Fitzpatrick looks ahead to Ireland Women’s Six Nations Grand Slam decider

IRELAND women’s rugby team captain Paula Fitzpatrick insists they will have to stifle England’s momentum from the off if they are to prevail in tomorrow night’s Six Nations Grand Slam decider in Donnybrook.

With the Red Roses having steamrolled the likes of Wales and Scotland, the Tallaght woman knows they can ill-afford to allow their guests to take the initiative.

And while England represent their biggest challenge of the campaign so far, Fitzpatrick believes home advantage and the resilient nature of this Ireland outfit can serve them well.

“The breakdown will be key and the physicality will be huge” said the talented Number 8.

“They [England] have shown that when they get go forward ball and quick ball they can be very dangerous and we’ve got to try and cut that out.

“We’ve got to limit them in that regards and I think we can definitely do that. It’s our key focus and really our main aim.

“They can be so dangerous from so many areas, but our team is up for this game.

“I don’t think they need much in the way of motivation- playing England on Paddy’s night.

“There should be a decent crowd at the match and a huge atmosphere, but, unless we can give a good performance in this game that can encourage them to really get behind us, that might not be a factor” she stressed.

Looking back on a six Nations campaign that saw them survive fierce battles with Scotland, France and Wales while only clinching a winning bonus point at the death against Italy, Fitzpatrick feels that such tenacious performances may well benefit the team when they come up against the free-scoring English.

“England have wrapped up a number of their games in the first 20 minutes, except for the match against France, but that was at the start of the championship.

“The run we’ve had could suit us more for this match. We’ve had to battle more for the wins and it has shown that we are capable of playing with that braveness and toughness and we have to show that again tomorrow night.

“There is huge excitement in the camp, but that has to be tempered. We’ve got to remain calm and focused because we could run away with ourselves thinking about what we could achieve and there’s not much point in that until the job is done”

Another encouraging factor in Ireland’s preparation for tomorrow’s massive game is the low casualty count.

“We’ve been really lucky in terms of injuries. We lost Claire McLaughlin to injury a couple of weeks ago, but apart from that, everyone’s fit.

“After playing last Saturday, the main focus this week has been about recovery and the players have been doing everything to ensure they do that” said the St Mary’s College player who will be skippering the side for the seventh time tomorrow night.

“It’s a huge honour to captain the side, but it’s all about the match against England and getting the job done.

“After that I can think about things like that” she said.