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Peat: 'One thing I love is that Mike really wears his heart on his sleeve'

'It just drove me nuts and I was dying to go out for that game and I think he does that for everyone else'
'It just drove me nuts and I was dying to go out for that game and I think he does that for everyone else'

Ireland prop Lindsay Peat was making her way out of the Donybrook grounds following their Six Nations victory over Italy two weeks ago, when scrum coach Mike Ross approached her in his car and scrolled down his window.

"You know what, I'm buzzing for the next game," he said to the former Dublin footballer. 

Peat can identify with Ross and everything he values in rugby. The former Leinster and Ireland player has been drafted into the backroom team by new head coach Adam Griggs, where Peat and the others are benefiting from his years of experience in professional rugby.

The loosehead is picking up some new 'tricks of the trade' from the former tighthead. 

This is a time of renewal and reinvention in the Irish women's rugby team. And the new regime under Griggs consists of 'heads up' rugby, according to Peat.

Ross is playing a key role in helping Ireland through that transitional period, and one recent example of his coaching approach illustrates his positive impact on the group.

After Ireland failed to register any points during their opening Six Nations defeat to France, Peat was naturally left feeling despondent. Italy were up next after a one-week turnaround, and Ross was tasked with presenting the jerseys to the squad.

He delivered a stirring speech to the players, and Peat recalls how she was energised by his words about the pride he felt whenever he wore the Irish jersey.

"One thing I love is that Mike really wears his heart on his sleeve," she tells RTÉ Sport, "no more than myself and a lot of the girls. He did our jersey presentation against Italy and he just said that it's a huge honour for him that he wore the green jersey 36 times and if could do it for another 36, he'd give anything to do that. He gave me goosebumps and I'm very rarely reduced to tears but his passion emulated off him.

It just drove me nuts and I was dying to go out for that game and I think he does that for everyone else.

"We all have huge respect for Derek Dowling who was our previous scrum coach but I think Mike has come in with a newfound energy for us and he really simplifies everything for us.

"And considering [he was] such an experienced player himself, he just gives you two or three things to work on, and he can really give you tactics that he's used himself and it's little tricks of the trade that help and has really galvanised us.

"Certainly for me, I just think he's been brilliant and as I said, the passion is there and he treats us like a squad regardless of gender or value or what people think. He just treats us as players. He gives everything that I'm sure he gives to every other team and I just love that."

Sunday's clash against Wales marks Ireland's second of three home ties in this Six Nations championship, with a difficult away assignment in England awaiting them on St Patrick's weekend.

A 21-8 win over Italy gave Griggs' side a first home victory of the campaign, and while they improved in many areas from the French game, they still had some errors they needed to work on at training during their Six Nations rest period.

Peat in action against Italy.

Wales and Scotland are the next two visitors to Donnybrook, and Peat's main objective is to come away from those encounters with some more successful results in front of a home crowd.

"Personally, going into this championship with such new changes between management and losing a lot of experienced [players], my goal would be to win our three home games and then put in performances in the two away games against the two bigger games. That's still a goal for me personally, and I would think for the team.

"Obviously we want to win every game but we definitely want to make Donnybrook a fortress and maintain an unbeaten run.

"The crowd was amazing last week against Italy and I really hope that we can get more people out. They were fantastic. I definitely buzz of that and you really feel that injury and that power just pushing you on and I hope we can get that again on Sunday."

Follow our live blog on RTÉ Online and the News Now App, or watch live coverage of Ireland v Italy in the Women’s Six Nations on Sunday afternoon from 2.30pm on RTÉ 2

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