'The gap has been getting bigger between Ireland and teams like England' - Doyle

Women's rugby, and Ireland's status in women's rugby, has changed quite a bit since Aoife Doyle won the first of her eight caps.

The Limerick native had been a late addition to the Ireland team for that 2015 Six Nations meeting with France, the then-19-year-old brought onto the wing after Hannah Tyrrell had been ruled out with injury.

Her debut was the infamous 'Lights Out' game at Ashbourne, where Ireland were beaten 10-5 by the French in a match punctuated by two floodlight failures, and question marks over whether the Meath venue was fit to stage a game of international rugby.

Seven years on from the farcical scenes of Ireland's players warming up in darkness on the back pitch, women's rugby is having its moment, spearheaded by the relentless England.

Ireland are rotating between the RDS, Musgrave Park and Kingspan Stadium for their three home games this year, with impressive attendances for the first two games in Dublin and Cork.

The Red Roses have also taken their show on the road, with more than 14,000 fans packing into Gloucester's Kingsholm for their Round 3 win against Wales, and even more expected to be in attendance at Leicester's Welford Road this Sunday for the meeting with Ireland.

But while the game has moved forward since 2015, Ireland have moved back.

Doyle played three times during that Six Nations campaign as Ireland recovered from that defeat to France to win the title for the second time, defeating England along the way.

England's professional women's setup has seen them dominate the game in recent seasons, and the World Rugby 2021 Team of the Year's three emphatic wins in this year's championship are proof that they have no intention of slowing down.

Ireland are picking themselves back up from the floor. New