Ciara Griffin: Today I get to run out on the altar  of Munster rugby one last time

I believed I had played my last game of rugby on November 27, 2021 until I got an unexpected call from Fiona Stockley, Barbarians team manager

PROUD MOMENT: Twickenham in November 2021, and what Ciaran Griffin believed was her last moment on a rugby pitch. Not so... 

A BARBARIAN – very few people get the honour of calling themselves that. 

A team made up of players from different nations around the world and I am very fortunate to have played for the Barbarians on two occasions and will get a third opportunity today against Munster Rugby in Thomond Park (2pm). 

I believed I had played my last game of rugby on November 27, 2021 as vice captain of the Barbarians against South Africa in Twickenham Stadium. I had finished in front of a world record crowd, at the time, of nearly 30,000 and managed a chip and chase, a highlight of any forwards playing career. I left that pitch happy, with the biggest smile on my face and content with hanging up the rugby boots.

Fast forward 21 months and I get an unexpected phone call from Fiona Stockley, Barbarians team manager, inviting me on a two-test tour with the Women’s Barbarians to South Africa and Ireland. The automatic answer was yes, and I felt like a child at Christmas. I believed my rugby journey was over, finishing on that high in Twickenham but it turns out there were two pages left at the end of the chapter.

This current test group comprises of players from eight nations and a highly experienced coaching ticket of Sean Lynn, Premiership 15s winning coach with Gloucester Hartpury and Siwan Lilicrap, former Wales captain and current pathway manager and coach for the female game in that country. 

Both coaches drive the motto of playing the game with a smile and enjoying every minute you get on the pitch. It is probably one of the most enjoyable and memorable rugby experiences of my life. You share ‘your why’ with the team at the beginning of the tour - why you got into rugby and your path to becoming a Barbarian - and it really connects you with your teammates. 

These ‘whys’ are extremely personal to each individual and often show the raw emotion of what the sport means to them. You connect with your team mates on a more meaningful level. It is a complete immersive experience where you get to know your teammates. By getting to know them you develop a trust, and everyone backs each other and support each other. 

We played our first test against South Africa after three hours of on-pitch training, which is something most coaches would be horrified at, but it just works. We have a squad with a combined total of 652 international caps and with that comes a lot of game experience and rugby knowledge. Players share this experience with one another, and it creates a very tight knit group.

The BaBas encompass the pillars of flair, courage, and passion into their game play. 

Flair: Our motto in attack is ‘joué’ and we are encouraged to play what’s in front of us. The coaches back our decision-making and encourage us to take the opportunities we see. 

Courage: we are told to back ourselves and have belief in our own rugby abilities and it is amazing to be given that freedom from a coach.

Passion: you’re representing your family, club, province, and country when wearing the black and white stripes so naturally you are going to play with heart and pride.

In 2021 we also played South Africa and we won that fixture 60–0 comprehensively. Lynne Cantwell had just taken over the role as Director of Women’s Rugby in SA. Fast forward 21 months and we faced a much improved and more clinical South African team. Cantwell has been a catalyst for this development and progression of women’s rugby in the country. South Africa have developed and continue to develop their pathway system into women’s rugby in the country. They work with high schools to promote to game and encourage girls to take up the sport and scouts identify players who have international potential. Along with working with schools, they work closely with clubs and provinces to create a two-year pathway to professionalism. 

Instead of giving out contracts immediately to players, they have created a two-year progressive plan so that when the foundations and pathways are in place, the women’s game will be ready for professionalism in the country. I think this is a vital point, and really shows progressive and thoughtful forward planning for the women’s game in South Africa. South Africa are putting the foundation and structures in place to create a solid professional set up. 

KICK and chase: Every forward's dream.

I am a big believer in using games to prepare you in developing as players and not solely using training camps. South Africa are playing a lot more games domestically and internationally. There is a 40% increase in the amounts of games they are playing to previous years. Ten games were played in 2022 and they will have eleven by the end of 2023. The reason I am highlighting the development of the game in South Africa is that: look at what happens when a person, in the form of Lynne Cantwell in this instance, values the game and pushes for the highest of standards and structures.

This weekend feels like I have come full circle in my rugby career. I was part of the Munster Women’s team that played the Barbarians in the inaugural game in 2017. Playing in Thomand Park in front of friends and family is probably a highlight of any Munster player’s career. Today I get to run out on the altar of Munster rugby one last time - six years later; same fixture, but this time in the black and white stripes of the BaaBaas.