Aoife Wafer and many of them Ireland The women’s team starts in WXV Global Series boosted by Katie Taylor’s stunning final at Croke Park. For every sportswoman, young and old, across the country, seeing Taylor sell out 83,000 seats in Croker for her final boxing match is nothing short of inspiring.
Several members of the Ireland national team arrived at the stadium to cheer and serenade Taylor during her triumphant farewell. It was another, huge indicator of the growing appeal of women’s sports.
After her second week in training camp with Ireland, Wafer watched Taylor fight at home in Wexford with her parents. “Even for Kate’s walk, it was kind of cringe-worthy, looking back,” Wafer said. “She absolutely smashed it.
“Katie is an inspiration to everyone in the sport and, it doesn’t matter if you’re male or female, she’s the GOAT of boxing. To be honest, she’s probably one of the greatest athletes Ireland has ever produced. She’s phenomenal, and it was an incredible homecoming moment for her in Croke Park.”
Inspired by that event earlier this month, Wafer and her Ireland teammates got into it when they reunited for the third week of their camp. It was a unique week, in Dublin, because the Canadian team was supposed to train with Ireland and go against them. Wafer believes the sessions were a step up from what the group went through earlier this year in preparation for the Guinness Women’s Six Nations.
“It was brilliant,” she says. “We worked against units Canada and, then, had two great sessions against them. It’s not very often that you get to play against World Cup finalists, pick their brains on different things and learn from them.
“We weren’t just there for that. We really competed with them. There were some areas of our game that really stood out and we really picked up on them. It was really productive and we learned from a few mistakes we made that week.”
That week of intense training with Canada, who won Scotland 64-26 in their first WXV Global Series game of the fall, ended with barbecue and plenty of stories. Ireland’s focus has now shifted to their Sunday match against USA Lady Eagles at Tallaght Stadium.
The immediate goal is to remain unbeaten during home matches against the USA and Japan, before embarking on a two-match tour to South Africa. “We’ve played the USA enough, in WXV 1,” Wafer said, “and hosted Japan, a couple of years ago. I was there as a fan, that game they played against us at the RDS. They’re a great team. I’ve had a few conversations with (USA coach) Jack Hanratty, and he can’t wait to break us down.”
Wafer heads into its second season with Harlequins but he was keeping a close eye on the Irish inter-provincial championships last month. “It’s always been a dream to pull on the blue of Leinster and represent them as much as I can,” commented Wafer.
“I watched a few games, in London, and I traveled to Belfast, from Wexford, to watch Leinster play when I got home. I watched the under-18s and also traveled to watch a few more games. I miss playing for Leinster, in my home province, but I’m really enjoying my time with the pros and Queens.
One of the biggest professionals was certainly the 23-year-old who was named Harlequins captain. “It’s not very often that you go, you’re there for, what, nine months and you get named captain. So I’m incredibly grateful for the opportunity and the trust they’ve shown me, to lead the team into next season.”
“It’s going to be a really good year, learning from Marlie Packer, who signed with us, Lucy Packer, Kayleigh Powell, Sarah Bonar – all these amazing leaders. And we’ve got a good, young team coming through.”
The mention of those names brings us nicely to the British and Irish Lions Women tour of New Zealand in 2027. That first Lions Women’s team will be a constant topic and focus of speculation this season. Women will realize, like their male counterparts, that there is no escaping it. Wafer reveals that Lions head coach Jo Yapp has already been with the Ireland squad on registration.
“Jo was with us during that week in Canada,” Wafer said. “I’ve met her a few times before so we just had a chat. It was more of a chat with the person than the actual Lions coach I guess. As a group, the Lions aren’t something we’ve mentioned often because we’ve got these five Tests coming up and then there’s the Six Nations.
“So you’ve got 10 games between now and that (tour). For us it’s a focus on the USA and then against Japan and South Africa. It’s not talked about much internally, but I guess the lions are in the back of people’s minds.”
The first for Wafer and Ireland is that weekend against the USA. This will be the first time the women’s rugby team has played a Test at Tallaght Stadium, the home of Shamrock Rovers.
“The girls and I are very excited to get stuck into another new stadium,” comments Wafer. “We love traveling the country and going down to stadiums like Dexcom Stadium and Musgrave Park. That’s always one of the great parts of playing these home Test matches. It gives us that different opportunity, too, to reach more people. We can connect with the crowd and reach the next generation.”
“When you play in Tallaght, Belfast, Musgrave or Dexcom,” she added, “you can really affect a lot of young people’s lives and spend time with them. I know the time the players spend with the fans is so precious from being a kid in the crowd. It’s really inspiring for them.”
“At the end of the day, we don’t want to be just people on television who are unavailable and you can’t talk to or connect with. We want to be a group that connects with our fans.”
Another way to establish that connection with fans is through social media. Anyone familiar with the most popular social media platforms will notice how female gamers are more active and willing to share snippets of their lives compared to men.
Anna McGann and Eve Higgins showcased their quirky friendship and dance routines through their accounts, while the likes of Jane Clohessy, Katie Whelan and Captain Erin King regularly share updates on social outings, side projects and passions, team get-togethers or outings.
“Anna and Eve love doing TikToks,” Wafer said, “and Caitriona Finn vlogs most of her events. Personally, I don’t do TikTok dances and stuff. It’s just me. I prefer to keep to myself, do my job and stay behind the camera.
“The girls are brilliant, though, because they bring a new audience to our group. Our games are great because people come together because they know someone on the field and they’ve also made connections by seeing and interacting with girls online, whether it’s TikTok, Instagram or whatever. And then they come to support that person.
“So it’s our job to create a spectacle when we actually get them into the stadium, and then they come back again afterwards. So we’re incredibly lucky to have a lot of players who are very active on social media. For me, I guess I just put the odd picture, or joke, on it!”
Wafer is currently pursuing a degree in physiotherapy at St Mary’s University near Twickenham. Other members of Ireland’s national teams are pursuing degrees and third-level qualifications, while some hold down side jobs or earn money through sponsorships or social media. Women’s rugby has made great strides in recent years, but full professionalism and life-changing wages are still some time away.
“From my own experience,” commented Wafer, “most people are surprised when I tell them I’m studying physiotherapy or that some of the other girls have jobs. I guess that’s just the reality, at this point, of women’s sport. Obviously there are a few who don’t sit in that bracket, but most players have work to do, anything to do, it’s studying, maybe on the side.
“From a sponsorship point of view, we’re incredibly lucky to have Vodafone coming in as a kind of title sponsor (for Ireland) and we have their support. It helps grow the game and, I suppose, all we can control, as players, is what we do on the pitch. And if we can, we’ll support that week and show ourselves on the world stage, then it’s only going to get better.
“Look, like at this point, it’s just like that. But for us, as players, yeah, it’s a challenge. There’s a lot of juggling and spinning plates, but it’s just that thing of controlling what you can control.”
This has been a watershed year for women’s rugby in Ireland. When Ireland was the host Italy at the Dexcom Stadium in the Women’s Six Nations, they did so in front of a record home crowd of 9,206. When Scotland came to Dublin a month later, that record was broken. 31,294 packed into the Aviva Stadium to see Ireland beat Scotland and then Wafer told the fans: “See you back here next year!”
“I remember the reaction in the queue,” said the Ballygarrett native. “Big cheer from the crowd. There was little talk of it after that game as the group knew we would be back. We know the Irish crowd will support us regardless of the game at the Aviva. Whether we play there or elsewhere in the country, that green wave of support will follow us.”
“Look,” adds Wafer, “I’d say we could probably get higher numbers again, which is the target for the game coming to the Aviva, next year. I think it’s definitely achievable… if we can beat that number (from May), then that’s another win.
“As players we’d love to play in a sold-out Aviva, but if we can just keep building, year on year, that would obviously be a great outcome as well. But, yes, the roar we all heard that day and the atmosphere that surrounded it all day was phenomenal.”
