IN EARLY MARCH Lucy Rock experienced the moment all Olympic hopefuls dread. During Ireland’s first game on the LA leg of the SVNS Series, Rock came away from a double cleanout with a worrying hamstring injury.
In a flash, an Olympic dream she had spent years working towards was in doubt, and those fears were heighten when the Ireland captain suffered a re-injury during her rehabilitation process.
Thankfully, Rock (née Mulhall) has been given the all-clear to play at the Olympics and is on track to return to the pitch in Paris, despite not having played any minutes for Ireland since suffering her injury in LA.
“Certainly it’s tested me mentally more than the rest of my career has to date,” says Rock. “There was times there where I wasn’t sure whether this was going to happen for me.”
Rock has been an intergral part of the Sevens programme since it was kick-started in 2015. A talented Gaelic footballer, Rock won an All-Ireland junior title with Wicklow in 2011 before the success of the Irish Women’s 15s team persuaded her to give rugby a try. She debuted for the Ireland Sevens in it’s launch year and has also featured for the 15s.
The Olympics have been the aim since the Sevens programme took off almost a decade ago, and while the Men’s squad are heading to their second Games, Paris will see the Ireland Women compete on the Olympic stage for the first time, having secured qualification in May of last year.
And after coming through her injury scare, Rock’s place in the squad for Paris was confirmed in an emotional meeting with head coach Allan Temple-Jones and outgoing IRFU high performance director David Nucifora last month.
“It was amazing. It was face-to-face with David Nucifora and Allan Temple-Jones, two guys who I’ve known my whole career.
“David actually started the same time that I first got contracted. Our two careers are just going to be coinciding with each other from start to finish which is mad. I broke down in tears and so did the two guys and it was a really, really special moment. It’s all I’ve ever wanted. It’s all any of us have ever wanted.
“But then when you almost think you’re really up against whether it’s going to happen or not, it was an amazing feeling and I’ll remember that for the rest of my life. But then also you’ve got the other side where I had a lot of boxes to still tick, and I still do.”
Nucifora has been the driving force of the Sevens programme, with the Australian making it a priority after joining the IRFU in 2014. He’ll leave the union following the Games, with David Humphreys currently settling into the job, and while Nucifora’s legacy is tainted by the issues that plagued the Women’s 15s game during his time in charge, the Sevens have thrived under his watch.
“He’s a massive part of what we would call the Sevens family,” says Rock.
“He’s like another coach with us. He’s probably trained most people on how to scrummage. As an ex-Aussie captain, it’s great to have him around as a coach. But also he’s just become a friend outside of rugby as well that we’d sit down and have meals with or chat to. There probably wasn’t another person as happy as that man when we qualified which was amazing to share with him as well.”
Rock understands the Olympics are a prime opportunity to grow the profile of Sevens in Ireland, pointing to her own memories of watching the Games growing up.
“I remember for Sydney (2000) I was seven years old and I still remember just sitting, watching and it definitely does change a generation or inspire a generation. I think I’ve seen that with so many World Cups and Olympics and I was that kid.
“I still remember watching All-Irelands or the Sunday Game at home and it would cut to half-time and you were out in the yard and kicking the ball against the wall, dreaming of days in Croke Park. And then you go and watch athletics on the telly for an Olympics and next thing you’re out in the field sprinting.
“As a kid you’re just dreaming, you don’t have ceilings, it doesn’t matter to you that you’ve never ran a race that you’re slow as anything. You’re just dreaming. You just want to be there and for me it’s been similar around I’ve just fallen into an Olympic sport and fell in love with it. Suddenly now this is a reality for me.”
The excitement which surrounded Ireland’s success at the European Athletics Championships in Rome last month was another timely reminder of how powerful sport can be.
“I think it’s such a powerful message for kids, like there was nothing special about me when I was in primary school. I was just this young kid who had a passion for something. Sometimes you need just a spark. Sometimes you need just to watch someone or just get inspired one day and then that can actually change someone’s life. So to think that we could be the people now to do that, that’s amazing.
“Life’s pretty tough out there. But I remember waking up out of the normal, mundane parts of life by watching a sporting event and find myself crying or smiling at the telly.
“You could have had the worst day possible or there could be things going on in life but sport is an amazing way to pick you up and it’s an incredible ‘why’ or it’s an incredible passion behind you.”
The Ireland women claimed their first gold medal on the Sevens circuit in Perth earlier this year, but that high was followed by mixed performances as the Olympics drew closer. They head to Paris knowing they have the ability to mix it with the best, and while they are keen to soak up the sights and sounds of the Games, the focus is all on delivering on the pitch.
Ireland open their Olympics against Great Britain at 2.30pm on Sunday 28 July before taking on South Africa later that day (6pm), with their final pool game a clash with Australia the following day (1.30pm).
“As much as I think it’s going to be such a cool experience I don’t want to turn up there and be a tourist amongst the best athletes in the world. I want to turn up there and find a way to own it.
“It’s our Olympics. I won’t ever get another one again. I want it to be my Olympics and my Olympic journey, not me following Rhasidat Adeleke around the village [laughs], even though she’s an absolute icon! I’m sure we will take double takes when Simone Biles or whoever is around but as soon as you fall into that trap, it’s not your Olympics anymore, you’re just a spectator.
“So I think when you get as far as there you have to be the competitor in that environment and it needs to bring out your competitiveness.”
