Sam Monaghan says Ireland will be playing for their injured co-captain Edel McMahon when they take on France in Sunday's Rugby World Cup quarter-final in Exeter.
While Ireland were boosted by the return of Aoife Wafer and Fiona Tuite from injury for Sunday's showdown at Sandy Park, the game has come too early for McMahon who picked up a knock against New Zealand last weekend.
"Tricky [McMahon] is one of the most phenomenal leaders I've ever got a chance to work with," an emotional Monaghan said.
Monaghan and McMahon have shared the captaincy for Ireland in the two years since Scott Bemand took charge.
And the second row says the rest of the team are determined to win this weekend, and give McMahon (below) the chance to play again at this World Cup.
"She puts everyone else before herself and always has done.
"After that New Zealand game, she got that knock, she was the most incredible captain and galvinised that group.
"No matter what is going on in her personal life, she always puts this team first. You can see that in the way she plays, the way she leads this group, the inspiration she is to all the girls around her.
"She does everything she can, whether she's playing or not, to get the team in the right place for Sunday.
An emotional Sam Monaghan pays tribute to injured co-captain Edel McMahon and promises she'll be back for the semi-final #RTERugby #RTESport #WRWC2025 https://t.co/i74RJ3tZzE pic.twitter.com/6Is8i85IpP
— RTÉ Sport (@RTEsport) September 12, 2025
"I think that’s why I’ve so much love for her. She’s one of those people you would die for and I think we are all playing for her on Sunday,
"She’s such an inspiration for this group and yeah, we are gutted not to have her back but we’ll get her back for the semi."
The return of Wafer from a knee injury has the potential to be a gamechanger for Ireland.
The 22-year-old was named Six Nations player of the championship earlier this season, while she has scored three tries in Ireland's last two meetings with Les Bleues.
"Aoife is a powerful unit. We know that from the last few competitions and what she can bring to this team," Monaghan (above) added.
"Fair credit to her character. It just shows the work she's done over the last couple of months. I know what rehab can be like and a dark place it can be and to have a time on it as well as is really tough.
"So it's great to have her in, great to have her back. This squad has never been about one player. The 23 that the field is by all of us, the girls at home together.
"It's amazing to have Aoife in that squad and be back part of this unit together and have her firing for Sunday."
After picking up two comfortable wins in their opening pool matches, Ireland's campaign hit a bump last week when they fell to a 40-0 defeat to the Black Ferns in the pool C decider.
"We were incredibly disappointed on Sunday.
"If you take the emotion side out of it, we created opportunities. So this week is all about being extremely accurate which we've been implementing in training which is great.
"We were incredibly frustrated and I think I was quite calm after the match because I knew we had created opportunities. If we weren't playing the game we wanted to, or not creating them opportunities, then I think I probably would have had a different headspace. But I knew it was there and it was within our control.
"I was extremely frustrated we couldn't get a score, especially for the crowd that were there, who are absolutely out of this world.
"I remember binding down for a scrum at one point, and I am rarely ever in tune with the crowd, I'm focused in. But I remember hearing 'The Fields of Athenry' and that's a moment that'll stay with me for the rest of my life.
"Just having the support of the crowd, and how great they were afterwards, after a defeat like that, I think that's what settled me as well because I knew we had next week to go for and if we can fine-tune the opportunities we had, this squad has full belief that we can win on Sunday."
Listen to the RTÉ Rugby podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts.
Watch Ireland v France in the Women's Rugby World Cup quarter-final on Sunday from 12.30pm on RTÉ One and RTÉ Player. Follow a live blog on rte.ie/sport and the RTÉ News app. Listen to live radio commentary on RTÉ Radio. All other quarter-finals on RTÉ Player
