It's simultaneously encouraging and slightly worrying to rewatch Ireland’s famous WXV1 victory over New Zealand last year.
Encouraging, because it was one of the most astonishing and unexpected performances from a side that had finished the previous year’s Six Nations with a wooden spoon against the back-to-back World Cup winners.
Worrying, because so many of the standout players on that famous night in Vancouver are not playing against the Black Ferns tomorrow (2.45pm, live on RTÉ).
The obvious star of the show, who won’t be lining out in Brighton for the Pool C decider, is Aoife Wafer, the player of the match last September.
The back row had knee surgery a few weeks ago and remains sidelined, hopefully with a view to featuring in Ireland's quarter-final next weekend against either France or South Africa.
The supporting cast that night wasn’t too bad either.
Dorothy Wall and Erin King, who were both ruled out before the World Cup, are also injured, while Eimear Considine has retired.
Wall and King, who scored two tries in a 30-minute appearance, were particularly impressive and Considine had her moments.
That quartet alone is a massive chunk to lose from a winning team, and head coach Scott Bemand has also made four additional changes.
Wexford prop Niamh O'Dowd has been one of Ireland’s most consistent performers and played her best game in green in the 29-27 win but starts on the bench with Ellena Perry retained at loosehead.
Back-five forward Fiona Tuite and centre Enya Breen, two unheralded heroes of that night at BC Place miss out on the 23, with Bemand indicating that both were nursing knocks after last weekend's win over Spain.
There’s a change at scrum-half as well; Molly Scuffil-McCabe misses out with Aoibheann Reilly and Emily Lane preferred.
With more than half the team changed, Bemand will be presenting a different picture to the Black Ferns and hoping his new selections step up to the plate.
Still, it’s hard to believe it’s not a team picked with one eye on the quarter-final.
New Zealand, meanwhile, have just six survivors from that night starting at the Brighton and Hove Albion Stadium this Sunday.
Not many people saw the WXV1 fixture in Vancouver that was played in the middle of the Irish night, and only available on the RugbyPass TV website so it’s well worth a recap on the key moments that saw Ireland over the line.
The highlights package shows an imperious two-try performance by Wafer and a stunning cameo by King.
Neve Jones scored a clever close-range try and Dannah O’Brien kicked two conversions, including the winner with 15 seconds to play.
But there was much more to the game than that; a series of key swing moments were won by Ireland and paved the way for victory.
A rewatch of the full game shows a number of incredible performances from 21 players – prop Andrea Stock and back Vicki Elmes Kinlan were unused replacements.
Before the then-21-year-old Wafer got a sniff of the line she had already saved a certain try down the other end.
The back row was in place for a cover tackle on Renee Holmes inside the Irish 22 in the second minute.
Not only did the tackle force a knock-on but the initial contact was a millisecond before the full-back caught the ball, a penalty on another day but a brilliant gamble by the Wexford woman.
Wearing the number 6 shirt, Wafer played at 8 on Ireland’s put-in and time and again, across 20 carries, had the strength to deal with the ball from a scrum going backwards and under severe pressure.
Her ability to make the gainline allowed time for O’Brien to clear the lines.
Aoife Wafer is taking this match by storm ⛈️
— WXV (@WXVRugby) September 30, 2024
The 21 year-old has scored two tries against the reigning World Champions, New Zealand 👏#WXV | #WXV1 | #NZLvIRE pic.twitter.com/KDoUQZ0McS
Trailing 7-0 in the 11th minute, Wall won a penalty and three minutes later Wafer took a quick free-kick and scored her first.
From the restart, Wall took a massive hit from Liana Mikaele-Tu'u but was strong enough to present the ball back cleanly.
Soon after, Scuffil-McCabe, who had an excellent outing, and Stacey Flood combined to save a try, before a series of big plays led to Ireland’s second try.
Wafer led the charge, carrying, driving a maul, with Wall involved numerous times, including securing lineout ball.
Considine tackled a New Zealander attacker into touch before winning a jackal penalty that eventually paved the way for Wafer’s second, another burst from the back of a scrum.
Wall, who was ruled out of the World Cup with an Achilles injury picked up in the Six Nations, won a turnover soon after and had three involvements in the build-up to Jones’ well-taken try four minutes before the break.
Similar to the start of the first half, Ireland had to firefight for the opening passages of the second half with the Tipperary woman making another strong carry, while Breen came up with a turnover from a tackle.
The Black Ferns then had three disallowed tries in the space of 11 minutes with efforts from Sylvia Brunt, Mererangi Paul and Luka Connor all ruled out after TMO interventions, while O’Dowd went in the bin for taking down a maul.
The prop, who made 17 carries, was having an incredible game in the loose but in her absence, up stepped Siobhán McCarthy, who won two penalties in a brief cameo.
In fact, all New Zealand had to show for their dominance between the 41st and 57th minutes was a penalty, which put them 20-17 ahead.
King, making just her second ever international appearance at XVs, had come on for Edel McMahon in the 49th minute and was quickly into the action either side of the ball, winning a lineout and providing space for Amee-Leigh Costigan with a catch-pass.
Wafer, Wall (taking her fourth lineout catch) and Clíodhna Moloney-MacDonald combined at a close-range lineout to set up the replacement flanker for her first try, an instinctive quarterback sneak.
Trailing 22-20, New Zealand attacked inside the Irish half but Wafer cleaned up a dink in behind and Brittany Hogan cleverly intercepted when Iritana Hohaia dallied at the back of a ruck.
However, Allan Bunting’s side did regain the lead with seven minutes left when Paul forced her way over and Holmes' conversion put the world champions five points up.
The momentum continued to swing wildly.
Wafer won another ruck penalty before O’Brien threw a low-percentage pass that was intercepted; however, Flood came up with a jackal penalty to immediately hand possession back to Ireland.
There were 79 minutes on the clock as Moloney-MacDonald and O’Dowd worked a lineout move close to the tryline with King applying the finish, again from just inches out.
That left O’Brien with 'one of those’ kicks, well within her range but not a 'gimme' considering her three previous misses and the pressure on the outcome.
She hit the inside of the far post and it dropped over to put Ireland two points up, but there were still 15 seconds left, according to the TV clock so there was one last chance for New Zealand.
Holmes’ restart didn’t go 10 metres but the TV clock had gone into the red, however, referee Sara Cox allowed time for a final scrum.
The pack held firm and Lane fed O’Brien, whose kick to touch sparked wild scenes of celebration.
While it’s hard to play down how important Wafer, Wall and King were that day, they were far from alone.
O’Dowd was a player of the match contender.
Linda Djougang delivered an incredible 80- minute shift. Jones buzzed around the place, while Tuite and McMahon also provided energy.
Hogan (above) put in a massive shift, topping the tackle chart with 19.
Scuffil-McCabe kept New Zealand honest at the breakdown and Lane marshalled proceedings well upon her introduction.
O’Brien and Breen used their boots to keep Ireland playing in the right areas of the pitch, Aoife Dalton and Higgins stood up when it mattered.
Ireland weren’t perfect as they lost three first-half lineouts and survived three disallowed tries but the combined efforts of the 21 took them over the line.
But they made just eight handling errors that night, while they forced 15 from their opponents.
Ireland claimed nine turnovers to New Zealand’s three, while the penalty count was 13 apiece.
The Black Ferns are on a mission and won’t be short of motivation after last year’s shock loss.
However, this new-look Ireland team, with co-captain Sam Monaghan among the eight changes, will be out to make another statement of their own.
Just like last September, they have nothing to lose.
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