Ireland will want to prove win over New Zealand ‘wasn’t a one-off’

Pool C of the Women’s Rugby World Cup: Ireland vs. New Zealand

Brighton &amp Hove Albion Stadium Date: Sunday, September Kick-off: 14:45 BST

As Ireland prepare to face the reigning champions in the match that will decide the Pool C winners of the World Cup on Sunday, Ireland should take comfort from their victory over New Zealand in WXV1.

If they hadn’t already won this game, I believe the players would find it a little more difficult, but I believe they will want to put a stamp on it to show that this wasn’t just a one-off victory.

The Irish squad will want to demonstrate that this is where they are at, where they can challenge themselves against previous World Cup winners.

I find it surprising that they chose a capable team that shows they are truly committed to their goals.

They want to dominate the pool and aren’t thinking about the quarter-finals of next week. That’s the best course of action, in my opinion.

You don’t want to be seen avoiding the bigger games or getting ready for later ones because the World Cup is such a big tournament. You must accept each game as it is.

I didn’t really anticipate Aoife Wafer joining the squad for this big game, despite the obvious inclusion of her in the lineup.

She didn’t seem to be in the warm-up last week, and if she had been coming back, I believe she would have been in that extended squad and working with the team throughout the entire matchday warm-up.

Ireland will want to put on a strong performance in Brighton on Sunday to face the Black Ferns.

Irish defense will be key, and they will face the tournament’s biggest challenge in that regard.

The team hasn’t really had a good start to New Zealand’s style of play.

It has a lot of offload in the tackle, quick ruck speed, and multiple moves around the pitch with the various players.

It will be about how Ireland can use their defense to create attacking chances, put pressure on New Zealand, impose penalties, turnovers, and reap rewards from effective defensive play. This weekend, that will be absolutely crucial for them.

Ireland will want to keep their errors to a minimum, which requires that every 23 players on the day to put their best foot forward and correct any errors, whether they be in defense or attack.

It will require a nearly flawless performance.

One of the best players in the world is Portia Woodman-Wycliffe. She can turn what doesn’t appear to be a scoring opportunity into a try thanks to her incredible strength and quickness on the wing. Ireland needs to be looking for her.

But threats are present everywhere along that line.

I really like Stacey Waaka. You can’t escape the fact that Jorja Miller is there at seven because she is a really strong player.

She hasn’t looked back in this tournament in years. She moves with the same speed as a winger, and she has the best ball-carrying prowess I’ve seen in a while. She poses a significant threat.

Ireland will strive to improve with the line-out, in my opinion.

Particularly last week, the first two rounds against Japan and Spain weren’t flawless.

You don’t want them to be flawless, though. As the tournament progresses, you want to have things to work on and improve.

Throughout the entire tournament, Ireland’s “Green Wave” of supporters has been present, and those supporters will continue to support them.

The majority of the crowd at Brighton and Hove Albion Stadium will support Ireland, which is expected to be a sell-out of 31, 000 tickets.

When you enter a big tournament or stadium, you walk onto the pitch and there are so many cheerleaders and fans who cheer you on, and you stand for the anthems, but you forget when the game starts because it’s background noise.

Ireland will tap into that support before thinking about it, but I don’t believe they will let the size of the crowd affect them.

When you hang your boots up, you’ll remember these games for the rest of your life. This is a real career highlight and huge opportunity.

What was the real purpose of international rugby when I once played the Black Ferns?

I’m hoping for more closely contested competitive games to occur before these final pool games this weekend, followed by quarter-finals, rather than a ton of one-sided games.

A 31-31 draw between Australia and the USA last week was a fun game that attracted fans, and they are the most entertaining to watch.