‘We Can’t Wait To Get On The Field In Japan’ – Jones

Ireland hooker Neve Jones says the squad ‘can’t wait’ to get to Japan and get on the pitch for their historic two-match tour.

Jones, whose impressive displays during the Tik Tok Women’s Six Nations earned her the player-of-the-match accolade in the late victory over Scotland in April, says the squad have been working hard over the summer and are ready to put it into practice.

Speaking to Irish Rugby TV ahead of the squad’s departure yesterday, she said:

We’re really excited and we’ve trained really hard this week. It’s good to be back together. We’re very much looking forward to getting  on the plane and getting to Japan.

“We’ve been training hard so now it’s about putting what we’ve been practising on to the field and give a performance.”

Asked about travelling to Japan, Jones outlined the planning which includes nutrition and sleep advice for the trip.

“We can’t wait to get to the airport. People have got different things to do on the plane. We’ve been given loads of advice about how to help with the time differences – when to eat, when to sleep – to help us be prepared and get our bodies ready for the temperatures and the time difference.”

Ireland play two Tests against Japan on Saturday, August 20 at Ecopa Stadium in Shizuoka, and a week later at Chichibunomiya Stadium, the home of Japan Rugby, in Tokyo.

We will have updates from the tour on Twitter, Instagram and TikTok – just search for @irishrugby.