Career of Carlow's Dannah O'Brien comes full circle with Japan test

As she gets set to embark on a first World Cup campaign in England this coming weekend, Tullow’s Dannah O’Brien feels she has ‘come full circle’ in her career as a women’s rugby international.

Despite still being a few weeks shy of her 19th birthday, O’Brien made her Ireland senior debut against Japan on August 20, 2022 at the Ecopa Stadium in Fukuroi. This was the first of two games that Ireland played during an historic tour of the East Asian nation and the Carlow woman marked the occasion by contributing an impressive haul of 12 points off the kicking tee.

O’Brien went on from there to establish herself as the first choice out-half under then Irish head coach Greg McWilliams and she has also held a firm grip of the number 10 jersey under his successor Scott Bemand. Coming into the tournament with 26 caps under her belt, she is expected to make a 27th appearance in green when Ireland renew acquaintances with the Japanese in their opening Pool C game in the Women’s Rugby World Cup at Franklin's Gardens, Northampton this Sunday (kick-off 12pm).

“You could kind of say it has come full circle. We’ve Japan the first game, the first round of the World Cup. A lot has changed for us since then and I’m sure a lot has changed for them since then. Different challenge, but knowing you’ve played an opposition already, it’s a little bit comforting. Hugely excited to go again,” O’Brien remarked at a media day in the IRFU High Performance Centre last Thursday, a day before the squad departed for the World Cup.

Whereas a lot of the players that featured for Ireland in previous World Cups would have taken up the sport at an advanced age, many of those in the current set-up first picked up a rugby ball as youngsters at their local clubs. This was very much the case for O’Brien at Tullow RFC – a club that also counts her namesake Sean O’Brien and Bernard Jackman amongst its list of past players who went on to achieve full international recognition.

Yet O’Brien was also a gifted Gaelic footballer for St Anne’s (an LGFA club that caters for players from Tullow, Grange and Ardattin) from a very young age and went on to feature at senior inter-county level with Carlow.

She contributed an outstanding haul of 0-8 when the Barrowsiders lost out agonisingly to Antrim at the semi-final stage of the All-Ireland junior football championship in 2021, before chipping in with a single score as a substitute as Carlow also lost to the Saffrons at the same phase of the third-tier competition on July 10 of the following year.

That 2022 defeat to Antrim took place just 10 days before O’Brien was named in the Ireland squad for their tour of Japan. It was already clear by then that she had a bright future ahead of her in rugby and while she thoroughly enjoyed her time playing with Carlow, she made the choice to pursue a future in the oval game.

“I was about, I’d say, seven or eight [when I started playing rugby]. Down at the Minis, Sunday morning in Tullow. I remember playing blitzes every week and that was some of the most enjoyable rugby I’ve played,” O’Brien recalled.

“I think I took up Gaelic football after rugby. I was about nine or 10 when I started that. There was so many friends that I made playing with Carlow. That was a great time as well. It was a hugely enjoyable time playing county football, but then I had to make the choice to move over to rugby. It got a bit busy there.” 

 While last season saw Tullow featuring in the Women’s All-Ireland League, O’Brien is currently affiliated with the South Dublin-based Old Belvedere in the same competition. Although she has been playing more recently in the colours of the Wolfhounds in the Celtic Challenge – helping them to defend their cross-border title in March of this year – O’Brien was a prominent figure for ‘Belvo’ in her debut AIL campaign of 2022/23.

That particular season ended with the Anglesea Road outfit suffering a semi-final defeat to Railway Union, but she contributed an excellent haul of 74 points over the course of the term – making her the league’s second-highest scorer overall.

“The first season I moved up, I played with Belvo and that was hugely enjoyable. To play AIL, having games every weekend. It’s a bit of craic as well, being involved in a club. It was a good time and still love going back there when we get the opportunity to.” It is a similar case when it comes to provincial rugby as well with O’Brien having played her part during Women’s Interprovincial Championship final victories for Leinster over Munster in both 2023 and 2024. Though she has since stepped away from the role with Australian native Ben Martin now at the helm, former Ireland international scrum-half Tania Rosser was head coach of the eastern province for these successes.

She also recently brought a three-year stint as head coach of the Old Belvedere women’s team to a close and O’Brien acknowledged that Rosser has played a big part in her development as a rugby player.

“She has been a huge influence for me as well with Leinster. The Interpros are such an exciting competition as well, getting to play your rivals. I definitely want to play for Leinster again.” Given the Women’s Interpros is about to enter into its third round of action this Saturday and will conclude with a finals day at Dublin’s Energia Park a week later, it could be close to a year before O’Brien gets a chance to line out for Leinster again.

Yet that isn’t something she will be concerning herself with just now as her full focus is on the World Cup with Ireland across the water. While it may not necessarily have been a long-held ambition from her youth – albeit it was on her mind to a certain extent - O’Brien admitted that representing her country in the global tournament is something that she and the Irish squad had been targeting in recent years.

“It’s the thing you dreamed of I suppose when you’re a child. I know it’s a cliché. I never really thought about it or imagined it, but in the last few years, that was our goal. To qualify. It has just been great and I think it’s a huge opportunity for us and for the country as well, to grow the game.” The latter point is something that Irish players and coaches have been echoing in recent months with the phrase ‘Green Wave’ being spoken about on a regular basis in pre and post-match press conferences.

For the uninitiated, the green wave is a nationwide movement that the IRFU are hoping will help to grow the game and celebrate women’s rugby in Ireland.

The rugby development department of the IRFU have created three programmes that they believe will enable clubs to grow the sport on and off the pitch, namely Give It A Try (aimed at girls aged 8-14), Get AcT1ve (aimed at females aged 15+) and the Club Ambassador Programme.

The Irish players that will be taking to the field at the World Cup will also have their part to play and O’Brien hopes she and her team-mates can inspire future generations with their performances at the tournament.

“I think it’s going to be massive for not just us as a country, but for the whole of world rugby. Growing the women’s game. That’s hugely important for us, growing our green wave. Inspiring the younger generation and hopefully there could be a bit of exposure.

“Our green wave is to inspire younger people, younger boys and girls to pick up a ball. Whether that be in the women’s game or the men’s game. Just give it a try and there’s so much opportunity now. The game is in such an exciting place.” 

In spite of some difficult days from the kicking tee, O’Brien has managed to accumulate 117 points from her 26 appearances to date for Ireland at senior test level. Though she did have some sessions with current Ulster head coach Richie Murphy in her early days as part of the international set-up, she has more recently been learning the ropes off a native of the northern province.

From Armagh, Gareth Steenson enjoyed a lengthy playing career in England with Rotherham Titans, Cornish Pirates and Exeter Chiefs – winning two English Premiership titles, an English Championship and a European Champions Cup with the latter.

He also spent four years as part of the coaching team in Exeter, before ultimately deciding to head home to his native land last summer. As well as working as a backs and skills coach with his hometown club City of Armagh, the past year has seen Steenson serving as the kicking coach for the Ireland women’s side.

Since the Six Nations, the former underage international has also taken on an expanded brief that sees him working on strike plays with the Irish backs and O’Brien is effusive in her praise of Steenson.

“He has just a wealth of knowledge behind him. A very experienced player and a very experienced coach. He’s a good one to have, to go to and talk about the game. Then on the kicking side of things, he’s such a good coach. I feel like he gives me more confidence.

“He knows so much about the game, so it’s just about using his knowledge. We’ve been doing a good bit of work with him over the summer. Sitting down and watching games. Just going through momentum swings and stuff in the games. He’s really good.” While Steenson is likely to meet some familiar figures on his return to England, O’Brien is also set for some face time with those closest to her over the coming weeks – which will also see Ireland taking on Spain and New Zealand in pool games before hopefully embarking on the World Cup knockout rounds.

A number of O’Brien’s friends and family are due to be in attendance for Ireland’s games in the RWC and she is looking forward to meeting up with them over the course of her time in England.

“I think I’ve someone going to every game. Thank God it’s not too far away, it’s kind of handy to get to. Excited to see them. Hopefully there’ll be a good few Irish there, we’re not too far away from England. Hopefully they’ll enjoy it as well, get to do a bit of sightseeing over there. It’s exciting,” O’Brien added.