As the dust settled on a unique on-pitch battle, Cliodhna Moloney and wife Claudia MacDonald took the time to reflect on their clash in the colours of Ireland and England respectively.
In front of a record 77,120 attendance at Twickenham, the Red Roses picked up a 33-12 victory in the Women's Six Nations.
For Cliodhna and Claudia, it was the culmination of a strange week. The couple, who married in 2025, previously played together for Exeter Chiefs, but going up against each other was an unusual scenario.
"It was a very special occasion," said Cliodhna Moloney, who won her 50th cap for Ireland on Saturday. "Proud of the performance in the second half, particularly from the girls.
"The strange part is probably for me when I came off. I think when I was in the game, I was so focused on it, but when I came off... and Claudia went to nine, it was unusual to be in the game, watching having played it, it was just an unusual situation I think to watch on."
Were there any moments on the pitch when they clashed with each other?
"Hmm, yeah she did," smiled Claudia. "I think it was a kick in the head, was what it was! She said she was nowhere near me. I said, 'well, you kicked me and then rolled over the top of me so I think you were', but it's fine. We're over it!
"We've been parts of squads that have played against each other for a fair few years now. It's always an interesting week because you really just sort of steer clear of any rugby chat whatsoever. So it can lead to a few silences where you're trying not to give the game away, or just kind of look away and exit a conversation. But no, it's been fine. It's quite natural, really, I think."
"You don't even really think too much about who's on the opposition, let alone if it's your wife."
Cliodhna became the 16th Ireland female international to reach 50 caps, earning the respect of both sets of players as she took to the field.
"It was quite special watching Cliodhna run out for her 50th," Claudia added. "We're both in the tunnel at the same time, and all the Irish girls were obviously clapping, and then actually all the English girls were clapping her out as well. So it felt natural that I could applaud that situation.
"A lot of pride prior to the game, and then as soon as the whistle goes, it's surprisingly natural just to get your head stuck in it, and you don't even really think too much about who's on the opposition, let alone if it's your wife."
Cliodhna Moloney took encouragement from the second-half showing against a very strong English outfit. The day ended in defeat, but they head into Saturday's showdown with Italy in pretty good spirits.
"We let ourselves down a little bit in the first half," she said. "Just lack of ability to build momentum and a couple of things we were doing didn't stick, but the second half was a lot more competitive and people were really getting stuck into each other.
"So yeah, I think if it continues on that trajectory, there'll be a lot more competitive, and maybe Ireland, they'll get over the line some time soon."
As for Claudia's England, they next head to Scotland as they step up their search for another Six Nations title.
"I think there's so much pride every time you wear the shirt," she said. "And I think that's also why it was so easy, in a way, to play against each other. Because we're both fiercely competitive. We both love our teams that we play for, and we're both really committed.
"Me to England and Cliodhna to Ireland. So yeah, I think it weirdly felt quite natural to play against each other, because we both value the shirt so much and just really want to play in this shirt for this team."
