Concentration the focus for Irish women

Concentration. With a myriad of newfound attention and distractions suddenly surrounding the Irish women’s rugby team, captain Fiona Coghlan is preaching one thing to her players. Concentration.

With England standing in their way and a World Cup final on offer, Coughlan knows only too well that any drops in concentration levels can affect their team.

“In the Six Nations game we lacked concentration just before half-time and just after half-time as well,” she told RTÉ Radio.

“England are a team that will punish you, and if they see any lapse in concentration they will take you. We’ve spoken about consistency in games and playing for the full time the ball is in play, and not losing concentration.”

But with an unlikely victory over New Zealand locked in the memory banks, they know now what they must repeat to take England down.

“There was a calmness about the pitch, because everyone knew what we were about and what we had to do,” she said.

“That’s definitely something we will need to bring into this game, again: a similar kind of defensive performance, because I think that’s the thing that won the New Zealand game.”

However, that will also have to be tempered by an intensity and organisation at the breakdown.

“Going in against England, and their back row, that is obviously something we’re going to have to tidy up.”