Ireland Women Target Back-to-Back Home Wins to Salvage Women’s Six Nations After France Setback

Ireland’s Women’s Six Nations campaign enters a critical phase with two home fixtures remaining, and kicking coach Gareth Steenson has underlined just how significant those matches are for the squad’s development under head coach Scott Bemand.

Speaking to BBC Sport NI, Steenson was candid about what the final two games represent. “We make no bones about it, three home wins was the goal at the start and go over and maybe put in a big performance and try to nick one away from home,” he said. “It’s got to be where the group’s at. You’ve got to want to go and win. The capabilities are there.”

Ireland’s run-in sees them host Wales in Belfast on 9 May before facing Scotland at Aviva Stadium on 17 May. A win in both fixtures would give Bemand’s side their first three-win Six Nations campaign under his tenure — a meaningful benchmark for a programme still finding its footing at the top level. Their only previous home victory this championship came in Galway, where Ireland defeated Italy 57-20, crossing for seven tries in the first half alone despite difficult conditions.

Last Saturday’s 26-7 loss in Clermont proved a deflating result, but the manner of the defeat adds a layer of frustration that Steenson has not attempted to conceal. Ireland — motivated in part by the memory of a World Cup quarter-final defeat to France last year — made an encouraging start, taking a 7-0 lead through Cliodhna Moloney-MacDonald’s try. However, after Ambre Mwayembe equalised for the hosts, Ireland had three tries disallowed during a dominant first-half showing before France took control after the break to secure a bonus-point victory, keeping alive their title challenge against world champions England.

“When you look back on it, there is a lot we’re getting right as a group,” Steenson acknowledged. “We’re creating opportunities which before we probably weren’t. Look at the England game, we went over and didn’t fire shots. We took a bit long to get into the game. We went over [to France] with a plan which was implemented for the best part of the first half, we just didn’t get the scores.”

The former Exeter Chiefs fly-half, who also worked with the Ireland setup at the World Cup, identified the second-half momentum shift in Clermont as an area requiring greater tactical awareness. “When you’re away in France or any away game, you want to understand the momentum shifts within games and there was definitely after half-time a momentum shift,” he said. “It’s about understanding how to curtail that at times and knowing that the opposition are going to have their moments in games.”

Steenson was also measured in his assessment of where this Ireland squad stands in its overall development. “There’s so many big learnings to be taken and I know that’s the old classic, you hear all these things about cliches and learning, but that’s where this group is, this group is not the finished article. The more they keep putting themselves in these scenarios and playing in those big cauldrons, they want to be playing in those types of games.”

With a week’s rest before the Wales fixture, Steenson suggested the break has arrived at a useful moment. “The week off has come as good timing for us. We can probably touch up on a few things leading into the Wales game in Belfast. We hope we get a good support out there because the girls are playing a really good brand of rugby and they’ve been feeding off the crowds.”

Ireland’s remaining schedule offers a genuine opportunity to close out the Women’s Six Nations on a strong note. Whether those home wins materialise will carry significant implications not just for their final standings, but for the momentum Bemand’s squad carries into their next major campaign.