Scott Bemand and his players do not have far to look for inspiration this week, with reference points from two years ago and just last week more than enough to fuel their trip to Belfast.
The Ireland head coach has emphasised the need to finish this Six Nations campaign with two home victories. Ireland face Wales at the Affidea Stadium on Saturday, followed by a historic finale at the Aviva Stadium, for which 26,000 tickets have already been sold.
Losing to England and France away, with the demolition of Italy sandwiched in between in front of a soon-to-be surpassed record Irish crowd of 9,206, has loaded the final two fixtures with added pressure.
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“Certainly, the away games, going over to Twickenham and Clermont, were going to be two big Test matches,” said Bemand. “I think we acquitted ourselves well in those, but in terms of where we are and where we want to get to, we’ve got to win these home games.”
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The fact that over half the tickets for Lansdowne Road have been sold, more than a week out from the Scotland game, is a benchmark Bemand believes will only continue to rise.
“Oh, it’s class,” he said. “It’s a stepped process, isn’t it? It was the same with England playing standalone games at Twickenham.
“So we want to get people on board and in through the door. Hopefully we’re not talking about 25s and 26s for too long and can keep growing that number.”
The squad have been reflecting this week on their last home meeting with Wales in the championship, when they ended a seven-game losing streak with victory in Virgin Media Park in April 2024.
“Wales was a bit of a seminal moment,” Bemand acknowledged. “We did it by being physical, by being direct and getting on top of them up front, which then created the platform to score some pretty reasonable tries.
“I think we’re a different animal now. We want to win our three home games, of course we do, but actually to put a performance out there that people can get behind. So it’s important to acknowledge how that felt two years ago, but we’ve got to go and do it all again.”
Fresh motivation has also arrived from the Ireland under-21s, who produced a historic 41-40 victory over England in Coventry last weekend.
Several of that squad have already spent time in the senior camp and Bemand admitted the emergence of that young talent played a role in his recent decision to extend his contract through to the 2029 World Cup.
Robyn O’Connor, who will make her third start of the championship, was part of the under-21 set-up, while Niamh Gallagher is poised to become the fourth debutant of this campaign from the bench in Belfast.
There is just one change from the defeat to France, with Eve Higgins returning at centre in place of Nancy McGillivray. Aoibheann Reilly was expected to feature at some stage but has suffered a leg injury in training.
“We want to be a really hard group to get into,” Bemand said. “I don’t want to give away caps. When somebody gets the opportunity, it’s because they’ve earned it.
“There were a few that had a chat with me after selection asking what they’ve got to do, and we’ve given them some performance pointers. But they’re right in the mix and they’re elevating the training standard.
“I think there is a mindset shift. The under-18s beat England in a tournament about six months ago, our under-21s have just beaten England. There’s a mindset now that actually we’ve got the capability to do it.
“It bodes well for the future, doesn’t it?”
Ireland: Stacey Flood; Béibhinn Parsons, Eve Higgins, Aoife Dalton, Robyn O’Connor; Dannah O’Brien, Emily Lane; Ellena Perry, Clíodhna Moloney-MacDonald, Linda Djougang; Dorothy Wall, Fiona Tuite; Brittany Hogan, Erin King (capt), Aoife Wafer. Replacements: Neve Jones, Sadhbh McGrath, Eilís Cahill, Ruth Campbell, Sam Monaghan, Grace Moore, Katie Whelan, Niamh Gallagher.
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