THE IRELAND WOMEN’S team took to the field in Scotland yesterday knowing that a 27-point win would be enough for their second Six Nations title in three years. It wasn’t an impossible task against a poor Scottish side but coach Tom Tierney wasn’t taking anything for granted.

He prepared his team to expect an onslaught from the home side and while it didn’t materialise in the end, that pre-match attitude ensured that the Irish team didn’t get complacent.

“We prepared for the worst case scenario,” Tierney said.

And win well they did, with the Ireland women recording a resounding 73-3 win to claim the title. Tierney was proud that his team ‘didn’t let the foot off the gas’ and while the maul was a potent weapon for his side, the mazy running of hat-trick hero Alison Miller was also a joy to watch.

This is Tierney’s first year in the job having replaced Philip Doyle after Ireland’s run to the World Cup semi-final last year. While the team has a nice blend of youth and experience, they were also hit by the retirements of Lynne Cantwell and Fiona Coghlan.

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And when Doyle left, so did assistant coaches Peter Bracken and Greg McWilliams so there wasn’t as much continuity in place as Tierney might have liked. He admitted that it was a somewhat daunting role to undertake.

“After 11 years as a player and this is my seventh year as a coach – I’m used to pressure,” Tierney said.

“Sometimes it goes for you and sometimes it doesn’t go for you and thankfully it went for me yesterday. All the credit is due to the players. They have been really tuned into the work over the last three months and they should be very proud.”

The backdrop to the Irish women’s preparation was, of course, the Six Nations finale. Like Tierney’s side, Joe Schmidt’s men needed to beat Scotland by over 20 points and the Ireland men delivered in dramatic fashion.

Tierney said that rather than block out the rugby on Saturday, his side were encouraged by it.

“We were all concious of the matches,” Tierney said.

One of Connacht’s most potent attacking threats is available for their big derby on SaturdayOne of Super Rugby’s most dynamic back rows will be playing in the Pro12 from next season