'There is something really special brewing' - O'Leary loving life in the pro game

It's still very early days in Irish women's XV professional programme, but this weekend we'll get the first real glimpse of how the pieces are fitting together.

There were some green shoots during last year's TikTok Six Nations, where Ireland won two of their last three games against Italy and Scotland, but it was clear in their opening defeat to Wales that Greg McWilliams' side were still quite raw, particularly up against a Welsh side who looked much improved after handing out a number of professional contracts a few months earlier.

Assistant coach Niamh Briggs said she was taken aback by the improvements she'd seen in the team in recent months, while for the players who have been training full-time since November, the move into professionalism has been game changing.

"There's no doubt that it's been so helpful," says backrow Maeve Óg O'Leary, ahead of this Saturday's meeting with Wales in Cardiff.

The 23-year-old first started playing rugby at the age of 15 when her home club Ballina-Killaloe formed a girls' team, and says the move to full-time training has allowed her to improve at every aspect of the game, from strength and conditioning to analysis and skills work.

"For me personally, I'm still quite young so my training age and gym age, I haven't had the time, along with work or college, to have that much time in the gym, around recovery, analysis. You work your 9-5 and then go home, have a bite to eat and go training.

"Now that I'm here, I have my two hours to gym, 30 minutes after for recover, I have an hour to do analysis, and then go out onto the pitch.

"It's undoubtedly helped me, I've been able to get stronger in the gym. Your game understanding, having more time, has been the big thing, the time element. It's been