’50 Caps Takes A Special Player’ – Bemand On Djougang’s Milestone Achievement

Ireland head coach Scott Bemand said they will ‘look pretty hard at the performance and the bits where we can grow’ following their 43-27 bonus point win over Spain in Northampton.

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Ireland succeeded in marking Linda Djougang’s 50th cap with a result that clinched their place in the Rugby World Cup quarter-finals, as they sit on 10 points alongside New Zealand, their next opponents, at the top of Pool C.

A high return again in attack saw the girls in green eclipse last week’s 42-point tally against Japan, setting another new Irish record for points scored in a single Women’s World Cup game, while matching the seven tries their 2010 predecessors registered against Kazakhstan.

Still, there was frustration with the five tries that Spain mustered, and they also had one disallowed. Ireland’s unforced errors, particularly when receiving kicks, and seven defensive penalties played into the opposition’s hands.

Bemand had praise for Spain while also underlining how fixable those mistakes are, saying: “They’re a nuggety team, Spain. What we started to do as we went through the game, we’d have good moments, good exits, and give them an entry back.

“It felt like a very flip-flop game by the end of it where we’d get out, we’d give away a penalty, we’re back in and we’re defending 10 minutes of pick-and-go.

“We’ll look hard at that, about how we can stop it and what we need to do. There’ll be some bits around, you know, what a contest looks like, but we need to learn to manage that. Need to learn to deal with it a bit better.

“So, we’ll look pretty hard at our own performance, the bits where we can grow. Obviously there’s bits to grow, there always is.

“We’ve never professed to be the finished article, but look, scoring seven tries out there today, it shows that we’ve got some firepower. It shows that we’ve got some tools that we can call upon.

“Just calling upon them consistently and more in the right space, which will let us go longer and deeper into these games.”

One of the main positives was Ireland’s strong start once more, as tries from Dannah O’Brien – her first for her country – and Amee-Leigh Costigan made it 12-0 after 18 minutes. The scrum got on top, aided by prop Ellena Perry on her first start.

Perry went on to be a deserving winner of the Mastercard player-of-the-match award, with Brittany Hogan, who replaced injured captain Sam Monaghan, two-try number 8 Grace Moore, and Fiona Tuite impressing as well up front.

Costigan took over as skipper from Monaghan, and there were three tries on the day for Ireland’s back-three, including a brace from Anna McGann on her first World Cup start. Across the calendar year, Costigan, McGann, and Béibhinn Parsons have now scored 15 tries between them.

With seven changes from the victory over Japan, it has certainly taken a squad effort to earn knockout rugby for Ireland. It is the first box ticked in terms of their World Cup goals, and the excitement is already building for next Sunday’s pool decider against the Black Ferns in Brighton.

“Look, the result, we knew what we wanted out of today. To get a bonus point win at the start of the day, I’d have bitten your hand off,” admitted Bemand.

“Just because the magnitude of the importance of what it signifies. You can hear it in the other room now (the players were singing Kingfishr’s ‘Killeagh’ in celebration).

“Getting to a World Cup quarter-final was something we wanted to achieve, and we wanted to achieve it at its first chance.

“So two games in, we’ve taken two bonus point wins, and now we roll on to Brighton for another challenge which we’re hugely excited about.”

There was much to admire about Ireland’s tight five, which Tuite rejoined following Monaghan’s departure due to a knock to her hip. The bread and butter of their set-piece work was very effective, with an unblemished six scrums and 12 lineouts won on their own ball.

In addition, Perry and company forced three penalties at scrum time, and all of the starters in the pack, bar Monaghan, hit double figures with their tackles. Dual international Claire Boles led the way with 23 tackles on her World Cup debut.

The Ireland camp were understandably keen all week to acknowledge and celebrate the achievement of Djougang as she became only the 15th Ireland Women’s player to reach 50 caps. Packing down at tighthead, she delivered another impactful 61 minutes in the green jersey.

The 29-year-old prop proudly led the team out for their second pool outing at Franklin’s Gardens, and clinching that coveted quarter-final spot capped off what was a memorable occasion for her and her team-mates.

Bemand added: “The group are absolutely buzzing for a couple of reasons. The quarter-final. Just been told it’s the most Ireland have ever scored at a World Cup and it’s only game two. And Linda Djougang who has just got her 50th cap.

“Linda is such an important part for us. I was actually there for her first cap in a different dugout (with England in 2019). It’s been incredible watching somebody that we could see had potential to go on and become a real force in the Women’s game.

“50 caps takes a special player. I think it’s a few years since Ireland have had a 50-capper. She’s got loads more caps in her. She can go deep in the game, she’s physical, she’s brave. She’s a great person to have on our team.”