'It's also really good to see a woman who is coaching come in' - Flood excited by Briggs appointment

When Stacey Flood talks about the daily routine of playing both Sevens and 15-a-side rugby, the out-half describes the process as "seamless enough".

Training with the national Sevens team from Monday to Thursday, they're then released back to their clubs, where they train Thursday night before playing 15s rugby in the Energia AIL on the weekend, before returning to their high performance centre in Abbotstown for Sevens training at the start of the week.

It will get even busier in the coming weeks, with the 15s squad set to gather in early March ahead of the TikTok Women's Six Nations which gets under way at the end of the month.

The IRFU's prioritisation of Sevens rugby at the expense of the 15s program has come in for heavy criticism in recent months after Ireland's failure to reach this year's World Cup in New Zealand.

But Flood says it's not a case of players falling between two stools.

"It's quite seamless doing both at the same time because the skills are so transferable.

"Even coming from 15s last year I added kicking into my Sevens game and vice versa, using my passing in the 15s game, it’s good to do both.

"Aidan (McNulty) our Sevens coach, and Greg (McWilliams), the 15s coach, are in the high performance centre every day so we see them on a regular basis and you can have small chats with both," she said at an event for Energia this week.

While the squad for the Six Nations hasn't been confirmed yet, it's almost certain that Flood will be involved, with the Railway Union out-half earning seven caps since her debut in the 15-a-side game in 2021.

However, the current Ireland team already looks quite different to the one she debuted in less than a year ago, with Ciara Griffin, Claire Molloy, and Lindsay Peat all retiring