McGillivray promotion the latest sign of Ireland's twin-track approach

Nancy McGillivray of Ireland in action against Ellie Kildunne of England. Pic: Shauna Clinton/Sportsfile

Nancy McGillvray could feel the butterflies as she stood on the Twickenham sideline last week with Ireland 21-0 down to the world champions and a half-hour still to play in front of 77,000 people.

This was big. Just a fourth cap, and a first in the Six Nations.

Gareth Steenson, the Ireland backs and kicking coach who had worked with her before at Exeter Chiefs, offered a word in her ear. The advice was simple: run hard lines and get forward. That helped. Everything else melted away.

McGillivray’s first act was actually a tackle. And on Ellie Kildunne no less. Not a bad way to introduce yourself.

"To be honest, I didn't really think too much about it being Ellie Kildunne. I was just like, ‘just go for it and dive’. Probably it made it a bit better that it was Ellie Kildunne, that she didn't get past me, because she's definitely faster. But that definitely settled the nerves.” 

McGillivray, Ruth Campbell and the rest of the Irish bench made their mark as a collective. 

Jess Breach went over for a fourth England try soon after the first changes, but Ireland finally found some rhythm after a poor first-half and came out equal across that second period.

McGillivray and Campbell have been rewarded with starts against Italy at the Dexcom Stadium in Galway, and head coach Scott Bemand has mixed it up that bit more by handing Robyn O’Connor a debut out on the wing.

The twin approach continues. Wins now, yes, but with one eye on the future as well.

That long-term strategy is all the more appropriate here given the Ireland U20s will precede the seniors game in Galway here, but Bemand has future-proofed his side for the back end of this historic first Six Nations tie as well.

A noticeably strong bench featuring the likes of Neve Jones, Niamh O’Dowd, Dorothy Wall and Sam Monaghan up front, and Anna McGann and Eve Higgins out back, should prove key in getting the hosts over the line against the Italians.

McGillivray’s promotion is a good example of building the depth needed for a World Cup in Australia in 2029 that has been the prime focus of everything Bemand has done in this role since taking over in 2023.

Higgins and Aoife Dalton have been a rock-solid midfield combo for Ireland of late, but the former’s skittish performance against England the last day, uncharacteristic though it was, opens the door for McGillivray to build on her cameo.

Competition in every department is a non-negotiable.

“I learned so much from Aoife and Dalto,” said McGillivray, who worked with Bemand before when the pair were involved with England. “We work really well together, we're always helping each other and I think it's just good competition between us three now.

“We're always pushing each other, they're always pushing me and telling me, just teaching me what they see as well. So yeah, I think us three get along really well and it's actually really nice having them around.” 

McGillivray only joined the squad last summer, prior to the World Cup, but she is part of an Exeter Chiefs crew that, in herself, Cliodhna Moloney-MacDonald, Edel McMahon and Wall, adds a strong Irish flavour to the dressing-room.

That, and her past experiences with Steenson and Bemand, can only help an inexperienced player bed in, but nothing beats getting time on the paddock together when it comes to fitting in with a team and how it operates.

“It's just the connections on the pitch. When you don't play with people that much week in, week out, sometimes it's just reading people's cues. So for example, playing with Dannah [O’Brien] is very different to playing with a different 10.

“So understanding her cues and maybe when she's looking to kick... It's trying to read someone better and just working with different players on the pitch. Just building those connections. But they do come quickly when you train as much as we do.”

Defeat to England in round one was no surprise but the errors that undermined Ireland in that first-half meant they never got to fire a shot in real anger against an opponent that wasn’t exactly purring either.

There isn’t any scope for lingering regrets as they front up for a game that has seen the vast majority of the 12,000 available tickets snapped up, and a contest with an Italy side that was better than their 40-7 loss to France in Grenoble last week suggests.

The Azzurre had a staggering 83% possession across the first 25 minutes last week, and head coach Fabio Roselli has recalled the experienced half-back pairing of Sofia Stefan and Emma Stevanin and there are a pair of first Test starts sprinkled in there too.

Three home wins is the baseline target for Ireland this year. This needs to be the first.