Ireland flanker Edel McMahon says their backs-to-the-wall win against Italy on Sunday shows they have no issues dealing with pressure ahead of another must-win World Cup qualifier against Scotland.
Adam Griggs's side know a win against Scotland on Saturday evening in Parma will at the very least send them through to the final qualifying repechage later this year, although they will secure their place at the World Cup if they can better Spain's result versus Italy.
It would mark a huge turnaround from their shock defeat against Spain in the opening round of the competition last week, a result which left them needing two wins from their final two games to stand any chance of a place at the showpiece in New Zealand.
They bounced back to grind out a 15-7 win against hosts Italy on Sunday, a result which brought a positive finish to a disastrous week in Irish rugby, following the controversy surrounding the changing conditions at the interpro double-header in Donnybrook.
Coupled with Ireland's shock defeat to Spain, there was a huge weight of pressure on the Irish team for their game against Italy.
Back-row forward McMahon says the resolve shown by her team-mates during their win on Sunday will stand to them when they face the Scots on Saturday (live on RTÉ Player).
"We knew what pressure was on us last week, it's part of elite sport, international rugby," she said.
"Back in the day with Ireland, we had Niamh Briggs. She had that boot that just got us out of trouble and I think Stacey can offer that as well" #RTERugby https://t.co/SZwMVx23sG
— RTÉ Rugby (@RTErugby) September 20, 2021
"Not coming away with a result would have been a different story. There was a lot of pressure on us that weekend.
"It's a part of elite sport, it’s a part of international rugby, and I thought everyone dealt with it very well and took it as a catalyst to edge us on and be better on the pitch.
"We spoke a lot about our defensive game against Spain, and how that probably wasn't there, but that was a huge talking point of our week and our prep coming in to the Italy game.
"We saw that from the get-go, from the kick-off. That set the tone for the rest of the match and that’s been a big positive for us, in how we have used the pressure and not to go into our shells and hide away from it.
"I think the same is coming this weekend as well," she added.
RWC 2021 Europe Qualifier schedule
Monday, 13 September
Scotland 13-38 Italy
Spain 8-7 Ireland
Sunday, 19 September
Italy 7-15 Ireland
Spain 22-27 Scotland
Saturday, 25 September
Italy v Spain (2pm)
Ireland v Scotland (5pm Irish time)
