Wafer living a dream 12 years in the making

Aoife Wafer was a 10-year-old in the crowd the last time Ireland Women played at the Aviva Stadium. Now she’ll be at the centre of the action on the field.

The Harlequins back-rower watched her heroes play on the hallowed turf for the first time in 2014 as part of a double-header with the men’s side.

On Sunday, Ireland's women will play a standalone fixture there for the first time, against Scotland, and are set to smash their previous attendance record of 9,206, with over 30,000 tickets already sold.

“It is massive, I was at that game in 2014 when the women last played there," the 23-year-old said. “Ten-year-old me was looking out on the field, and all of a sudden it has now gone full circle. It is class.

“It was a double-header, and I think it was Brian O’Driscoll’s last game [in Ireland], so most people left after it to go out in Dublin, and there was a small corner of us that had stayed.

“I remember the game, the post-game, meeting the players, and how those moments stayed with me. I am very lucky to have those memories of the stadium and hopefully get to recreate a few at the weekend.

“The girls are very excited for this, and with 30,000 tickets sold, I am sure the stadium is going to be rocking.”

Ireland’s expected record attendance is part of a wider trend this Six Nations, with Scotland’s first standalone game at Scottish Gas Murrayfield becoming the most attended women’s sport event in Scotland ever. 

The Red Roses set the tournament’s attendance record with 77,120 at Allianz Stadium in Round 1, while the 26,247 fans at Ashton Gate were the highest attendance England have had for a home Women’s Six Nations match away from HQ. 

Wafer added: “Even just watching games as a kid, at Ashbourne and Donnybrook, or even that game at the Aviva, it was not as many people and tended just to be family, friends, or die-hard fans and kids like me that had been dragged there by their parents.  

“I loved it, but it just shows the growth of the game, and the growth of the green wave and the kind of backing we are getting from the public.  

“To have past, present and future players at the game is monumental because it shows how far we’ve come, not just the last couple of years but the last couple of decades as well.” 

The competition on the pitch has rewarded the attendance of it, with the Red Roses and France battling it out for top spot, while Ireland look to confirm their place as the best of the rest when they take on Scotland.

Wafer was named Player of the Tournament last year and has only developed further since joining Quins after Ireland’s run to the quarter-finals of the Women’s Rugby World Cup.

“Learning from the likes of Jade Konkel and Liana Mikaele-Tu'u has been class,” she added.  

“Li is a world class operator and we saw that in Pac4 as well, whether she was setting people up or going round herself.  

“She operates at a very high level and demands a lot from people around her. We bounced off each other and learned everything we could off each other.  

“Jade is a legend of the game. Everything that she has done, not just for Scottish Rugby but rugby in general, is huge.  

“She is actually coming to the game with her niece, who is going through the pathway at the minute. It will be a big moment for her as well, bringing her niece along to such a monumental game, showing her what is possible.  

“It has been class learning from her, and not just the back row at Quins, but in every position, you have got stars throughout the team and picking their brain on little bits of information has been huge for me.” 

At Quins, Wafer has been able to get up close and personal with some of the Red Roses’ biggest names, including Ellie Kildunne. 

She has spent each week working out how to beat the players she is now facing in the Six Nations, which has helped not just her game but her mindset.

She added: “Playing everyone week in, week out takes away being scared of other nations or putting England on a pedestal because you play them every week. 

“They are just normal people at the end of the day. They are an absolutely world-class machine, and they are proving that every week.  

“Even though they are riddled with injuries, they still put out performances week in, week out. But playing with and against the Red Roses has only benefitted me as a player too.”

Photos courtesy of Six Nations Imagery.