Aoife Dalton on Six Nations final straight: ‘These two games are so important’

Ireland get back down to business against Wales and Scotland. 

FROM THE SHADOWS... Aoife Dalton at the Ireland Women’s Rugby Press Conference this week. Pic: INPHO/Ben Brady

Aoife Dalton didn’t realise what the first three rounds of Six Nations rugby had taken out of her until it came time to take a breath.

Like the men, the women’s tournament has been condensed to just six weekends this year: three rounds on the trot to start, a ‘rest week’ and then the last two to wrap things up. All Dalton wanted to do after the third test was get home and switch off.

“I actually did some amount of sleeping,” said the Ireland centre. “I was falling asleep during the day and everything.” Now it’s time to go again. Scott Bemand’s side have gone through the hottest part of the furnace with an opening loss to England in front of 77,000 people in Twickenham and another reversal against France in Clermont.

In between they did manage a win over Italy in front of a record crowd at the Dexcom Stadium but the easy narrative from the outside looking in as that these next two games at home to Wales and Scotland offer something of an easier run-in.

“We don’t approach it that way. We would never separate the two [blocks] and say ‘this is going to be a walkover’ because it definitely isn’t. Wales scored four tries against England and I don’t know the last time a team did that to them, especially in England.

“We definitely won’t underestimate them. These two games are so important for us. We haven’t won three home games in a long, long time, I don’t know how long. That’s what we’re targeting this time. We’ll focus on Wales this week and Scotland after that.” 

Ireland will still start Saturday’s home game at Belfast’s Affidea Stadium as favourites on the back of mixed performances against the English and French given Wales still lost by 38 points in Bristol and haven’t won a Championship game since 2024.

That’s eight straight defeats for them as they face into a tie against an Irish side that beat them well across the Irish Sea 12 months ago, and one that ended its own run of seven tournament reversals with a 31-point success in Cork in 2024.

“Probably nobody expected that kind of performance out of us that day. That propelled us onward and gave us the confidence boost we needed,” said Dalton. “It was a real stepping stone for us because after that we went on to beat Scotland and qualify for the World Cup.” 

Dalton, as she has been for some time now, is central to so much of what this Ireland team does but there has been change in that midfield department with Bemand’s use of Nancy McGillvray alongside her really mixing things up.

The Exeter Chiefs back only joined the squad prior to last year’s World Cup but she has started the last two games beside Dalton after Eve Higgins, such a cornerstone of the side herself, endured a difficult opener in London.

“They are two great girls, and we are actually really fortunate that we have so much depth across 12 and 13. We all rep with each other at training. Eve has a few more caps under her belt than Nancy, but that’s not to undermine Nancy at all.

“You see what she did when she came on against England, she broke the line, and Eve comes from that sevens background. She is rangy, she can run around and pass as well. Nancy is hard to stop so they are kind of different in that way, but it also plays to their strengths.

“Eve is probably a bit louder than Nancy off the pitch! But I get on really well with both of them.”