The long, remarkable journey to host the Women’s World Cup

From there to here is some journey. The Women’s Rugby World Cup comes to Belfast via Dublin in 2017. Even slipping into the recent past, February 2012 and the infamous overnight train from Paris to Pau, when female bodies were crammed into tiny cabins, makes the renewed prioritisation of women’s rugby in Ireland an astonishing tale.

"I would have never envisaged this happening," said Fiona Coghlan, who captained Ireland to the Grand Slam in 2013 and victory over New Zealand last year. "Even when I retired I didn't see this happening.

“I’m delighted the IRFU felt fit to put in the bid.”

So this marks a good day for the often maligned committee members who have resided on Lansdowne road since 1872. They are to be commended for making themselves less relevant ever since ceding control to High Performance director David Nucifora who appointed Anthony Eddy as director of women's and Sevens rugby.

It was Nucifora then who finally offered these amateur women the ultimate sign of respect by including them in the new professional structures.

England defeat

“I had been involved with Ireland for 17 years and it was steady growth,” Coghlan continued. “Until these last three years.”

The 2013 Grand Slam came without warning. The 25-0 defeat of an England side, albeit weakened by their focus on Sevens, made anything seem possible.

Not to us, to them.

Fourth place at last year's World Cup was a triumph for young Irish coaches such as Greg McWilliams (skills) and Peter Bracken (scrum), along with the highly regarded conditioning of Marian Earls, all under the guidance of Philip Doyle. He who toiled away for too many years when the women's game was a mere rumour in the wilderness.

In many respects it was a perfect storm; an amalgamation of veterans and budding talent.

August 5th, 2014 was "blooms day". That's when Coghlan's Ireland surprised everyone except Doyle, Joe Schmidt – who quietly assisted preparations – and themselves as they out- played, out-fought and out- foxed the Black Ferns before unfurling a ruthless streak the men have never delivered against New Zealand.

It is Laois winger Ali Miller's try, created then converted from the touchline by Niamh Briggs, that will linger long in the memory of those present (such as Johnny Sexton and family). And yet, it was the opening 15-minute assault that proved the crucial period.

“That was the winning of the game,” said Schmidt afterwards, the only smiling Kiwi in a stand littered with unsmiling giants. “That’s when they realised they could win.”

The view of he-who-sees- more-than-most was echoed by the girls afterwards. They left their opponents’ 22 without a score but belief surged through their ice-cold veins.

Gaelic football

“You see it sometimes in Gaelic football,” Schmidt continued. “You don’t have to be a full-time professional.”

The GAA analogy fits. So many of them, such as Briggs of Waterford and Nora Stapleton of Donegal, were tempted away from Gaelic football. An increasingly worrying/encouraging trend depending on which religion you follow.

That victory immediately created a tournament filled with possibility.

It was England, ultimately, that provided the power and brilliance to end the dream at the semi-final but Ireland had made themselves known as a world force.

Then, this Spring, something truly remarkable happened. Despite losing their natural born leaders, Coghlan and Lynne Cantwell to retirement after a decade of punishing service, Briggs and the others honoured their legacy by capturing the Six Nations trophy for the second time in three seasons.

With a bit more time under head coach Tom Tierney, only in situ since December, a second Grand Slam could have been achieved. The blackout in Ashbourne almost turned the tide their way in eventual defeat to France.

Some feat by a squad in transition. Tierney now joins Eddy, recruited after learning at the ACT Brumbies, with the women’s Sevens programme based out in DCU. They work in tandem across the short and long forms of rugby. The idea is to use 15 aside to teach athletes from other sports the nuances of rugby while Sevens gifts the 15-aside game with its most potent weapon: pace. This will bring an element of professionalism to Tierney’s amateur squad, a group that unquestionably requires test rugby outside the Six Nations window to have any chance to maintaining the competitiveness of the 2014 tournament come 2017.