‘PLEASE DON’T MAKE me look like a nerd,” Niamh Briggs asks with a laugh after she tells The42 that her hobby is consuming as much sports as possible, and if there are statistics to go with it, all the better.
Briggs loves all sports – a look at her Twitter feed sees congratulatory messages for Padraig Harrington and the Irish cricket team – but naturally as the captain of the Ireland women’s team, the oval ball plays the biggest role in her life.
Ireland’s fairytale run to the World Cup semi-final last August grabbed the country’s attention and last Friday saw a memorable 11-8 win over England, the team who comprehensively beat them in that final four game.
Briggs talks enthusiastically about the impact the Irish team’s recent displays have had on the women’s game in the country. She singles out Listowel and a few other areas in Ireland that have a lot of young girls playing the sport, despite not being parts of the country where rugby traditionally prospers.
But despite the increased exposure the women’s game has received in Ireland over the last few months, Briggs would still like her squad to have a little more resources.
“People always ask me would I like to go professional,” Briggs said.
“Of course I would but we’re not there yet. We are a good bit off. At the moment I would just like us to get more time together as a team. We come together in January and you only have four weekends to gel. I would love for us to have a November international and a camp then. At the moment we live in each others pockets between January and March and then don’t see each other until the following January.”
Advertisement
Briggs commends the efforts made by the IRFU to grow the game in the aftermath of the World Cup, and thinks it is important to for young girls to have female sporting role models to inspire them to get involved.
“It is great for girls to have role models,” Briggs said.
“I had Sonia O’Sullivan when I was growing up. I think it isn’t just women’s rugby but women’s sport in general that is getting bigger. I was at a training session at UL and a load of girls came over and congratulated me on the win against England. It is great for young girls like that to have role models to aspire to.”
Niamh Briggs is a Persil Kits for Schools ambassador and recently visited her old primary school, Scoil Mhuire, as part of the campaign. Donall Farmer / INPHO
Donall Farmer / INPHO / INPHO
The best way for women’s rugby to attract new players is to keep winning and the victory over England is as big as they come. The World Cup-winners have lost their coach and some key players since the triumph but a victory over the Red Rose is still a major scalp.
However, Briggs focused more on the implications the victory had for the team’s championship chances. A 10-5 loss in Ashbourne to France in round two was a big blow for Tom Tierney’s side, and put a lot of pressure on the squad ahead of the England game.
“We have had a lot of memorable wins over the last few years and really, this was just another game for us,” Briggs said.
“It keeps us in the hunt for a championship and for me, it was a bit of gratification that August was a blip and that we are not that far off England. The World Cup was in the back of my mind but there was no thought of revenge for me. Both teams have different coaches and there have been a few retirements so the two squads were very different.”
Briggs always seems to play a key part in Ireland’s big wins and last Friday was no different, as she kicked the winning score late in the game.
She didn’t seem too fussed about the match-winning kick though.
“It’s just part of the job really,” Briggs said.
“A scrum-half needs to organise the forwards and a hooker needs to throw into the lineout.”
Briggs works hard to combine her work as a guard with her rugby career. A typical day can be a gym session, followed by a 9-5 shift and then a pitch session but the fullback says she doesn’t get run-down despite the hectic schedule.
She has never had to put her defensive skills to use on the streets of Limerick to tackle a criminal either.
“I haven’t had to do that, I believe in the power of verbal persuasion,” Briggs laughed.
“I talk myself into a few situations but I probably talk myself out of more.”
'People ask me if I'd like to go professional. I would but we're not there yet, we're a good bit off'
‘PLEASE DON’T MAKE me look like a nerd,” Niamh Briggs asks with a laugh after she tells The42 that her hobby is consuming as much sports as possible, and if there are statistics to go with it, all the better.
Briggs loves all sports – a look at her Twitter feed sees congratulatory messages for Padraig Harrington and the Irish cricket team – but naturally as the captain of the Ireland women’s team, the oval ball plays the biggest role in her life.
Ireland’s fairytale run to the World Cup semi-final last August grabbed the country’s attention and last Friday saw a memorable 11-8 win over England, the team who comprehensively beat them in that final four game.
Briggs talks enthusiastically about the impact the Irish team’s recent displays have had on the women’s game in the country. She singles out Listowel and a few other areas in Ireland that have a lot of young girls playing the sport, despite not being parts of the country where rugby traditionally prospers.
But despite the increased exposure the women’s game has received in Ireland over the last few months, Briggs would still like her squad to have a little more resources.
“People always ask me would I like to go professional,” Briggs said.
Briggs commends the efforts made by the IRFU to grow the game in the aftermath of the World Cup, and thinks it is important to for young girls to have female sporting role models to inspire them to get involved.
“It is great for girls to have role models,” Briggs said.
The best way for women’s rugby to attract new players is to keep winning and the victory over England is as big as they come. The World Cup-winners have lost their coach and some key players since the triumph but a victory over the Red Rose is still a major scalp.
However, Briggs focused more on the implications the victory had for the team’s championship chances. A 10-5 loss in Ashbourne to France in round two was a big blow for Tom Tierney’s side, and put a lot of pressure on the squad ahead of the England game.
“We have had a lot of memorable wins over the last few years and really, this was just another game for us,” Briggs said.
Briggs always seems to play a key part in Ireland’s big wins and last Friday was no different, as she kicked the winning score late in the game.
She didn’t seem too fussed about the match-winning kick though.
“It’s just part of the job really,” Briggs said.
“A scrum-half needs to organise the forwards and a hooker needs to throw into the lineout.”
Briggs works hard to combine her work as a guard with her rugby career. A typical day can be a gym session, followed by a 9-5 shift and then a pitch session but the fullback says she doesn’t get run-down despite the hectic schedule.
She has never had to put her defensive skills to use on the streets of Limerick to tackle a criminal either.
“I haven’t had to do that, I believe in the power of verbal persuasion,” Briggs laughed.
“I talk myself into a few situations but I probably talk myself out of more.”
Ireland’s open training session marred by unnecessary use of a selfie stick
It’s DC10′s birthday so here are 5 times Dan Carter was a complete and utter Dan Carter
To embed this post, copy the code below on your site
niamh briggs Progress Ireland Women