ENYA Breen won’t forget 2024 in a hurry – this was the year she became the first West Cork sportsperson to captain an Irish senior rugby team.
This was also her comeback year as she returned to the pitch following the ACL injury that sidelined her in 2023. But the Skibb woman was back in action during the 2024 Six Nations, got a run of Test matches under her belt and played a huge role in Ireland’s strong finish to the year – they won five out of their last seven Tests.
To recognise Breen captaining the Irish women’s rugby team at the WXV 1 tournament held in Canada – Ireland’s first time playing in the top tier of the WXV competition – she was presented with a West Cork Sports Star monthly award.
That tournament is packed with memorable moments, including beating the world champions New Zealand, 29-27, in their opener. Two West Cork women, Breen and Durrus native Andrea Stock – they both played together at Bantry Bay RFC – were in the Irish squad, with Breen leading by example on the field.
So, an easy question to start. For an established Irish international who has bounced back from a horrible ACL injury, what did that moment of beating New Zealand feel like?
‘Hard to put into words, to be honest,’ Breen said.
‘A bit surreal, but just unbelievable. I think they're the days you kind of dream of and the days you really want to cherish while you're in them as well.
‘So it was just kind of trying to take it all in, soak up the moment, enjoy the company, my team-mates, coaches, my parents were over as well. So yeah, enjoying all that and just trying to take it in.’
This momentous result didn’t materialise out of thin air. The Irish women’s rugby squad has experienced an upturn in fortunes since Scott Bemand became head coach in July 2023. There is much work to be done, as Ireland’s subsequent loss to Canada at WXV 1 shows, but under Bemand and a determined squad, the squad is starting to believe.
‘I think the belief was there that day against New Zealand,’ Breen admitted.
‘Obviously, there was going to be growing pains, there were going to be ups and downs. That's just the nature of the game and it's the nature of building a new squad and getting comfortable with each other.
‘I think whatever happened in the Six Nations after that win against Scotland (15-12 in April), I think it probably just instilled a bit of belief in us. Then once we got going during the summer, once that Australia game (36-10 win in September) happened, it just kind of started a bit of momentum.
Skibbereen’s Enya Breen, a West Cork Sports Star monthly (October) award winner, pictured with her parents Ian and Catherine and extended family. (Photo: Martin Walsh)
‘I suppose we went into that New Zealand game feeling like we had nothing to lose. It had been building.’
Following on from that marvellous win over the Black Ferns, Breen’s WXV1 tournament got even better when she was told she would captain her country in their next outing against hosts Canada.
The Bantry Bay RFC and Munster graduate became the first West Cork native to captain an Irish senior rugby team. She took over from Edel McMahon who missed the game through injury.
‘An unbelievably proud moment,’ is how Breen described it.‘Scott (Bemand) told me. We were having a catch up about the game, the weekend just after the squad had been announced. We were just having a coffee, and he just asked me, and it was unbelievable.
‘I just wanted to tell my family, my parents, and I was delighted. I was hugely honoured. It had been a tough year for me, getting back into the squad after the ACL injury and everything, and kind of rebuilding that confidence in myself.
‘So to be recognised like that, I was delighted. It was unbelievable.’Ireland lost to the Canadians 21-8, most likely due to the Herculean efforts to overcome New Zealand in the game before, but that scoreline could not prevent the fact Breen had written her names into the Irish and West Cork rugby history books.
Breen and Ireland finished off their tournament with a 26-14 bonus-point win over the USA that saw Ireland finish as runners-up behind England, and put a pep in their step ahead of the 2025 season.
‘I think we’ve taken massive steps toward that, and we’ve really earned the right to be here and mix it with the top teams,’ Breen said.
So, in her comeback year, Ireland finished second in the WXV ladder, up 11 places from 2023 when they won WXV3, finished third in the Six Nations and also qualified for next year’s Rugby World Cup. Bring on 2025.
