WXV 'forces' investment in women's game - McMahon

Edel McMahon captained Ireland to victory against Australia on Saturday

Ireland co-captain Edel McMahon believes that more varied fixture lists are vital for the women's game to grow.

In what was a first meeting with Australia since 2017, Ireland beat the Wallaroos 36-10 in Belfast on Saturday.

That victory was a third in four games for Scott Bemand's side who, by virtue of their third place finish in the Six Nations, have been promoted to the top tier of the WXV competition when it returns this month.

That means challenging fixtures against New Zealand, Canada and USA in Vancouver, but McMahon predicts the benefits of the competition now in its second season will be felt most especially at next year's World Cup.

"It's huge. It's not even [just] valuable for us, it's valuable for the World Cup," said the back-row forward.

"It creates an opportunity for international fixtures that teams don't get outside of a Six Nations. It forces nations to invest, to send their teams away.

"It grows the game and grows the competition. It means you're not [going to be] getting games in knock-out or pool stages with bonkers scores.

"WXV is driving teams to be better, to invest in their women's teams, and to create matches so that they're playing regularly."

As an added benefit, the expanded autumn fixture lists are also giving teams more training time together, especially valuable for squads such as Ireland who are reintegrating sevens internationals back into their panels after the Paris Olympics.

"We've been living in each other's pockets the last few weeks," added McMahon.

"The last two weeks have been about learning fast and getting connections up.

"To see that come onto the pitch that quickly, it's a real confidence booster for us."

'Everyone will be hungry for it'

While Ireland do get annual tests against England and France in the Six Nations, they have not played either of their next two opponents, the Black Ferns and Canada, since 2016.

In the current squad, only Nicole Fowley and Cliodhna Moloney were involved in those fixtures eight years ago.

"It's pretty exciting, isn't it?" said Aoife Wafer, McMahon's fellow flanker who was named player of the match against Australia.

"We've a relatively new squad in that sense, but everyone will be hungry for it."

Ireland were in WXV3 last time around, beating Kazakhstan, Colombia and Spain in Dubai last October. The jump to the top tier brings with it a far greater standard of opposition, but after Saturday's win, Ireland will travel to Vancouver with confidence and ranked the seventh best team in the world.

"I think it's a really exciting place to go into that off the back of [beating Australia]," added Wafer.

"We're going in and playing the top teams in the world and that's what we want to do. To be the best, you have to play the best.

"To get that opportunity in a World Cup year is absolutely brilliant and we wouldn't want it any other way."