Tom Tierney seeks ‘galvanising effect’

The loss of an experienced warrior just before a World Cup finals, the absence of the team’s talisman and their inspirational captain; it could be said the Ireland’s women’s rugby team are going through their own Saipan moment.

Head coach Tom Tierney looks at the loss of Niamh Briggs, the captain forced to miss this month’s tournament on home soil through injury — rather than any disrespect for her boss — in a similar way.

Though not quite how you think. When Mark Kinsella was asked to step into Roy Keane’s boots at the 2002 Fifa World Cup, few thought he’d fill them in any significant way.