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GIVEN her ability to steal through a gap or thieve a yard of grass it\u2019s hard not to reach for a obvious pun when you hear the subject of Eve Higgins\u2019 post-graduate studies in UCD.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m doing my Masters in criminology. I\u2019ve assignments and essays so the moments I don\u2019t analyse rugby and focus on the rugby it\u2019s filled with reading criminology theories.\u201d Her own powers of evasion were beautifully underscored when her step left brilliant French out-half Laure Sansus for dead when getting Ireland\u2019s only score last week.<\/p>\n
It’s also natural to wonder how the game \u2013 especially Ireland\u2019s form and confidence – might have improved had Higgins’ earlier try not been chalked off.<\/p>\n
What needs no further evidence is that the Kildare native\u2019s new centre pairing with Stacey Flood has been one of the highlights of Ireland\u2019s two Six Nations defeats and it\u2019s a partnership that looks set to blossom further.<\/p>\n
Higgins (22) represents the new generation around whom Ireland are currently rebuilding and Fiona Coghlan marked her out from her early teens as \u2018one to watch\u2019.<\/p>\n
Like many of her cohort she has always concentrated solely on rugby and started with a rural club (Barnhall RFC) before moving to an All-Ireland League side (Railway Union).<\/p>\n
The French game, only her 8th cap at 15s, showcased all of her talents as Ireland\u2019s second highest ball carrier who also made most metres and most broken tackles.<\/p>\n
She\u2019s already got a lot of Sevens experience, introduced to that programme when she was just 16 with a century of Sevens caps and 37 tries under her belt.<\/p>\n
\u201cWith only having three camps (before this Six Nations\u2019 season) it\u2019s a lot to learn quickly but I suppose the positives we have as a back-line is that a lot of us are very familiar with each other and can play off each other quite well,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n
\u201cLast weekend was only the second game myself and Stacey were together in the centre but we\u2019ve been playing together for the last five or six years.”<\/p>\n
Ireland\u2019s head coach Greg McWilliams has already intimated that he\u2019ll lose some of his Sevens stars before the Six Nations finishes because the World Sevens Series is resuming in Langford (Canada) on April 30.<\/p>\n
Higgins, who seems mature beyond her years, is diplomatic enough not to get dragged into whether or not that will include her but that looks likely given the IRFU\u2019s ambition to qualify for this year\u2019s Sevens World Cup.<\/p>\n
So Sunday\u2019s historic game against Italy in Musgrave Park (5pm) offers fans a rare enough chance to see Higgins in international action.<\/p>\n
She\u2019s never played there before and is a big fan of the decision to move the 2022 Six Nations games around.<\/p>\n
\u201cI grew up going to the Leinster games with my family so it was such an honour to be playing in the RDS. Moving now to Cork and then up in Belfast is great because it\u2019s getting more eyes onto the game and expanding the people watching women\u2019s rugby in this country.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
How did she read the 27 handling errors that undermined them a week ago? Nerves, technique or simply psychological?<\/p>\n
\u201cA mixture. We could definitely help ourselves a lot more. I think we put a bit too much pressure on ourselves on being a bit flat and maybe giving that pass a bit too late in the contact, but there are easy fixes that we can do and improve on a lot.<\/p>\n
\u201cLosing is never an option. It\u2019s something that we never go onto a pitch to do. We can get great confidence playing at home in front of a home crowd. This will be the third time we play Italy in the last year so we know them well. As long as we improve we can come together and have great confidence coming into this weekend.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n