Monaghan: It’s An Exciting Group With Different Styles Of Play

Co-captain Sam Monaghan says Ireland can take confidence from the fact that they have beaten each of their 2025 Women’s Rugby World Cup pool opponents in recent meetings.

Included in the second band of teams for tonight’s draw in London, the Ireland Women (sponsored by Aon) joined defending champions New Zealand, Japan, and Spain, the newly-crowned WXV3 winners, in Pool C.

The tournament in England next year, which will run from August 22 to September 27, has been expanded to 16 teams – with four pools of four – and will mark Ireland’s return to the Rugby World Cup stage after missing out on qualification last time out.

Monaghan was on the pitch for the wins over Japan and Spain in 2022 and 2023 respectively, but is currently in rehabilitation mode from an ACL injury and had to watch from back home as her team-mates claimed the scalp of New Zealand at WXV1.

Giving her reaction to the World Cup draw, she said: “Really exciting. The group is quite familiar from the last couple of years of what we’ve played.

“We went on tour in Japan a couple of years ago. We played Spain last year in WXV, and New Zealand, obviously we’ve just beaten, so we can take confidence from that. A good group, an exciting group, different styles of play.”

The Meath woman was in studio, alongside England captain Marlie Packer, Scotland captain Rachel Malcolm, and Wales captain Hannah Jones, as the draw took place live on BBC One’s The One Show, in the heart of BBC’s Broadcasting House in London.

BBC Sport’s Gabby Logan hosted the segment as former England flanker Maggie Alphonsi, a 2014 Rugby World Cup winner, and The One Show presenter Roman Kemp drew the teams into the four pools, independently overseen by PwC.

While Japan bounced back to draw the 2022 series with Ireland, and Spain ran Scott Bemand’s side very close during last October’s WXV3 decider in Dubai, the girls in green drew a lot of positives out of those tours, as they did from their memorable WXV1 debut in Canada these past weeks.

“We can take confidence from that too,” Monaghan agreed. “Japan have kicked on in the last couple of years, and they had a decent WXV tournament (playing South Africa, Scotland, and Wales). They’re always an exciting and clinical team to play.

“Spain, that was a hard WXV win last year (for us) in the third tier. They’ve got some serious pace with some of their Sevens players coming back in as well.

“They’re always an exciting team to play, quite a passionate team. New Zealand, buzzing to play them. I know they’ll definitely be up for a rematch as well.”

Being pitted against New Zealand so soon after that brilliant 29-27 bonus point win in WXV1 certainly intensifies the rivalry. Of course, next year’s clash will bring back memories of Ireland’s historic triumph over the Black Ferns at the 2014 World Cup in France.

They are the two top-ranked teams in Pool C for England 2025, and their recent nine-try encounter in Vancouver, which saw Aoife Wafer and Erin King both touch down twice, provided a timely boost for their co-captain on her journey back to full fitness.

Monaghan, who underwent surgery on her knee three months ago, said of her team-mates’ WXV1 exploits: “So proud. I can’t even put words to the emotions I had. Bursting with pride, watched it three times, probably cried every time.

“Such an inspirational group, I’ve definitely worked so much harder the last couple of weeks, desperate to get back on the pitch to them. So yeah, it was class.”

With the start of the World Cup now just 10 months away, Bemand’s charges will want to build on what they achieved with that runners-up finish in Vancouver as their focus turns to club action, the expanded Celtic Challenge, which begins in December, and the upcoming Guinness Women’s Six Nations.

France, the top seeds in World Cup Pool D, are Ireland’s first round visitors in the Six Nations on Saturday, March 22. They then travel to Parma to face Italy before hosting England, who have won their last 20 Tests, on Saturday, April 12.

Newport and Edinburgh are the destinations for their final two matches against Wales and Scotland respectively. Getting back in the green jersey at some stage during the 2025 Championship is obviously a big target for Monaghan.

Speaking before the autumn block about when the second row might be back playing, Bemand said: “Will Sam miss the Six Nations? That will depend on rehabilitation times and how the process goes. Rather than a time, it’s a step process.

“At the moment it’s still on the cards, but we’ll have to see how the next few months play out. It’s going to take her a wee while for her to come back from it. Pretty gutted for her, really.”

Encouragingly, the Gloucester-Hartpury forward, a two-time Premiership Women’s Rugby champion, has taken a big step forward this week on her road to recovery from such a significant injury.

“I was back running today, not at full body weight, like 70% which is great,” she acknowledged. “Just to get into the mechanics of it. Working really hard.

“That WXV performance really inspired my rehab for the next couple of weeks. Itching to get back onto the pitch as early as possible with the girls, and hopefully add to the momentum we’re building.”

Monaghan made her debut against Spain during the 2021 World Cup qualifying campaign, and out of the current Ireland squad, only Eimear Considine and Clíodhna Moloney have World Cup experience having both played at the 2017 tournament on home soil.

Getting the opportunity to play at the game’s global showpiece, especially just across the Irish Sea, is just reward for the team’s rapid progress over the last year which has seen them climb from 11th to sixth in the World Rugby rankings.

With the World Cup match schedule being revealed next Tuesday via the tournament website, and a two-week ticket application phase taking place in November, the countdown is well and truly on for the 16 teams involved and their fans.

“It’s happening really quickly. It’s only ten months away now. It’s going to fly. It’s really important we stay connected now as a group,” added the Ireland co-captain.

“So as we go back to our clubs and the Celtic Challenge happens and PWR (Premiership Women’s Rugby), that we strive to better our individual performances but then when we come back to Six Nations that we’re all singing off the same hymn sheet.

“This PWR season is going to be quite short and sharp and then we’re straight into Six Nations and then building up for a World Cup, so it’s really exciting.

“An absolutely amazing experience and journey for our players, especially the younger players. Dannah (O’Brien) has been in the set-up for the last couple of years, playing really well.

“Great to see those younger players coming through and us kicking on in the Six Nations next year.”