Jones keen to turn dogged defence into attack against Italians

Sunday at the RDS v Italy presents a more nuanced challenge than Ireland's Six Nations opener against France.

ITALIAN JOB: Neve Jones releases a pass during a squad training session at the IRFU High Performance Centre in Blanchardstown this week. She relishes tackling, but will be hoping Ireland will have to less of it this weekend when they face Italy. Pic: ©INPHO/Laszlo Geczo

Ireland’s Six Nations opener in Le Mans last Saturday wouldn’t have been everyone’s idea of fun. The visitors knew they would be spending most of the day bailing out the trenches and that’s exactly what unfolded.

France scored five tries and made over 600 metres with ball in hand. They had 57% possession and a whopping 67% territory. Ireland made 166 tackles and the Gloucester-Hartpury hooker Neve Jones chipped in with 23 of them.

This was no hardship for Jones who has spoken since about new defence coach Declan Danaher, the influence he has had on the team’s defensive mindset, and how the Ireland players have taken to the job like ducks to water.

“It's just a bit of craic, isn't it?” she said of the defensive duties.

If this side of the game comes naturally to her then it goes back to her childhood when her father David had his daughter practising her tackling when she was barely of school age before she continued her sporting education with Ballymena and then Malone in Belfast.

“Playing mini-rugby I was the only girl and probably the smallest on the pitch, but it’s nothing that’s ever fazed me. I remember my dad taking me out to the garden and teaching me how to tackle and that set me in good stead throughout all of my rugby career.

“I’ve got to be very thankful for that from the first day that he took me out to teach me to tackle and playing mini-rugby. I didn’t get the ball very often so I thought I’d just crack on with the defence’, and I’d say it’s probably quite similar with my game at the minute.” 

Not everyone shares that relish for defence but if the challenge of facing a big and powerful French side for 80 minutes was a searching test then it was in another way an uncomplicated one for an Irish team that showed little in attack.

Sunday in the RDS against Italy is a more nuanced ask.

Italy had a similar experience at home to England last week when defending stoutly for long periods before crumbling to a 48-0 loss and Scott Bemand’s Ireland side will need to offer more creativity in a game that both will target for victory.

“Defence is a huge part of the game regardless of who you’re playing, and the same with attack,” said Jones. “You’re going to have the ball, you’re not going to have the ball. You’re going to have to be able to switch from one to the other pretty quickly.

“Both are equal and off the back of having a big defensive set this week we’re probably looking more at attack because we know what we can do in defence. Dec’s come in and given us a really great system, we’ve all really bought into it.” 

It’s a game that carries enormous significance. England and France are miles ahead of the other four sides and already have their places confirmed for the next World Cup. Whoever finishes third in this Six Nations will book their tickets and Ireland have Italy, Wales and Scotland all at home.

To beat all three would be a monumental leap given Ireland lost all five games in 2023 under former head coach Greg McWilliams. The truth of it is that we just don’t know yet if they have closed the gap with the other ‘second-tier’ nations.

Last year was the first in which the women’s XVs side had players operating under full-time contracts. They were the last union in the Championship to make these available and the hope is that the benefits will have started kicking in already.

Former winger Alison Miller suggested that is the case when speaking on RTÉ earlier this week. To her, the players looked bigger and faster now than 12 months ago. Jones is based in England but thinks the same.

“Having that full-time kind of job has been really good especially for recovery, it’s a huge part of the game. You’re not working and training at the same time. You can focus on one thing, you’ve got time for your analysis. It’s really huge for the game.”