Sam Monaghan: Emotional Aviva Stadium first can galvanise Ireland in Women’s Six Nations finale
EMOTIONAL: Sam Monaghan is looking forward to playing at the Aviva. Pic: ©INPHO/Ben Brady.
Sam Monaghan believes the emotion of playing at Aviva Stadium for the first time in a standalone Test match can galvanise Ireland in their Guinness Women’s Six Nations finale against Scotland on Sunday.
The experienced Gloucester Hartpury second row, who co-captained Ireland with Edel McMahon at last autumn’s World Cup in England, will make her 31st appearance in green at a stadium she has only ever experienced as a spectator.
Yet that has been enough to appreciate the boost an Irish record 30,000 home crowd can give to her team as they bid to end their 2026 championship campaign with a third home win out of three.
“Yeah, it's going to be emotional, but I think that galvanises us as a group as well,” Monaghan said at Aviva Stadium this week.
“Like we want to do so well, we want to make the country proud, we want to inspire the next generation of players to come through and keep playing and keep women and boys in sport because it's so important for community.
“It's had such a massive purpose in my life, and it's kept me grounded, kept me motivated and everything else so I still remember the role models I had growing up and how much of an impact they had in their lives. So, I think we're all quite aware of what it is doing and we just want to go out and perform and put the best performance out there on Sunday.”
Monaghan has enjoyed the special atmospheres created by Ireland’s supporters this season, from a record 9,120 crowd for the 57-20 win over Italy at Galway’s Dexcom Stadium in round two to the enthusiasm that greeted them in Belfast for the 33-12 victory against Wales at Affidea Stadium.
Add that to the energy she has felt watching men’s Test matches at the Aviva and it could make for a memorable first match for the Ireland Women on Sunday afternoon.
“I think the last time I was here was the last Men’s Six Nations when Ireland played France. Me and my mom came to the game and it's just such an amazing atmosphere. The anthems were truly something special and the energy I felt in the crowd, I can still feel that now.
“It's like nothing else existed outside of the walls of this stadium. If anyone's been lucky enough to experience it, it's such an amazing atmosphere and you can see over the past couple of weeks the energy in the crowds.
“We get it slightly different. There was a group of girls behind us in the dugouts on Saturday, I can't remember where they were from, they were all wearing pink hoodies, but the noise they were making was insane.
“I think one of the stewards had to come over because they were banging on the (roof of the dugout), but Ruth Campbell was also egging them on. It's just amazing, the noise they were making was insane and you can really feel that on the pitch as a player, the support you get and the energy it drives into your performance as well is amazing.”
For a player whose international career began in front of empty stands during the Covid pandemic, Monaghan is delighted a new generation of supporters will experience a very different atmosphere this weekend.
“I've had some special days (watching) here and hopefully coming up to Sunday, hopefully get up to 30,000 would be amazing, if not more than that.
“But just how special it'll be for, I was speaking to (former international) Jackie Shiels, she's over in Navan Ladies Rugby and I think there's 190 of them going and she's organised buses and so just the work she's done to be able to get them, like kids transported here as well. That's what makes it too, like how them kids get here and the experience they'll have and memories they'll have for a lifetime.
“Like I remember I was growing up, I came from a Gaelic football background but I still remember them games and how excited you were, you just wanted school to finish on a Friday so you could get your jersey ready and get going on the weekend and just be inspired by what's happening and the performance the girls are putting out here each week is really amazing.”
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