Ireland Aims for Historic Women's Six Nations Win Against France After Italy Victory

Ireland Aims for Historic Women's Six Nations Win Against France After Italy Victory

Ireland's women's rugby team is gearing up for a historic clash against France in Clermont, fueled by their recent 57-20 victory over Italy on Saturday. Following an opening-weekend loss to England, the team bounced back impressively at Dexcom Stadium, as Aoife Wafer contributed one of the nine tries. Despite never having won a Women's Six Nations game in France, Wafer expresses confidence in her squad's potential. "I think this group has always had belief and it'll be no different in France," stated the 23-year-old Harlequins flanker on the Ireland Rugby Social podcast. Key points for Ireland’s strategy include: Maintaining physicality throughout the match Dominating the maul and forward play against France's strong pack Silencing the home crowd at Stade Marcel-Michelin Wafer emphasized the importance of controlling the atmosphere, saying, "You put a challenge up to them and all of a sudden the trumpets stop and the crowd stops." Additionally, the squad is motivated by the memory of their 2024 World Cup quarter-final defeat, where they led 13-0 before succumbing to a late French comeback, losing 18-13. Wafer acknowledged the lingering pain from that match, noting, "It's probably something that'll stay with us for a little while. I know personally I probably think about it a lot still." With determination and a drive to avenge past losses, Ireland aims to make history against France in the upcoming match.

Source: BBC Sport - 2026-04-19