Progress made but IRFU needs to heed history lessons to grow women's rugby

From the back of the queue to the front of the line, Ireland women are set to take centre stage next weekend.

Scott Bemand's side take on Australia in Belfast on Saturday as the Irish Rugby Football Unions kicks off a season celebrating its 150th anniversary.

A national team played England on 15 February 1875 and the union has promised a "calendar of events to celebrate the game of rugby in Ireland".

Ahead of their WXV1 campaign in Vancouver later this month, the Ireland women’s team get to test their mettle against Australia, ranked fifth in the world.

It comes with the women’s game in the country on the up after a harrowing period between 2017 and last season.

Albeit working off a low base, the appointment of Gillian McDarby as head of women's performance and pathways, the arrival of new coaching staff, the WXV3 success, qualification for next year’s World Cup, dozens of players on central contracts, the return of an exile, and an incredibly competitive and high-quality Interprovincial Championship, the game is in a better place than it has been in years.

But with that comes a warning: we’ve been here before.

A Grand Slam in 2013 was followed by a Six Nations title in 2015, with a World Cup semi-final in between.

Even the men chipped in, Joe Schmidt’s side won Six Nations titles in 2014 and 2015 and beat the All Blacks for the first time the following year.

The country was on a rugby buzz and with Ireland hosting the Women’s World Cup in 2017, everything looked set to push on and close the gap on pacesetters England and New Zealand.

But it all fell apart in spectacular fashion. It’s well-worn territory by now but worth a short recap.

By the time the 2017 World Cup came around things were going wrong in the background. An opening