Sam Monaghan knows exactly what to expect when Ireland run out at the Stade Marie-Marvingt to begin their Guinness Women's Six Nations campaign against France and is ready to embrace the challenge.
The former Meath footballer won her seventh cap when Ireland, then under head coach Greg McWilliams, lost 40-5 in Toulouse’s home patch, Stade Ernest Wallon, in their second match of the 2022 campaign.
"It was nothing I had ever experienced before," says lock Monaghan, co-captain alongside Edel McMahon, ahead of Saturday's game in Le Mans (2.15pm Irish time, live on RTÉ2 and RTÉ Player).
"The brass band was playing, it snowed in the warm-up and then I got sunburnt by half-time.
"I was going up in the line-out and the whistles were blowing, I thought it was the referee.
"Something we’ve worked on this week is that sound drowning out our training, so you really have to think.
"Our communication skills have to be accurate, not overemphasising what we’re saying, but being clear and direct because on that pitch with all that noise going we’re going to have to be clear and direct in our communication.
"Just embrace the atmosphere because what better way to showcase what you’ve been doing the last three weeks than in front of all those fans that are there to support French rugby."
The squad’s stated goal is to qualify for the World Cup in 2025 and the first chance comes in this campaign where a third-place finish or better would ensure a trip to England.
New boss Scott Bemand took over after last season’s wooden spoon campaign and led the team to success at the WXV3 in October.
The former Leicester and Bath scrum-half spent eight years as part of the England set-up, during which time they won six Six Nations titles and reached two World Cup finals.
"Scott has been great," said the 30-year-old, who is in line for her 19th cap when Bemand names his side on Thursday afternoon.
"Obviously there was a lot of hurt souls coming off the back of the Six Nations.
"You put your life into something and then to be slated by your performance and how things are going is so tough.
"He really opened up to what we’d gone through and how we grow it from there.
McMahon: Past results not a true reflection of Ireland
"He has done great on an education piece, educating the players on why we’re playing this way, what way we want to play and how ambitious we want to be in how to grow our game.
"From a cultural and on-pitch perspective, he has been great and very open and direct.
"After any loss, all you want to do is go out the next week and prove what we can do as a squad, and what we have now, the tools and abilities to do so.
"Every time we put on that green jersey, we’re going in to win that game and perform to the best of our ability.
"I think, yes, a lot of us are hurt, but it will only fuel our performance to play."
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Watch France v Ireland in the Women's Six Nations on Saturday from 1.45pm on RTÉ2 and RTÉ Player, follow a live blog on rte.ie/sport and the RTÉ News app and listen to Saturday Sport on RTÉ Radio 1
