Women's Six Nations 2023: Ireland head coach Greg McWilliams says tournament 'needs to be competitive'

The Ireland squad train before their defeat by Italy in Parma last weekend

Ireland head coach Greg McWilliams says the Women's Six Nations "needs to be competitive to make the games better spectacles" as his side face a daunting match with England in Cork on Saturday.

World Cup finalists England head the tournament table with a maximum 15 points from three games, while Ireland have yet to register a point.

Fears have been expressed that this weekend's game may be very one-sided.

"We're always conscious of closing gaps, being more competitive," he said.

McWilliams added: "There's no doubt we want the Six Nations to be competitive, everyone does.

"England and France are ahead at the moment, we know that, but it's our job to continue to improve. We're on our own journey."

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England have won each of their first three matches in this year's competition by at least 50 points and their head coach Simon Middleton has stated his belief that the tournament cannot "continue in the guise it is".

Ireland won two of their five fixtures in finishing fourth last year but look set to battle it out with Scotland to avoid the 'wooden spoon' this time round.

"The more competitive every team is in the Six Nations the better the competition is going to be. That's what we want," explained the Ireland coach.

"We're fighting really hard to get to that point. It's testing our resilience but it's a brilliant challenge for this group and I'm proud of how they are sticking to the task.

"It's important we know where we are and where we want to go and we're excited about testing ourselves.

"We know what's coming at us [on Saturday] and we need to meet that and match that, be ready for the fight, ready for the battle, getting our tactical and technical elements correct.

"We want to show we are proud to wear the Irish jersey and we will fight from whistle to whistle, but we must also be smart in how we play and then how we review the game.

"There has maybe been some negative press this week but there has also been some positive press.

"We can only control our inner circle as we grow on and off the field. We've had some good conversations but we can only control our performance and what we're looking to get out of this week."

Last week's game against Italy in Parma had been regarded as a "must-win" for the Irish but despite enjoying long spells of territory and possession they lost out 24-7 to their hosts.

"There are areas we are working on and we are trying to see improvement week on week, " reflected McWilliams.

"England are one of, if not the best, team in the world, so there's no hiding from the fact that it's going to be a big challenge.

"This week we've particularly looked at our defensive systems and our tackling, also developing our lineout so it is more efficient. The set-piece, defence and how you look after the ball are important in any game."