we are being told to bring that and more.”

They have little choice. While Wales have improved, France are miles better again, second favourites for the championship.

While Fryday believes Ireland can win today, it’s a view few share. One side is packed with full-time professionals, the other is not. Nonetheless, you don’t need to be full-time to win respect.

“Our pack played really well last weekend,” said Fryday, “there was huge dominant collisions so we need that and more against the French.”

One player who certainly delivered was Neve Jones, who made 23 tackles. “Neve has been in and around the squad for the last few years now and we always knew she had the capability to put in a performance like that. She is getting opportunities now and is definitely one to watch for the future. She’s the type of player that Greg wants – she’s fit, she’s strong, she’s athletic. 

“As a team, we’ll make our tackles but at the same time, we do want to have more opportunities to play our attack-shape as well, so we are hoping we will be able to get more time on that this week.

“It’s being smart and having that flair about you. Like Sam Monaghan’s offload to Linda (Djougang) last week (which led to a try). That’s smart rugby. Sam got in between two defenders, broke the tackle and got the off-load to Linda on a great support line. It’s about being smart but playing with a bit of flair. That’s what we are aiming for.”