Stacey Flood insists she doesn’t really get switched on until the morning of a game. God help France if that’s the case.
Sitting by the sideline on the IRFU’s indoor pitch at Abbotstown on Wednesday, the Ireland fullback was already buzzing at the prospect of bringing the game to Les Bleus in Stade Marcel-Michelin.
The Clermont cauldron will host a potentially seismic encounter on Saturday (8.10pm Irish time), with Ireland captain Erin King admitting after last weekend’s win over Italy that the girls in green are seeking revenge for their World Cup quarter-final exit to France last September, a loss sharpened by Aoife Wafer being bitten during the 18-13 reversal.
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However, Scott Bemand’s charges are clearly confident about their chances of a first win in the fixture since 2017, an outcome that would push them closer to their goal.
“Well, that’s what we want to be,” said Flood. “We want to be breaking into the top two in the Six Nations this year, we want to be in the top four in the world.
“It’s such an Irish thing to shy away from being confident, and I think we have to trust, believe and be brave in what we put out on the field.
“It’s not that we’re overconfident, it’s that we trust in what we’re doing. I don’t mind being an underdog. We’re the underdog in this, but do we feel like that? I wouldn’t say we’ve focused on it a whole lot, but we know we can take confidence from what we’ve done in the last two weeks and the training block we’ve had.”
It is 13 years since Ireland last beat France away. Expect a clamorous, partisan affair in an atmospheric venue.
“I’m expecting a rugby crowd. I love a French crowd” said the 29-year-old Dubliner, who was part of the Ireland Sevens team at the 2024 Games in Paris. “At the Olympics we had a French crowd behind us and against us. They support rugby so well.
“It’s going to be loud and noisy, there will probably be a band there. I think we can take from that as well. Our friends, family and support will be coming too. They’ve obviously made it a hard place to get to for us, but that never stops us.”
There isn’t just regret around the World Cup knockout game in Exeter. Ireland had their chances in last year’s Six Nations clash in Belfast but blew it. Flood believes errors cost them a prestigious victory, adding Ireland gave France easy ins and negated much of their own excellent work.
This time they approach the game on the back of a record-breaking win over Italy in Galway, which was a response to not firing enough shots against England in round one. Flood believes that Saturday night is about delivering when it matters most.
“I’d be worried if I was them,” she said. “I think they always respected us. If I was them, I’d respect us a little bit more as well, watching the sort of game we’re putting out there.
“It’s not just forwards, it’s not just backs, it’s a mixture and it makes it harder to defend against.
“Knowing we’re a green wall going out there, we can back each other up and be connected. Hopefully we can find ways into the game and not give them too many ins.
“We should have confidence going into this game. Third time lucky, but we’re making our own luck this weekend because we should have had them in the Six Nations last year, could have had them in the World Cup.
“It’s about knowing what we can do and being brave and confident, knowing we’ve grown from this time last year and from the World Cup, to hopefully finish off a game with a win.”
Despite taking part in the warm-up last Saturday, scrumhalf Aoibheann Reilly is not yet ready to return to matchday action, but Bemand – who names his line-up on Thursday morning – otherwise has a strong hand for selection.
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