Djougang and Ireland out to prove progress against France

Eve Higgins with Linda Djougang. Pic: Ben Brady

Here we go again, Ireland up against the big beasts of France on the opening weekend of the Women’s Six Nations.

In years recently gone by you could scratch the fixture off as one to just suck up, take the inevitable defeat to the full-time professionals in blue and move on to the next, hopefully easier challenge. 

Something different is in the air these days, however, and Linda Djougang believes the national team now has the belief, based on some serious progress over the last 12 months, to move on and break an eight-year run of losses to the French.

Expectations have risen immeasurably since the dark days of wooden spoons and dysfunction that almost brought Irish women’s rugby to its knees. 

With the IRFU recalibrating its previously miserable relationship with the game, not least introducing central contracts for players, and getting serious with its coaching and facility resources, Ireland are back on the up, their improvement under head coach Scott Bemand measured in a series of upwardly mobile milestones. 

From winless for two seasons in the Six Nations to third place in 2024 and both qualifying for this year’s World Cup in England and leaping from WXV 3 to 1 as a consequence, Ireland exceeded what was thought possible outside the camp. 

A second-placed finish in Vancouver last October at WXV 1, courtesy of landmark victories over world champions New Zealand and the USA has reignited the programme, raised public expectations and cemented the growing confidence within the squad which has been together for five weeks ahead of Saturday’s visit of France to Belfast.

“I think that's what we wanted to get to and I think that the massive thing has been belief,” Ireland’s current most experienced player Djougang said. “It was belief in Vancouver, and that's what we really spoke about, our belief.

“We definitely wanted to get to that level of France and England and I think that we're definitely moving in the right direction from last year, qualifying for the World Cup and coming third in the Six Nations. 

"We’ve done that before so now we don't want to settle there because we know that we're better than that.

“I think that we definitely want to step it up and the big competition for us starting this Saturday with France, to kind of prove that.” 

The tighthead prop is set to earn her 42nd Ireland cap when she runs out at Kingspan Stadium and revealed she has been stepping up her own game during the month-long camp, working with defence coach Hugh Hogan on tackle technique. 

The fact Djougang topped the Six Nations charts in 2024 for dominant tackles with 17 appears not to have dulled her appetite for contact with the physical battle to come.

“At the end of the tournament we have our review and you know your strengths and weaknesses. You want to build on those strengths and work on your weaknesses. I had a meeting with Hugh on tackle technique.

“Our breakdown is going to be massive on Saturday and we know the French like to hover around, especially the nine, looking for little spaces around the breakdown. They like a quick breakdown because they like to play fast ball.

“Our breakdown is going to be massive to slow their ball down. For me, it’s so important, every game, every training session I’ll be having...player individual work-on.

“So I usually just go and get the girls, some tackle bags and stay s working on my tackling, technique. I do that before and after a session. I might do six tackles, before and after, so 12, and I do it every day. I’ve also been working on my defence, just loading, how you read the game, where I can really improve on that tackle tech, more opportunity to make those tackles of more opportunity in the breakdown, to slow their ball down.

“The work that we have put in has been very beneficial. It’s something in the WXV that we’ve been able to … see if it’s working.

“This week the double-tackling is going to be massive for the game because we know France are very physical and they have big players, and they like to offload and we want to stop that offload. And then the (next) player, fast up and disrupt the ruck.

“It’s going to be a big game, but we’ve done our preparation and we’re ready for it.”

*Linda Djougang is an Aer Lingus ambassador. Aer Lingus, Official Airline of Irish Rugby for 10 years, will bring #HomeAdvantage to Ireland’s Guinness Women’s Six Nations Championship this year, by supporting the team’s travel to away games in Italy, Wales and Scotland. The airline will also proudly fly many of the Irish team's dedicated supporters to these away games.