Among the many great images from Ireland's opening Rugby World Cup win against Japan last Sunday, one of the more heart-warming moments was the sight of Dorothy Wall congratulating her team-mates in the changing room.
Had it not been for a torn Achilles in Ireland’s final Guinness Six Nations game against Scotland in May, Wall would almost certainly have been playing at Franklin’s Gardens at the weekend, but, along with Erin King, injury has denied her a place at the tournament.
The 25-year-old was on media duties in Northampton, and ultimately got dragged in by her team-mates to enjoy some of the post-match celebrations. Having been there during the bad days, it felt appropriate she experienced some part of a World Cup win.
"Seeing Doro at the weekend was fantastic and we were all buzzing to see her," hooker Neve Jones said about being able to share those celebrations.
"It's not just the girls that are here that are playing. We're much wider than that.
"Big hugs for her [Wall] all round, and I think she's down for the New Zealand game so we're going to try have a proper catch-up then. It was a great buzz, we're more than just the 32 who are here, and it's pretty exciting to see."
It was just a small moment across the day, but it opened up a window to the bond between this current Irish squad.
Whether it’s the moments together in the changing room, or just the time-killing TikToks at the hotel, Jones says the group are savouring every minute of their World Cup adventure.
"It's really cool. It's what we all worked towards. We train hard, we want to be in the tough times together, but also the good times together, making sure we relish those times.
"We enjoy them and take it all in, and don't let it go past us.
"I think it shows the different personalities in the squad. I know Anna [McGann] and Eve [Higgins] have been flat out with the Tik Toks.
"It's nice to watch those. We all get on really well and to have that silly time to make Tiktoks and have a bit of downtime which is nice. We all have a good laugh making them.
"World Cups happen every four years and it's been a while since we've been in it. So it's just making sure we savour every moment, but also when it comes to the weekend, we're ready to fire and all of the hard work is done and we can enjoy it and play with flair."
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A dominant start from Ireland as hooker Neve Jones gets over for her 13th international try #WRWC2025
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On the pitch, Sunday’s 42-14 win against Japan showed Ireland have arrived at the World Cup meaning business.
Jones played the opening hour of the victory at Franklin’s Gardens, making way for Clíodhna Moloney-MacDonald when the game was essentially over as a contest.
The pair could swap roles this weekend as Scott Bemand looks to rotate his side around and give them the best possible shot at topping Pool C, and if they are to secure first place in the pool, then the lineout will be key.
It was inconsistent on Sunday, with two crooked throws and two overthrows in the opening half leaving Ireland with a 79% return overall.
"It started off really strong and just fixing the few tweaks, whether it was the throw, the jump, the lift. It could be any of those things, it was just about having those conversations on the pitch so we could get it back to where we wanted it to be," said Jones.
"That worked and the lineout got progressively better as the game went on.
As a whole, Ireland's lineout has improved considerably in the last 12 months since the arrival of Alex Codling (below) as forwards coach.
The former Newcastle Falcons head coach has worked closely with Jones, Moloney-MacDonald and the uncapped Beth Buttimer to sharpen their throwing, but will be leaving the Irish programme after this tournament to become forwards coach of Munster’s men's team.
"He's quality. I've never met someone that knows a lineout so inside out as Alex," said Jones.
"He's fantastic, he's a great coach, he's a great guy to have around camp for just casual conversations. If you want to pick up on lineouts, he's really got it all.
"I just know that his brain works in a very, very cool way. His knowledge of the lineouts is unbelievable and he has every answer when it comes to the lineout.
"On our power days we always compete, so we always do a bit of throwing to start with, and every week there's a new game or drill or skills and we'll work on our throwing in. He keeps it fresh and exciting and keeps pushing us to grow.
"He's going to be a huge loss for us and we'll definitely take everything he's shown us over the last 12 or 18 months, for the rest of our lives."
On Sunday, Ireland know a win against Spain will guarantee their quarter-final spot with a game to spare, and Jones believes they can build further on last week’s six-try victory.
"I think there's not necessarily a weight off the shoulders. We know there's a big couple of weeks ahead of us, but it's nice to have that first game under wraps and to know what it feels like to be at Franklin's Gardens.
"We know what the week looks like we know our environment and it's how can we push each other this week to get better and better week-in and week-out."
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