'Can we just draw a line in the sand and get over it?' - Niamh Briggs

Niamh Briggs says that she's had to take a break from social media in the wake of last week's controversial report abut the current state of Irish women's rugby.

Two days before Ireland's Six Nations defeat to Italy in Parma, a report in the Telegraph detailed a number of alleged failures in the Irish women's programme, with that report dominating the news cycle over the weekend.

The former Ireland captain, who has been working as an assistant to head coach Greg McWilliams since the start of 2022, called for people to stop "dredging" up issues from the past, and instead focus on the future of the women's game.

And Briggs also said the extent of the coverage has led to her taking a step back from social media.

"I’ve come off social media and everything over the last week," she said.

"It has just been so draining to see that, and for people not to understand what we’re doing here in this building and where we’re going.

"I think for me it's probably a little bit different because I’ve been around for a very long time. I’m very aware of things that were said and how draining that is.

"I’m more drained at the fact of when is enough, enough? When do we draw a line and think about what we’ve done in the last 12 months from a women’s game perspective.

"In terms of the last 10 days, we’ve had an Irish U18 girls team playing Six Nations, who have done so well. They were class. We look at appointments of full-time staff in all the provinces now and we look at pathways that are put in place. We know that the jump was missed a while back, the last 10 years, but it’s not now. Can we just draw a line in the sand and get over it? Move on, and think about all the brilliant things that are happening at the moment, and where the future is going."

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