It's double trouble at the top table at the Ireland press conference in the heart of Exeter on Wednesday afternoon.
The dynamic duo facing the assembled media are Aoife Dalton and Eve Higgins, the midfield pairing taking centre stage ahead of Ireland v France on Sunday.
Simultaneously, the World Cup quarter-final is just another game, and also the biggest match of the players’ lives, it’s about getting the balance right.
"Yeah, probably [it is the biggest game]," said Dalton, who is in line for her 28th cap.
"Our week layout doesn't really change that much and how we approach this game won't have any major difference to how we approach the others.
"Essentially, they were all kind of knockout games for us.
"We had to win the first two games to hopefully guarantee a quarter-final and we managed to do that.
"We'll feel it now coming up to the weekend.
"I'd say a few nerves will come in but I think the staff and coaches are very good at preparing us for the game that way mentally.
"We take the same attitude into every game
"As soon as the game at the weekend was over, we just had to switch our minds to France.
"I wouldn't say there's been a change or anything in the atmosphere. We take every game as seriously as the other."
The pair have started all three of Ireland’s Pool C games, the wins over Japan and Spain, and the loss to New Zealand, but the partnership was split up just before the end of the first half in Sunday’s defeat to the Black Ferns.
Stacey Flood, who the Irish management believe will train today, was taken off with a cut to her foot, necessitating a switch to full-back for Higgins.
The versatile Sevens star has been playing some of the best rugby of her career at 12, inspiring a comeback against Scotland in the warm-ups and scoring a crucial try against Japan.
She suffered a head injury after moving to 15 on Sunday but has been given the all-clear for the Sandy Park showdown.
Depending on how Flood goes today, Higgins may find herself in the back-three again.
"It's been a factor, a possibility in many team namings before, all through the Six Nations it's been something that possibly could have happened," said the 26-year-old Dubliner.
"I'd never had the opportunity to go in but that happened over the weekend with Stacey going down.
"I've treated it with every possibility that I could have gone in and was just preparing myself as best as possible.
'I didn't watch the soccer' - Ireland centres Aoife Dalton and Eve Higgins missed the World Cup qualifier against Armenia, plus hopes for Aoife Wafer's return #RTERugby #RTESport pic.twitter.com/vzf1nKID9B
— RTÉ Sport (@RTEsport) September 11, 2025
"Whether it was through a few training reps or just having conversations with the likes of Stacey, Méabh Deely and the coaching staff.
"So when it happened, it was just take a breath and just go on with it."
"I'm enjoying my rugby, but a green jersey is a green jersey.
"So whatever the team needs, I'll do.
"Scott [Bemand, head coach] has been very open with that, with where I could cover, and the possibilities, like in WXV against USA, I came on at the wing so it is a possibility."
There’s a nervous laughter when the pair are asked if they feel any extra responsibility to give the Irish sporting public a boost following the football’s team’s disaster against Armenia.
It appears that the squad were busy and were spared the spectacle.
"Hopefully we can give them that boost," says Offaly native Dalton. "I didn't watch the soccer, sorry. We were busy."
Higgins: "There was a few people around here that were watching the soccer. We were doing analysis."
Aoife Wafer trained with Ireland at University of Exeter ahead of Sunday's #WRWC2025 quarter-final against France #RTERugby #RTESport https://t.co/GcpBuWxlXT pic.twitter.com/K6e7ij3jwC
— RTÉ Sport (@RTEsport) September 10, 2025
What would certainly provide a boost for Irish fans would be the return of Aoife Wafer.
The back row has been rahabbing a knee injury and looks set to play some part on Sunday against Les Bleues.
"She's been working extremely hard behind the scenes," said Higgins.
"We've all seen it, since the moment in training, she’s been non-stop working hard to get herself back onto the pitch.
"And if that comes this week, we’ll be very happy for her because it's just shows the amount of work, the amount of time she's taken out of her life the last number of weeks, months, to get back.
"She's a great player, and so 100%, we'd all be delighted if she was able to come back."
Watch Ireland v France in the Women's Rugby World Cup quarter-final on Sunday from 12.30pm on RTÉ1 and RTÉ Player. Follow a live blog on rte.ie/sport and the RTÉ News app. Listen to live radio commentary on RTÉ Radio.
