Erin King still racking up the firsts as Ireland head for Italy

LATEST FIRST: Ireland's Erin King. Pic: Ben Brady/Inpho

Another week, another game, and another first for Erin King.

Last year brought her first appearance at an Olympic Games with the sevens side, a 15s debut against Australia in Belfast, and a first ‘competitive’ experience in Canada where she shone as part of a successful Ireland side in the WXV1 tournament.

A Six Nations debut was banked against France in Belfast last weekend so this Sunday will bring with it a first-ever Championship match away from home when Scott Bemand’s team looks to claim its first win of the campaign in Parma against Italy.

“It was really exciting,” she said of that France tie. “With the crowd of 7,000 we definitely felt all the support out there. Obviously we're coming off that game a little bit frustrated but I think we can take loads of positives from it.

“Personally since the Australia game, I've played a lot more 15s and a lot has happened. I'm a lot more confident in my game an, the girls around me, we've grown so much since then. I'm excited to see what the rest of the Six Nations holds.” 

King is exactly the type of young and talented player that gives reason to be excited about Bemand’s squad, not just in the here and now, but going forward to the World Cup later in the year and beyond that again.

Still only 21, she went viral at the Paris Games last summer when catching teammate Emily Lane behind her head and hauling the Blackrock player back around and safely to the floor.

A few short months later and King was being named World Rugby’s 15s breakthrough player of the year for her displays in the WXV1 event against world champions New Zealand, Canada and the USA. 

And France last week was just her fifth 15s cap.

King is operating in a back row department that, as with their male colleagues, is a position of real strength and strength in depth for Ireland. So much so that last year’s co-captain Edel McMahon started on the bench in Belfast.

Brittany Hogan, one of the team’s most experienced players, lined out on the blindside, the brilliant and explosive Aoife Wafer wore the No.8 jersey and King took up duties on the openside. Not a bad trio.

“I'm so lucky to be among some of the best back rowers in the world and I think they're dragging me along. There's so much competition in our back row and our squad. We just keep pushing each other and helping each other improve.” 

Ireland started slowly first time up and that had been a concern entering the tournament given the fact that most of the squad is based domestically and the highest standard they have been playing leading up to this has been in the underwhelming Celtic Challenge.

If the quality of Welsh and Scottish opposition has been all too often less than impressive then there has still been a determination to mine from the tournament what they could in their guises as Wolfhounds and Clovers in recent months.

“Personally so helpful,” said King.” I went into that Australia game only playing two or three 15s games so to get the experience I've got in the Celtic Challenge and getting combinations, I feel so much confident in the lineouts and the mauls and things like that.

“I think you can see it working [against France]. We got a couple of tries from our lineout so that's all down to Codders [Alex Codling] our lineout coach. It's all working well. Personally I just want to keep growing and growing and be the best player I can be for the team.” 

If King is an improving work in progress then so is the collective.

The loss to France was a coulda, shoulda kind of game. There was so much in it to encourage them and their supporters for the rest of the year to come, and there was no sense that the 12-point loss had dented belief as they turn towards Italy in Parma on Sunday.

“Definitely not dented. We know how good we can be. There are definitely times we weren't as good as we know we can be but definitely not dented. Definitely some positives and definitely some work-ons which is great cause we can improve.

“It's a long campaign and we can just keep improving.”