Aoife Wafer itching to build on frustrating year

The frustrations were individual and collective - an ACL injury saw her miss the pool stages of the World Cup.

Ireland Women’s rugby star, Aoife Wafer, who today was awarded the Guinness Rugby Writers of Ireland Women’s XV’s Player of The Year for the second consecutive year. The recipients were celebrated this evening at the home of Guinness, the Guinness Storehouse Pic: ©INPHO/Ben Brady

Aoife Wafer is “itching” to get back playing and build on another standout, if frustrating, year which saw her named the Guinness Rugby Writers of Ireland’s Women;’ Player of the Year for the second time in a row earlier this week.

“This year is a very different feeling than last year in terms of this award,” she said.

The Wexford back row played a huge role in Ireland’s standout WXV1 campaign in Canada this time last year when they defeated the Black Ferns and finished second. And she followed that up by being named the Six Nations player of the tournament.

The frustrations were individual and collective with a hyperextended knee sitting her out for the last Championship game followed by an ACL injury suffered in training in her first contact session back that saw her miss the pool stages of the World Cup.

She did return to play all 80 minutes against France in the quarter-final but a handful of knocks picked up in the course of that have delayed her debut for Harlequins, whom she has joined for the current Premiership Women’s Rugby campaign.

“So just rehabbing those at the minute and just making sure that I'm right to be able to try and contribute to the Harlequins side,” said the 22-year old. “But I'm extremely excited to get going with them.

“Being at the Stoop with Friday Night Lights, they just know how to put on a show. Just the atmosphere and the Quins fans were just phenomenal and the amount of people that were like, ‘oh, welcome to Quins, buzzing to have you here’, wishing me the best for the season.

“The girls have just been extremely welcome. From the first day, it was very much like, ‘you're just one of us now’. Even though I can't contribute on field, it's very much still that I'm part of the team, they wouldn't have it any other way. It's been class over here.” 

Wafer revealed that the thought of missing the World Cup in England “definitely crossed my mind” when she suffered that ACL injury before she was reassured by her doctor Matthew Cosgrave that this wasn’t the case.

It was still a long haul and, while it was frustrating to sit out the massive pool decider with the Black Ferns in front of 30,000 mostly Irish fans in Brighton’s AMEX Stadium, she could see that it was the right call and made sure she was fit for the last eight tie.

That return against the French was a “bittersweet” experience given it saw her attain the goal of featuring at the tournament only for Ireland to lose out on a targeted semi-final place in London by the slimmest of margins on the day.

The ‘Quins debut aside, there is so much more to look forward to with Ireland facing England’s world champions at Twickenham, Scotland at the Aviva Stadium and a crack at the WXV Global Series.

“One hundred per cent. It's just such an exciting time. That World Cup is just really the beginning of what's to come for women's rugby.”