Monaghan looking to continue on from last year's big breakthrough
The coming weeks promises to be momentous for Sam Monaghan as the lock forward from Navan continues with her rugby career at the highest level.
Monaghan who is a late comer to the oval-ball game has been selected on the 32-srong Irish squad for the forthcoming series of games in the Women's Six Nations.
The Irish kick-off their campaign against Wales in the Cardiff Arms Park, the venue where they use to stage men's international matches back in the day before the Millennium Stadium rose like a spaceship over the cityscape of the Welsh city.
Monaghan, of course, played Gaelic football in the colours of her native county and helped the county's u-16s to an All-Ireland title in 2009 before she moved to England and started playing rugby before hearing her country's call.
Last year Monaghan made a big impact in the Six Nations putting in a series of explosive performances with her ability to break the tackle and surge forward with ball in hand one of the traits of her game. Her offloads were also something to behold.
She also was the only lock to make more than 50 carries in last year’s tournament.
The quality of her performances were noted in the way she was voted the 'Ireland Players' Player of the Year' for 2022. She was also chosen on the TikTok Women's Six Nations Team of the Championship after the Six Nations campaign was over.
These are significant days indeed for Irish women's rugby with the IRFU announcing last year that they would be offering full-time contracts to players as they seek to find a way to compete with other full-time setups such as exists in England.
Monaghan, who was first capped in 2021, is part of coterie of experienced players that forms the heart of the Irish squad and also includes Linda Djougang, Neve Jones and Hannah O'Connor. However, Irish coach Greg McWilliams has also chosen a large number of young players as he seeks to build for the future.
Six Nations fixtures - Wales v Ireland, Saturday 25th March; Ireland v France, Saturday 1st April; Italy v Ireland, Saturday 15th April; Ireland v England, Saturday 22nd April; Scotland v Ireland, Saturday 29th April.