Haney ready to make mark after rugby trial by fire

From softball in America to hard knocks in the south of France, it's been quite a journey for Christy Haney.

Having impressed in the AIL and interpro' series, the Virginia-born prop earned a call-up to Greg McWilliams' first Six Nations squad as the new head coach looked to turn the page on a tumultuous period in women’s rugby in the country.

The American has Irish blood through her grandmother, who comes from Borrisokane in Tipperary, and moved to Ireland six years ago for a Masters in structural engineering at UCD.

She joined up with St Mary’s in Dublin and by 2021 was captain of Leinster aged 27.

Like many of her peers in the current Ireland squad, she came late to rugby. "I started playing when I was 18, in college at the University of Virginia," she said on Tuesday as she prepares to take on Italy in Ireland’s third TikTok Six Nations game in Cork on Sunday.

"I didn’t know it at the time but they handed out fliers. I rocked up to my first training session on a Tuesday and was playing tighthead prop by Saturday – it was very much a trial by fire.

"My coach was like 'you’re gonna love it or hate it' and I loved it.

"The rugby IQ in the States is different from here but the quality of the programme and community they had set up made up for that.

"I had four years of just really high-intensity rugby.

"I went on tour with the US Collegiate team to Canada, only two years playing so that was an amazing opportunity.

"That was my first exposure to really high standard of performance and I realised then I wanted to get back to that and really humbled to get that opportunity a second time.

"The standard in the women’s game has grown so much in the 10 years since I started.

"[I moved to Ireland] and played with St Mary’s for two years