Aoife Wafer determined to dance to her own tune in Twickenham

Ireland Women's Rugby Team Depart For England Ahead of Round 4 of the Guinness Women's Six Nations Championship. Pic Credit: Ben Brady, Inpho.

It shouldn’t put any noses out of joint to say that the crowd descending on Twickenham today clash expects a show.

England are virtual untouchables in the modern Six Nations, Ireland are beginning a journey back to respectability after last year’s wooden spoon.

The RFU has sold over 46,500 tickets for the occasion. That’s quite the number given the world record for a women’s game is the 58,498 they attracted to HQ last year and that was for a Grand Slam decider against a much better French team.

Ireland were always going to be a tougher draw so the decision to announce Sophie Ellis-Bextor, so recently riding high in the charts thanks to her soundtrack success with the movie Saltburn, as half-time entertainment can’t have hurt the sales pitch.

Tickets for adults started at just £20, and at a fiver for kids. You can see the attractiveness of it all as a package. Should we see the expected spread of England tries against the visitors then most of the crowd will go home more than happy.

Ireland will be of secondary importance, if even that, to most of those in the stands but the team has shown clear signs of improvement under new management this term and Aoife Wafer has her own thoughts on the day’s schedule.

“We’ve improved week on week and we’re not exactly going to England just to sit down and enjoy the big show and ‘Murder On The Dancefloor’ at half-time,” said the 24-year old flanker from Ballygarrett in Wexford.

“We’re going there to fire some shots as well. We might have a few things up our sleeves that the English might not see coming, but we want to generate a few ripples and show everyone what the Irish are up to.”

Wafer has gone about just that in the first three rounds. Her try away to France was Ireland’s first of the tournament, there were moments of breathtaking power with ball in hand against Italy in the RDS defeat, and her opening try against Wales in Cork last week was only one thread in a superb display.

The 21-year old had just two caps before this month but she since made the second most line breaks in the entire Championship and been a demon in the ruck.

She was named player of the round for her efforts against both the Italians and the Welsh.

“It’s a bit of a whirlwind really.”

Her rugby story started at six years of age at Gorey RFC where she pleaded with her mother to be allowed play alongside her brothers and the other boys.

Mum eventually relented – “I was a bit of a pest, I just kept arguing with her basically” – and that was that.

Wafer played with the boys until she was 12 and it wasn’t allowed anymore. So she rerouted to the U15 girls as a small and bossy scrum-half (but has since migrated across the back line and, eventually, to the back row).

South-east regional trials followed and she was playing U18s in sevens and XVs aged just 15, by which time the move had been made to Enniscorthy.

More ground was broken when featuring for the first Ireland women’s U18 side.

That was when an IRFU sevens contract offer was made.

“I learned so much from those guys. I honestly don’t think I would be in the position I am in today if I hadn’t had sevens experience. It just puts such a focus on your basic, core skills: your catch, your pass, your tackle, everything.”

An eventful XVs debut followed 24 months ago in the win over Italy in Cork. Brought on after 59 minutes, Wafer was sinbinned after 67 and had just enough time to make a turnover before the final whistle at Musgrave Park.

Her mum had spent the weekend flying between Cork and the UK where younger daughter Orla was playing for the Ireland U18s. Aoife celebrated her own first cap by belting out Miley Cyrus’ ‘Party In The USA’ with her teammates on the pitch.

Then, disaster.

“That week I tore my hamstring and I was out until the following February. I got back for the end of the Celtic Challenge and I have kind of been in and out with injuries and whatnot. I didn’t participate in last year’s Six Nations for personal reasons. It has been a whirlwind.”

Her attachment to her teammates, and the part that “family” played in standing by her, filters through more than once. The feelings are mutual for a woman named player of the round for her display against Italy and again after Wales.

Co-captain Edel McMahon hailed her work ethic in returning from injury and the return to form in last year’s WXV3 cameo against Spain and in the Celtic Cup. Eve Higgins flagged a hugely ambitious individual with massive potential.

England and Ellis-Bextor will have some competition today.