Big Interview: Nora Stapleton on winning the battle before it's ever fought

Nora Stapleton was outhalf when Ireland beat the Black Ferns at the 2014 World Cup, a massive achievement at the time, and even more remarkable now. Her career off the field has proved remarkable too.

Nora Stapleton (centre) celebrates the 2014 win over New Zealand with teammates Ashleigh Baxter  and Niamh Briggs celebrate at the final whistle Pic: ©INPHO/Dan Sheridan

Two years before Soldier Field there was Marcoussis – and a year before Marcoussis there was Old Belvedere.

When a week like this inevitably triggers memories of that landmark win on the outskirts of Paris in 2014, Nora Stapleton tends to think of the maxim that a battle can be won before it’s ever fought and that the hardest fight of all was out on a training pitch in Ballsbridge.