The Moloney-MacDonalds: The PWR couple that battled it out at Allianz Stadium

International rugby can bring with it all sorts of emotions and Claudia Moloney-MacDonald found this year's Guinness Women's Six Nations opener a particularly moving melting pot.

In front of a record Six Nations crowd of 77,120, the Exeter Chiefs winger faced off against her wife, Cliodhna, as England beat Ireland 33-12.

The Moloney-MacDonald family are teammates at Chiefs and are not used to lining up against each other, let alone in such an impassioned environment like a packed-out Allianz Stadium.

Despite the obvious pressure, the pair viewed the occasion as a privilege, and the 30-year-old winger cherished the opportunity to take on her other half.

She said: “For Cliodhna and I, it's been a long time coming to actually play against each other. We've been together nearly eight years, which gives you nearly eight Six Nations in which we could have played against each other, and a couple of autumn games.

“There have been a fair few occasions where we've missed out on playing against each other. From a completely personal point of view, it was incredibly special to share an international pitch with her.

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“As a team, I also think that it was a huge start to our Six Nations campaign too. Ireland are obviously massively on the up, and probably what they would consider a disappointing World Cup, because I think they were unlucky against France in that quarter-final.

“We anticipated a very difficult game against them at a nearly sold-out Allianz Stadium too, which was incredible. For us individually it was very, very special to get to experience that.”

It could be an unenviable dynamic to navigate given the pressure of playing at the highest level, but the pair don’t let that pressure affect their relationship.

Instead, they are more than happy to lean on each other through the inevitable ups and downs of the Test arena.

Moloney-MacDonald said: “It's always from the angle of supporting each other. She is my first point of call if something's gone really wrong, if you're mentally or physically struggling, or if things are on the up. She's also the first person I want to tell.

“We talk about rugby in terms of our own position within it. Obviously, nothing tactical and things went very silent for the England-Ireland game. That week, rugby was banned as a topic because we both wanted to keep our cards close to our chest.

“But when we're not playing each other, we just play more of a supportive role for each other. We don’t necessarily analyse each other, but we'll ask each other about how they thought the game went and what they thought of the game.”

With Moloney-MacDonald rested for England’s big win over Scotland at Murrayfield, there’s every chance she is rotated back into the lineup for the Red Roses’ clash with Wales at Ashton Gate.

Rotation has been a feature of the Red Roses campaign so far as Head Coach John Mitchell looks for new options after the success of the World Cup.

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The win in Edinburgh marked England’s 35th win in a row and saw yet another new face brought into the fold, 19-year-old Bristol Bear Demleza Short, .

Mitchell also gave Loughborough Lightning’s Haineala Lutui her debut against Wales, while Short's teammates Millie David and Delaney Burns will make their bows against Wales.

“They've come in, and they've really attacked it,” Moloney-MacDonald said. “They bring a lot of confidence and just love for the game into the environment, which is nice.

“I think after a big tournament, off the back of the World Cup, it's nice to have a bit of a shake-up and make things feel fresh. Competition is always a good thing.

“When you introduce new people, you're constantly competing for any shirt that you get given, and it's nice just to have another layer of competition within the squad. They've been absolutely brilliant.

"I don't think you would know that half of them are as young as they are. I think they've just brought a new level of excitement and perspective to the squad.”