Former Ireland international Anna Caplice previews the first round of the Women’s Six Nations as Ireland take on France.
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Can we start with cycling have you you’ve seen sense is that what I’ve heard yeah yeah I’ve turned to cycling d nickon uh you were going to cycle well is this right you were going to cycle T lons from larelle yeah yeah yeah because there’s uh I just I love I love cycling
I I kind of do it as much as I can I have a lot of niggly injuries from running and stuff so cycling is just so great like on the joints and stuff so I yeah whenever I can find time I try and do multi-day trips um so from it’s about
Uh 300 km from larell to Lon and it was going to take a few days and go but I’ve had to change my plans so I’ll just have to do that another time there’s plenty like long Cycles like that you can do in France are just made up for it so that
Would have been nice cycling in with my little Irish flag like before kickoff on Saturday but uh alas won’t happen this time all right I drove it uh last year and it’s tough enough going in car and so you’ve made the right call um oh
Really from larell to up up up to n yeah yeah yeah so it’s it’s a long long Winding Road uh as this beautiful segue as this Six Nations is going to be um so all kicks off obviously this weekend Wells and Scotland at the arms Park tomorrow Italy England on Sunday but
Obviously the one that we’re talking about is France Ireland lemon so uh six straight losses to France we had the 533 in Cork last year people remember the Nicola Friday interview uh after the game um players have been talking now about like a really good block of preparation they’ve had the success of
The uh wxv in Dubai last year the chall um CTIC challenge games what are your expectations uh and if we can kick off that way in relation to Ireland for this game and for the tournament yeah I think um this this part of the of the year um which is the
Block of prep for six nations is always very positive like you know same last year same when I played it’s always the same it has to be you know you have to be working hard you know have your standards high and like belting the crap out of each other in training which I’m
Assured they’ve been doing and like it feels really good the prep always feels really good and I remember that as a player like feeling really good and then kind of on reflection being like how did we how did we feel so good when actually it ended up being so tough um but I’m
Not I’m I’m not a trying to take away from like obviously you need to be positive you need to prepare in that way um but I’m you know I’m still optimistic not naively more uh more hopefully like optimistic for this side like I don’t that you know the bar is low for this
Side per a performance would be a good result as opposed to any win like against France if they could manage to squeeze a bonus point if they could deny France a bonus Point um in their you know in France like that would be that would be a real achievement I just want
To see Ireland like put together some nice phases hold on to the ball and attack kick tactically like put France Under Pressure like if France are running in tries like they’re not easy you know they they’re they’re like they’ve been pushed they’ve been like they’ve been put under pressure and
They’ve been made work to get any score like even if they opt to take some penalties because they’re just kind of so frustrated with Ireland’s defense like that’s that I’d be I’d be happy with that what are the things that give you a reason to be hopeful
Um first of all I feel like last year when we were looking at um we have had so many new caps in Ireland over the last like couple of Seasons um and you know last year we had like Cy mcgr coming into the front row 180 there was
All this talk around that and then it was just such a difficult project to because the front row you know is is just such a a tough place with got a young 18-year-old Winger coming in uh ktie caran who’s earning her first cap like I feel like the wing is a little
Bit more of a protective Place protected place to get your first cap in the front row um saying that like obviously France will have identified that and they’ll be testing her but she’s done really well she’s obviously proved herself like in training as well as in the Celtic
Challenge we’ll talk about the Celtic challenge later but um uh I just think like in terms of like how how they’re You’ve Got A J like manah back first of all it’s it’s annoying that um Sam manahan just isn’t she hasn’t been past fit so this co- captaincy that they
Had in wxv which works really well for the team we don’t get to see that in Six Nations that’s a bit disappointing but glad that Sam man is um being looked after and she’s recovering well so we’ve got AEL McMahon back we’ve got experience in the squad now like girls
Who’ve been there before as opposed to really really green girls coming into the Six Nations last year who just would have had no idea of what this level was like now they know so even if you know I’m not optimistic for a win I’m optimistic that there’ll be a little bit
More of glue stuck together and I’ve heard good things I’ve heard really smart things I’ve heard uh yeah I’m I’m that’s that’s what I’m optimistic for is just a us to you know be like okay do you know what I can see where we’re going now that’s the optimism I have
Yeah and I think uh coming from the bar as you said from last year we scored 25 points we conceded 192 the bar is very low um what are they there’s been a huge amount of talk about the empowerment of the group by Scott Burman and a lot of
Praise Kathleen mentioned a bit earlier in relation to Deon Daner and the work that he’s been doing um what are the things that you’re hearing that are that are the the uh green shoots I suppose that will either bear fruit now or we’ll see them a little bit down the
Track um it’s more so that like first of all if I go back to that co- captaincy thing like I really admired that at the time um because you know wxv and bear in mind Ireland was in wxv 3 where they were you know they scored you know cricket scores on Colombia and
Kazakhstan and then in their match against Spain they had to really kind of dig in which actually was no harm either for the team to to be like tested like that but so far like this team uh Only Knows success under that kind of co- captaincy and the fact that
He stuck with it like it’s not very it’s not a very done thing even though now like it seems to even be coming into the men’s game a little bit but Co co- captains like it’s not a done thing I actually admired that he was just like
Okay I like these two players I think they’re both capable I see they work together why not give them both the job and I admired that in terms of a like okay let’s let’s let’s try this um the other thing is like you know you’re talking about de and Dan her there but
There’s other like looking at the list of like staff um it’s bigger than it’s ever been like there’s so much staff there now so many more staff whereas like the staff even even when I played it was only a few short years ago like some members of Staff would have been
Doing everything like the manager for example was also The Bag Man was also the social media person like you know all those individual roles have been broken down now and and delegated like that’s that’s brilliant and also another kind of interesting point is that like Sam manahan’s Actually traveling with
The team this weekend even though uh she’s not playing like that shows that that would that wouldn’t have been the case before like it just shows a bigger commitment like a bigger budget um a bigger plan it looks really good from now the test is and again going back to
What I was saying there about like the prep for six nation’s always being so positive and US enjoying it so much the the test is when the tough results come in which they inevitably will how does the group stick together how how do they come across how do they continue to
Perform are there like divisions between the team the management the media the public or is it all are we all going to be clear on what our mission is like that’s uh that we don’t know that yet nobody actually knows that yet so you know I I’m that’s that’s going to be the
Real test the graph over the last two years is interesting obviously the failure with regards to qualifying for the World Cup is is so well publicized but even just within the Six Nations it’s been interesting to see going from from two wins two seasons ago to to
Nothing last year which was maybe a lowb that some people would have predicted but was also pretty shocking when it happens that 12mon development in particular and that downward spiral have you seen enough evidence or maybe have you heard enough coming from the camp to suggest that the reasons why that spiral
Happened have been addressed and potentially hoping for one win two wins in this year six nations is not unreasonable um I think it’s difficult because you know I I do feel like Scott Bean had had did his homework in terms of his like select and as much of the selection he
Could extend you know he picked some new players from the Premiership he found some kind of new kind of players that weren’t being earmarked at all and brought them into camp but there are players still on contract that he didn’t select so um he hasn’t he hasn’t
Selected his own final like group of players yet I find because the you know he’s still working with that group of players that was almost kind of handed handed to him um so I don’t think it’s been I don’t think he’s had the chance to fully address that yet um because he
You know he he’s he’s made the changes he’s been able to but also there’s there’s a lot more he could do like whether whether he’ll eventually extend an invitation to C the Maloney is a bit of an interesting kind of uh talking point but like up till now he I think he
Hasn’t had like the full power to do exactly what he wants why is why isn’t that happening I was looking at that during the week and I can’t quite get my head around it she’s obviously been um frustrated as feels like I’m not quite getting to the exact tone of what it’s
Been like for her over the last few years but it feels like she’s been punished for events of the past that have nothing to do with him like why isn’t you just back in there are people still in there that were there when with that that involved that confrontation with kleina
So if and when they leave that and that changes then we’ll know why but I I don’t really know like it’s very clear how informed she is how well she’s playing how valuable she would be for the team I don’t know what Scott Bean’s dealings have been with cleaner like I
I’m I don’t know I’d like to guess but there’s no point me guessing because that just starts like rumors and rumors aren’t that helpful like so you just you would hope on it that like it doesn’t feel like it’s been the case but like a
New coach comes in and like it felt like Greg MC Williams was in a pretty unenviable unenviable position probably in the same sort of thing with having to ultimately deal with the people that are running the Union uh around making his selections but you would just have hoped
When a new coach came in it was like right blank canvas here you choose whoever you need to ues and we’re going to crack on to try and get the best result we can like if that’s not exactly the conversation that’s happening then that’s a little bit we’re disappointed
Before you even begin yeah but it’s still the same people running the union so I’m sure there was a compromise but it’s still the same people in charge so if it was a problem for Greg McWilliams then it’s obviously a problem for the same coach for sorry for the new coach
The same problems for the new coach um that’s that’s me has hazarding a guess um which is you know kind of the only guess that can can be can be made really I don’t know I don’t know what else can we can say about it like let’s see if
That Personnel changes will K be invited back in yeah I I see where you’re going with this uh the only conversation that can be broadcast maybe might be a better way to put it um talk to us a bit about the the obviously couple of seven sevens players b Parson Eve Higgins
Particularly back in uh was put to one of the players during the week about whether this was like a destabilizing thing potentially um and they were like no absolutely not this is like we want to get the best players on the pitch that’s your view as well is
It yeah it all depends on how it’s managed um it wasn’t always managed really well um so I think like and you know if I look if you look at the three players like three brilliant players like I think they’re you know there’s a lot of excellent seven players but
You’ve got three there that have been like you know raised through 15s rugby they know the 15s game really well like B like you know she was such a young hope for the 15s game and then you know has been playing more sevens exact same
With Eve um we didn’t see much of b or sorry of aen before she went across to seven so I’m really excited to see her kind of spread her wings a little bit more for Ireland it’s interesting that these were the three players picked I don’t know if you were getting three why
Didn’t they pick more or are they conscious of the kind of imbalance that might happen if those sevens players are are withdrawn like that’s that’s good then in my opinion um if if they are conscious and trying to keep the numbers low um I if it’s managed right as in if the
Communication with the players is is honest and um encouraging like I do feel like when uh before like historically it’s been a bit of a they were us the OWN almost like a a threat like oh the sevens players are coming in you better watch your back almost was kind of like
The message that was given out to us at times in the 15s Group which is awful because that’s you know the that’s got nothing to do with the players and and everyone has to take the opportunity that’s given to them but it was it was mismanaged at times and it
And it made things very difficult which then made it seem like there was this division um but I from what the players are saying um it seems so been managed really well those girls know the the sevens the those sevens girls know the 15 Squad really well so I think it’s
Something that could work um and like if you look at you know look at Eve Higgins like Eve Higgins and um EA Dalton now in the center I’m really excited to see see them this weekend like especially up against like um Gabriel ver and uh cone
Like who also plays sevens so Eve will know her really well like she’ll have no fear a lot of these young players like they’ll they won’t know what it will be like to go and play in France even though lamon isn’t like typically you know your T LA or your Claremont or your
Rugby Town like it’s still France’s you know still France’s backyard and it’s an exciting venue to go somewhere new but eveil have Eve for example as one of the players that’ll be no like water off her back she won’t mind that at all she’ll be relishing this like opportunity I’m
Excited to see that like an EA Dalton as well as really nailed down her Center starting place so um yeah a and Nicole fley like that’s a combo we haven’t seen um that’s I’m excited to see how how it works how good are France at the moment
Anna um they have a good few injuries um drewan who like very frustratingly she hasn’t played but she’s out for the rest of the tournament we thought we’d get to see her back um her last involvement with France was missing the kick to get to the world Cup Final in the last
Minute of the semi-final in 2021 World Cup if you remember that um and she hasn’t been there since so that’s that’s disappointing but they still have like they have the man um Roman and Marine Manaj like uh Soha verer like bordon census like they still are very like
Very capable they”re a young Captain which I find interesting you know they’ve got new management as well um G Mino former player for France like she’s gone in as uh one of the coaches she was around for wxv um that was her first outing kind of similar to Ireland in their in their
Trajectory of like where their new um management and players Etc so this young Captain is interesting but they were terribly inconsistent down in wxv one where they beat the black Ferns and then they lost to Australia and Canada so they obviously on their own kind of Journey but I’m sure
Like without being without overlooking the challenge of Ireland like they do want a grand slam Showdown against England in Bordeaux at the end of the tournament now they have a read a good bit of stuff from them and you know they’re they’re not looking towards that
Yet but uh and they you know they’re very focused on Ireland so like let’s see how consistent they can be which seems to be their biggest challenge but you know I read something interesting as well is that they had a training camp uh couple of couple of weeks ago
Like before the whole Squad came together the forwards just had a setpiece training camp like just the forwards went in together however many of them there were 18 or 20 of them or something just for setpiece so when the whole Squad came together the set piece was ready to go I thought
It was brilliant I’ve never heard of I’ve never heard of that before I’ve obviously heard of like forward sessions and forward having to do a little bit extra like while in Camp or whatever but getting your set piece nailed on nailed down before the whole Squad comes
Together I thought was I thought it was brilliant yeah very good idea uh with regards to the tournament as a whole obviously England are going for six in a row at this stage I think it is John Mitchell is uh the head coach and there is this looming thing about being host
Of the World Cup next year 10 years on from the the men having an absolute disaster in front of their own fans with regards to the World Cup do you get a sense from having conversations not necessarily with with English players or anything like that that this will just
Be a hugely pressurized 18 months for that England team because they are so favored to win this year six nations probably next year six nations and will more than likely be favorites in front of their own home fans with a new shiny head coach appointment who’s caused I
Don’t want to say controversy but there were some people who say maybe it wasn’t the right appointment at that moment yeah it they’re probably saying that because they’re you know so used to how it was um it’s probably no harm like the thing is they had an incredibly
Dominant approach to the last World Cup and then ended up losing in the final like you need you need something a bit different you need a different angle here to make sure like they have got to win the next World Cup sorry now know I’m adding to that pressure but they
Have to I actually I I’m not sure how good it was for rugby that the black friends actually ended up winning like they were brilliant oh my God was one of the best games rugby I’ve ever seen that final but I really wanted to and as many
Others did after the last uh after the World Cup I wanted England to win so we could say right this is how it’s done look at their league look how they manage it look at their investment like that’s how it should be done whereas the black friends like my goodness their
Union hasn’t been exactly lauded for how they’ve treated women’s rugby even now they’re still having like controversy around how they’re managing their leagues Etc um but England like they you look at the team you I’d almost want them to kind of stumble at some stage to learn some lessons and learn
How to apply themselves to a losing situation an almost losing situation so that if that pressure comes on in the final next year uh or just throughout the world cup you know banking on that they get to the final in their in their backyard um like can can they will they
Come across some some kinds of challenges and then look at the team they name and my God they are the best players in the world some of the best players in the world most of those positions are filled with the best player in that position in the world
Right now it’s just a phenomenal team and the competitiveness they have within their own Squad is what keeps that going they never get bored you know um there’s no question of them being like a little bit uh complacent or whatever like they’re uh even though you could argue
Maybe that that’s how they found themselves in against Ireland last year in Cork because they didn’t like have the blowout result that uh uh they the people were expecting it’s down to Ireland as well and they pushed them really hard but I just think they’re a
Phenomenal side and will it be like from now a a complete run through to winning the World Cup in the in Twickenham next year like it looks likely but I love if France beat them in Bordeaux at the end of stations I’d love that that’d be the
Best safe traveling we’ll catch up with your bit over hopefully over the next few weeks enjoy the game thanks ailan I’ll talk to you soon