Flood and Ireland basing new bullishness on Australian and Kiwi upsets

Stacey Flood will face the England XV's for the first time this Saturday.

BULLISHNESS: Ireland haven’t beaten England in the women’s Six Nations in ten years but go into Saturday's game with a new found bullishness.   Pic: Sam Barnes/Sportsfile

Ireland haven’t beaten England in the women’s Six Nations in ten years. The penalty try they scored in Twickenham 12 months ago was their first in the fixture since 2020, though it paled in comparison to the 88 points conceded.

It’s been jarring, then, to listen to head coach Scott Bemand and some of his players speak so openly and bullishly about their chances of an upset when the sides renew acquaintances in Cork’s Virgin Media Park this Saturday.

Bemand spent eight years as an assistant coach with England before taking the reins on this side of the Irish Sea. So he knows better than anyone the scale of the task facing the hosts regardless of the undoubted progress made under his watch.

Ireland have beaten New Zealand’s World Cup holders and a highly-regarded American side in last autumn’s WXV1s, and come close to taking a French scalp in this Six Nations, but it takes guts to make statements of such intent this week.

England have won 52 of their last 53 games, they routinely wipe the floor with sides in this Championship and the side they named on Thursday, showing three changes from the win over Wales, is as close to full-strength as makes no difference.

So belief is key here.

Bemand made reference to the historic World Sevens series title the Ireland sevens team claimed in Perth 14 months ago when they overcame their Australian hosts in the decider. Seven of that squad is on the teamsheet for this one.

Full-back Stacey Flood was one of them.

The Dubliner had played on the Sevens circuit for a decade without ever beating the Aussies. They conceded an early try in stifling heat that day and still pulled through on a 19-14 scoreline. That sort of stuff serves as fuel long after the fact.

“Obviously there's belief there and, in this group, there's so much belief in what we're doing and we're getting confidence,” said Flood. “We're not just pulling it out of thin air. We're getting confidence from the training we're doing and the layers we're building.

“That's shown on the field, not going out against any Black Ferns jersey and thinking, ‘Oh, we're playing against the Black Ferns here’. We’re Ireland. We’re wearing that green jersey. That is your coat of armour. You're going out representing your country. There's no better feeling.” 

Flood has never faced England in XVs. Their 31 Six Nations games unbeaten doesn’t sit on her the same way it does players who have suffered under that weight of might, but then Dorothy Wall and Cliodhna Moloney have and they struck similar chords this week.

Bemand, like his counterpart John Mitchell, has changed three players for this round three fixture. Emily Lane replaces Aoibheann Reilly at scrum-half, Wall is in for Ruth Campbell at lock while Brittany Hogan takes over from the injured Edel McMahon in the back row.

England’s strength in depth is a big part of their weaponry. They have used 34 players in the opening two rounds as they mix and match ahead of a World Cup which they will host come late summer but there are superstars among them.

None more so than Flood’s opposite number at full-back, Ellie Kildunne. Named World Player of the Year in 2024, she is only 25 and still just on the cusp of what are generally considered a player’s prime years.

Flood has faced her, and the likes of Emily Scarett and Meg Jones, on the sevens circuit and has seen how their transfer of short-game skills has bled into an England XVs team that tends to lead the field in terms of handling, kicking and passing.

“She has amazing abilities and you'll never shy away from the fact that she has got World Player of the Year. That's an amazing accolade for anybody,” said the former Dublin minor footballer.

“It’s going to be tough. We can have a look at her as a player and give her the credit that she deserves because she's brought women's rugby on leaps and bounds and you have to respect that.” The respect is clear, but so is the intent. “There's no roof or there's no ceiling to this team,” Flood said at one point. Saturday in Cork will tell them exactly just how high they have climbed since that low in Twickenham.