Scott Bemand is feeling positive about his team’s growth, even after a rough second half against England in Cork. The head coach for Ireland thinks this experience could be a turning point as they aim to finish the Guinness Six Nations strong with two big wins. For a moment at Virgin Media Park, Ireland fans had something to cheer about when Amee-Leigh Costigan scored, putting the hosts up 5-0. By half-time, England was just ahead at 7-5 in a closely fought and exciting first half. But the second half was a whole different game. England showed their skill, scoring six more tries and wrapping up the match with a 49-5 victory. While the final score suggests a big gap, Bemand feels it doesn’t tell the whole story. Bemand: England Test Will Be Valuable.
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“It’s tough to watch a game slip away in the second half,” Bemand said. “But if you look closer, we really did push an England team that hasn’t faced that kind of challenge lately. We put them under pressure. They had to adapt. That’s something we can be proud of.” He noted that Ireland played smart in the first half but made a few costly mistakes, like a kick that went out and struggles to clear the ball, which let England take control. “We could have gone in at 5-0,” Bemand reflected. “It’s hard when things change so quickly.”
Even with the loss, Bemand sees signs of growth. The score was still lopsided, but a big improvement from the 88-10 loss at Twickenham where England scored 14 tries. Bemand stressed that there’s still work to be done. “This is progress from a year ago,” he mentioned. “But we’re not finished. We have two important games left—away against Wales and Scotland—and we need to win those. The focus now is on learning quickly, keeping our heads up, and building on the good stuff from the first half.”
The match also saw a record crowd of 7,754 fans, the largest for a standalone Irish women’s Six Nations game at home. The crowd cheered loudly when Costigan scored. “I felt the energy from the crowd when I scored,” she told RTÉ Sport. “That’s what sports are about—bringing joy. I’m really glad I could give that, even if just for a moment.” The Ireland captain believes the team will grow from this experience. “I told them we’ll learn more from this than England will,” she said. “But we need to move on quickly. That’s how it goes in sports. We’ll regroup on Tuesday and get back at it. That’s who we are.”
