Out of the Ashes: Ireland’s Women’s Rugby Stuns World Champions New Zealand

Ireland women's rugby team produced an upset against reigning World Cup champions New Zealand, winning 29-27 in their opening WXV1 match. The victory came after a series of controversies and defeats for the Irish team dating back to 2021, when the former Six Nations Grand Slam winners and World Cup semi-finalists shocked the rugby world by failing to qualify for the World Cup. So how did the team go from dysfunction to triumph?

A Famous Victory for Irish Rugby 

Reigning champions New Zealand dominated the opening stages of the game with a try by Colohea in the first ten minutes. The Irish squad, keen to squash the momentum of their opponents, retaliated with a long try from rising star 21-year-old Aoife Wafer. However, their frustration soon got the better of them, leading to a penalty against Ireland for player behaviour toward the referee. Ireland trailed 5-10, a difficult position when facing a team as strong as New Zealand. Unshaken by the deficit, Wafer scored her second try of the game. Ulster player Neve Jones extended this lead with a controversial play. 

Ireland's advantage was short-lived as New Zealand responded in the second half with a try and a penalty, taking the lead at 20-17. With just two minutes left, Ireland trailed by five points and fears grew that they were on track for another disappointing result. But Ireland dug deep and produced a late try from Erin King, sealing a shocking upset and delivering a victory to be cherished by an Irish squad that had had little to celebrate since 2021. 

The 2021 World Cup: A Low for Irish Rugby 

As well as constituting an impressive victory in its own right, this win represented a comeback for a team that has found itself in complete disarray in recent years. Between 2013 and 2015, the Irish team celebrated historical highs on the pitch, establishing themselves as key players in the women’s game just as the Irish men’s team had on the international stage. A 2013 Grand Slam win was followed by a Six Nations title in 2015, with a World Cup semi-final in between. Ireland was in the midst of a renaissance and hosting the 2017 World Cup seemed like an opportunity to celebrate and cement its position at the forefront of the game alongside the likes of New Zealand and Australia. 

However, it was not to be as the whole project seemed to fall apart spectacularly. The team finished eighth in the 2017 World Cup and then missed out on qualification altogether in 2021. Under then-Head Coach Adam Giggs, they experienced a dramatic fall from grace. The reasons for this decline became clear as turmoil off the pitch was revealed in a public letter signed by current and past players, stating that they had lost confidence in the Irish Rugby Football Union’s (IRFU) stewardship of the women’s game. 

Controversy off the field 

This letter criticised the IRFU’s governance of the women’s game, stating that the players had “lost all trust and confidence in the IRFU’s leadership.” Alongside voicing frustrations over failing to qualify for the World Cup, the letter pointed to a string of controversies off the field. One incident involved players being forced to change behind bins before a match in 2021 at Energia Park as Women’s Rugby was not classified as an ‘elite sport’ and thus the changing rooms were unavailable to them. Controversy also followed individual players prior to the letter, as player Cliodnha Moloney compared Women’s Rugby Director Anthony Eddy’s comments on a fifteen-a-side match to “spreading slurry.” Moloney was not permitted to play for the national team for the next two years as a result of her comments made on X. This incident demonstrated a disconnect between the administration and players, as Eddy appeared to blame the players for not qualifying rather than the administration and its mistakes. 

In December 2021, these controversies and the frustration over their poor performance were brought to a head by the now-famous letter being signed and shared with the IRFU demanding that they work with the government to produce “meaningful change” for the management of the women’s team. The IRFU did not initially accept the claims made in the letter and argued that its timing was disappointing. Change was, however, on the horizon. The IRFU had recently accepted funding from the government, who were keen to see the issue addressed. A report into the claims made in the letter was completed in 2022. The announcement of €1 million in funding for development within the women’s game was made, and Moloney was permitted to return to the national team. 

Where to next?

The development of women’s rugby in Ireland has not been without challenges. One of the reforms followed a broader trend of professionalisation within women’s rugby as the IRFU introduced its first professional contracts for female fifteen-a-side players — a significant step for Ireland, falling closer in line with the other major rugby nations who have already professionalised at levels beyond this. Whilst the introduction of these contracts in 2022 was a first step for women’s rugby in Ireland, the IRFU has not been free of scrutiny. Outside of the national team, the All-Ireland League remains largely amateur, so the scope for talented players to come through is reduced and questions remain over the IRFU’s long-term financial and structural plans. 

Ireland’s win against New Zealand and their third-place finish in the Six Nations in April show that the reforms are starting to pay off. However, if the Irish team is to compete consistently at the highest level and avoid further decline, the IRFU must continue to professionalise the game and foster a better culture with more respect for women’s rugby. One tantalising win against New Zealand will not be enough to satisfy Ireland’s talented players. The IRFU must push further reforms to secure Ireland’s place as a great rugby nation.

Image from WikiCommons