Q&A With Bristol Ladies And Ireland's Claire Molloy
Flanker talks about her rapid rise to international honours
How did you become involved with rugby?
It was down to my university choice, really - I study medicine at Cardiff University. My sport back in Ireland was Gaelic football but as you can imagine that’s not very popular in Wales! I took up rugby as the next best thing and really enjoyed playing at university level.
How did you progress from university rugby to international level?
I featured in a club game at the end of my first season playing rugby, and it just so happened to be with the team of Wales’ National Academy Co-ordinator, Sophie Bennett. She put me in touch with the Irish coaches and I went for a regional trial and since then I’ve been involved with the Irish set-up.
You receive funding support from Cardiff University – how much does that help?
I’ve been very lucky to receive the Dr. Jack Matthews fund. The university has been really helpful by giving me free access to the gym and facilities as well as financial support to cover the travel costs to and from Bristol training and day-to-day expenses of being a rugby player.
Would you say it’s been a disappointing season for Bristol Ladies, considering the quality within the squad?
Yes, it has. We’ve been unlucky on occasions and sometimes things haven’t gone our way. We’ve let in too many scores all season and from that point of view it’s been a very frustrating season for us. There has be periods in games where we have played to our potential and then times where we haven’t reached the same performance levels. It’s disappointing, but since January the results have improved and we’re playing better rugby. However, we know we aren’t reaching the potential that we have the moment but we can definitely get there. We’re just keen to do ourselves justice and get some wins during the remainder of the league season.
How has the squad reacted to the departure of Head Coach Mark Hawkes?
Due to Six Nations commitments I haven’t been training with the Bristol squad regularly. The decision wasn’t an easy one to make – I know there were a lot of discussions. Suzie Appleby has stepped in and although the coaching staff has changed, it’s still the same playing personnel and the same team mentality. All the players are working hard together to ensure that the season ends in the best possible manner.
Turning to international matters, you must be very proud to play for Ireland…
It’s still very surreal and I never imagined that I’d get an Ireland international cap. It’s been such a rapid process from starting out in the game. It’s a fantastic feeling to wear the jersey and hear the anthem. I really enjoy it and that’s the main thing – it’s a great environment to be involved with and I’ve made some great friends through playing with the national team.
What’s your biggest achievement so far?
As I’m a relatively new member of the squad, I’d say it was getting selected for the first World Cup game against England. The game was televised and competition for my place was fierce, I just remember being absolutely delighted to be picked to play. During the tournament, I was asked by someone from the IRFU to write a World Cup blog too. Because I was one of the youngest squad members I think the column provided a different perspective of the Ireland camp. It will be something to look back on and it was nice to share experiences and give readers an insight into the Women’s game.
What’s next for Ireland?
A win against Wales this weekend is very important for us. We played them last year in Cardiff and I was on the bench, so I’m really looking forward to playing in this one! The Triple Crown is still on if we get the win against Wales so everything is still up for grabs.
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