Women’s Rugby World Cup: Why Ireland must target semi-final spot – Nichola Fryday column

Former Ireland captain Nichola Fryday has joined BBC Sport as a pundit for the Women’s Rugby World Cup. In her first column, the retired former Exeter Chiefs player explores what Ireland have got right since failing to qualify in 2021, players to look out for and what to expect from Japan.

During the last World Cup, Ireland watched with envy from home after failing to qualify for the first time since 1991. Three years on, it’s a different story. Not only are Ireland in the tournament, but I think they should be targeting a semi-final.

This would have been inconceivable a few years ago. I was on the pitch when we lost to Scotland in the World Cup qualifiers in Parma in 2021.

It was a dark time for us, both on and off the pitch. As a squad, we were working full-time and pretty much training and playing full-time on top of that. We’d work Monday to Friday, go into camp on Friday evening, do close to eight sessions and come back out on Sunday night before going back to work on Monday.

It was a stressful existence and we didn’t even have a World Cup to look forward to at the end of it.

Thankfully, things have since moved in the right direction since. With more investment and contracts for players, Ireland have reaped the rewards. There have been back-to-back third-place finishes in the Six Nations and a promotion to WXV1, where we earned a memorable win over New Zealand last year.

That win over the Black Ferns means Scott Bemand’s side must target first place in Pool C. If they do that, it would likely mean facing Italy or South Africa in the quarter-final and Ireland are capable of beating either.

That is all to come. For now, Ireland are focused on facing Japan and, despite some high-profile injuries, the squad is in good shape before Sunday.