Coghlan savours ‘huge’ and historic win

It’s a feat the men’s national side have never managed but, there in the stands among hundreds of Irish supporters, Ireland’s Johnny Sexton and Joe Schmidt looked on as their counterparts played their way into the history books.

“It’s huge. They’re the best in the world and that’s where we said we wanted to be. We’re not there yet. This is only step two but we’re on the right track,” said Irish captain Fiona Coghlan following their Pool B win.

She continued: “New Zealand are a team we massively respect, a team we’ve watched and probably learned a lot from over the years.

“We knew coming into it, playing against the world champions, that it was going to be difficult, but the girls were confident.

“Our heads never dropped even when they went ahead because we were all on the same page.

“We knew what we were going to do, and that was go back up into their half and score and take control of the game.”

The win now sees Philip Doyle’s team top of Pool B having defeated USA in their opening game last Friday, and with a weak Kazakstan their last group game on Saturday (live on TG4, noon), Ireland are likely to finish top of the group and qualify for a semi-final spot for the first time in their history.