THE WOMEN’S RUGBY CLUB IN IRELAND, IS BACK

After a long, difficult couple of years for things are finally beginning to move in the right direction again. for Ireland women’s rugby club August delivered a welcome series of good news stories. At the beginning of the month the IRFU confirmed it would be providing a total of 43 centralized, paid contracts to elite women’s players next season, a move which will see the Union offer professional contracts to women’s 15s players for the first time.

That announcement came on the same day Gillian McDarby’s appointment as Head of Women’s Performance and Pathways was confirmed, a newly-created role which stems from the independent review into the Ireland 15s squad’s failure to qualify for this year’s World Cup.  

Good news off the pitch was followed by encouraging signs on it, Ireland beating Japan in the opening Test of their two-Test summer tour – a trip which represented a first ever summer tour for the women’s 15s squad.

While all this was happening, the women’s 7s have also been ticking along nicely. At the Seville 7s in January they made history by reaching a first World Series decider, taking the silver medal, and followed that up with bronze in Canada in April.