Ireland's Eve Higgins eyes adding World Cup to Olympic experience
Eve Higgins is one of seven players in the current Irish XV squad to have played at the Paris Olympics. Pic: ©INPHO/Ben Brady
Eve Higgins got to soak up the Olympics experience with the Ireland sevens side last year, and the 25-year-old is determined to play her part when the national XVs team plays in its first World Cup for eight years later in 2025.
Failure to qualify for the 2021 event in New Zealand came as a huge blow for the women’s team and the wider game, but an upturn in performances and results under head coach Scott Bemand last year sealed their place at the global gig in England this summer.
The proximity of the tournament has only heightened anticipation levels and Higgins remembers well the last time Ireland played in a World Cup. That was on home soil in 2017 when she was part of the training panel and then a fan in the stands.
“That feeling of the buzz was amazing and it will be huge in England with the numbers they are putting out even for club games, the PWR final there [between Gloucester-Hartpury and Saracens] in StoneX and stuff.
“We’re under no illusions that it will be a huge World Cup and we’re all just excited by it. You grow up relishing these competitions. Every single one of us will put our best foot forward to be on that plane to England during the summer.”
Higgins is one of seven players from the current the 15s squad who featured in Paris at the Games. It was a big year for the women’s side of the game with the XVs finally stopping the rot and finding their groove again after years in the doldrums.
The Dubliner singled out an improved kicking game – courtesy of Nicola Fowley, Dannah O’Brien and Caitriona Finn and a tighter defensive game under assistant coach Hugh Hogan as two of the reasons behind their elevating graph.
An improved third-placed finish in the 2024 Six Nations was the start and they picked up the pace in superb style come the autumn when a defeat of the world champion New Zealanders helped seal second spot in the elite WXV1 event.
A big win against Australia in Belfast prior to that latter tournament had served notice of their intentions then. Even defeat to host nation Canada came with a realisation that they had made mistakes and were in no way close their ceiling as a group.
“It’s really put in a belief in this team that when we have our process we have a great team behind us as well. We have such clarity that every single one of us is really looking forward to going into a Six Nations again, building on last year and putting out great performances.”
That starts this Saturday against France in Belfast on the opening weekend of the Championship. Ireland trained against the French twice during the WXV1s in Canada, something which prepped them well at the time and should do again here now.
England have won the last half-dozen Six Nations titles – and Grand Slams – but the French have invariably pushed them hard with a five-point and a six-point defeat included in their head-to-heads in that time.
“They have some key star players,” said Higgins. “[Pauline] Bourdon Sansus is one of the best 9s in the competition. They’ve [Gabrielle] Vernier, they’ve great forwards and it's very much a power game.
“We’re going to have great confidence to play in the areas of the pitch we want to play in, and to play the game that we want to play. The team has gained a lot of confidence after Vancouver, having trained against them and gotten more reps.”
