ON THE UP… Enniskillen RFC ladies team captain Leona Hallett with some of the team at a recent training session in Enniskillen
Despite losing to England on Wednesday, Irish Women’s Rugby is certainly on the rise.
Perhaps none more so than in Fermanagh.
Former Enniskillen Collegiate student Kathryn Dane is currently a member of the Ireland Under 19 sevens training squad and is training in Dublin every Saturday morning ahead of the UK Schools games in England and the European Championships in Sweden.
When Ireland defeated New Zealand last Tuesday, August 5 Kathryn admitted she was ‘in awe’.
“Even my father was amazed at the standard of rugby they exhibited. There are no easy games at International level. What they have achieved so far is just brilliant and we all hope that they can take in their stride and get to the finals. Ladies rugby in Ireland continues to raise the bar from grassroots level and hopefully this will bring great future success.
“This should really encourage girls and ladies into playing rugby. Even in the short time I’ve been travelling to Dublin I have made many friends from all corners of Ireland which is crucial in creating team spirit.”
New Enniskillen ladies captain Leona Hallett, who has played against Irish Internationals Grace Davitt and Ashleigh Baxter has also been impressed, calling the performance against New Zealand ‘incredible’.
“They have been working so hard and against New Zealand the girls put in such an effort, they were incredible. Having played against some of them at club level I can tell you they are incredibly talented girls.”
She hopes the success of the Irish side will encourage further interest at Enniskillen.
“I would like to think it would, certainly it has given more people access to watching the women’s games. It is about removing the stigma that it is violent and too rough for people. When they see how the Ireland team have been enjoying themselves maybe it will give them the drive to watch a local game and if they enjoy that maybe come out and play.”
And, while the ladies may have lost in the semi-final – that’s no deterrent for the local girls.
Enniskillen Ladies are running non-contact rugby on Wednesday evenings on the Lakeland forum pitches beside Enniskillen Castle at 8pm.
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