Parsons looking for Ireland to 'fire shots' after Twickenham loss
The dust has settled on Ireland’s Six Nations opener against England, and for many, they can finally get their campaign underway this weekend.
In a loss that always felt inevitable, Ireland still had reason to hold their head up high, making the game quite competitive, but Béibhinn Parsons feels she and others left a lot out there.
Ireland definitely had good defensive sets in the Allianz Stadium, but didn’t really test England until the score was already out of sight. And while the gap between the sides is closing, Scott Bemand’s players still think they can be closer.
Béibhinn Parsons. Pic: Shauna Clinton/Sportsfile
The Irish players are unabashedly honest, and Parsons was very candid in criticising her own performance in Twickenham that day.
‘I think my own personal performance left a lot to be desired,’ the Ballinasloe winger said. ‘I think that was one of the things, get more involvement and being able to impose my game and fire some shots, so something I’ll definitely be going after this week.
‘Firing shots’ seems to be the mantra, with several players as well as Gareth Steenson using the phrase, off the back of the consensus that they didn’t do that in Twickenham.
Pic: Shauna Clinton/Sportsfile
‘I think once we did, we saw that, geez, we can take it to anyone in the world,’ Parsons said on not testing the Red Roses enough. ‘So it gave us a lot of confidence, but it also left us with this feeling that we have a lot more in the tank.’
On why that was the case, Parsons didn’t have a direct answer, feeling that the motivation was there and the squad didn’t have a ‘deer in the headlights’ kind of moment.
‘I think there’s a lot of moving parts, and I think there’s a good few people that felt a similar way, that they didn’t impose their game the way that they wanted to.
‘I do think that it was a big occasion, but I actually don’t think that was why. I think we were really revved up as a squad, really ready for all that. So I’m just going to attack this week, and we all have as a squad, and we’ve had a really tough training week. We’re ready to rip in.’
Pic: Shauna Clinton/Sportsfile
This weekend, Ireland can get their campaign rolling after a stalled start in Galway against Italy. The Azzurre too lost their opener to France 40-7, and after winning comfortably there last year, Ireland are rightfully the favourites to get their first win of the campaign.
However, Parsons knows all too well not to write off the Italians.
‘We’re not going to underestimate Italy, you know, we’re going to show them respect by bringing our A game and our best game to them. They’ve got threats around the park, and we know what they can bring. But this week is really about us and dominating and firing our shots and getting our game plan out there.’
It’ll be a huge occasion for Parsons as well as Irish rugby. A Connacht-native, Parsons will hopefully get to line out in the first women’s Six Nations game to ever take place in Galway at the new Dexcom Stadium.
A general view of the newly built Clan Stand. Pic: Tyler Miller/Sportsfile
With the Clan Stand sold out, Parsons admitted that half of it could be taken up by her friends and family.
‘I think it’s incredible,’ Parsons said on playing at the Dexcom. ‘The fact that we’ve built our green wave so much, and we travelled abroad with it playing in England in the World Cup. Now to finally come back and be able to play at home is amazing, and there’s no better place in the west.’
‘I think I’ll embrace it, to be honest,’ she added. ‘I feel really supported, and it’s a happy, happy moment, more than too emotional for me. I think I’ll just really enjoy it.’
Béibhinn Parsons. PIc: Grace Halton/INPHO
And while it’s had a new lick of paint, the Dexcom Stadium is familiar ground for Parson. Herself, along with Aoibhean O’Reilly and Meadbh Deely, all came through the same Ballinasloe team that won provincial titles at the ground pre-renovation.
Parsons credits the immense support that the team got through the ages, and how that helped them get all the way to the international level
‘For me, I think it was just the people that were involved in the club. The coaches that we had and the volunteers. Sometimes I felt like the U16s girls team from Ballinasloe was the only team in the club because we had that much support, and people were so dedicated with us and gave us such a high level of coaching. It’s the people that are involved in Ballinasloe for me. That is why there has been such a good crop. It’s not this group of talented people, it’s more so the people behind the scenes.’
