Returning in quarter-final a huge ask for Wafer

Women's Rugby World Cup quarter final: Ireland v France

Venue: Sandy Park, Exeter Date: Sunday, 14 September Kick-off: 13:00 BST

Coverage: Watch on BBC Two and BBC iPlayer from 12:15; listen on BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra 2, BBC Radio Ulster and Foyle from 12:30.

The first 20 minutes of Sunday's quarter-final against France will probably feel like the hardest game Aoife Wafer has ever played.

She has not played a game since April and it's a huge ask to come back straight into a World Cup quarter-final and be expected to hit the ground running.

But, while it would be tough for any player to come in and start in a game like this after such a long lay-off, I know the type of player she is too.

Aoife has proven time and time again and how good she is. I'm sure she'll rise to the challenge ahead of her once again.

But it's never all about one player. You'll always have star players who are more prevalent in the media, but you can see how others have stepped up in her absence.

Aoife is a bit like Antoine Dupont in that way.

He's the star player among other stars within that French squad and they all go about their daily jobs and perform to high levels.

What Aoife will bring is probably big game moments - turnovers and carries - and others will get energy off things like that, but we've seen already how many other good players there are in Scott Bemand's squad.

McMahon is going to be a big loss for Ireland

One player Ireland will have to do without is their co-captain Edel McMahon who is out through injury.

What Tricky brings is not just her performances on the pitch but her leadership too.

She does her job extremely well week in, week out, and you could never say that she hasn't put everything on the line.

She's someone who is going to give absolutely everything to get a win and that's the kind of player that you always want in your squad, especially going into a knockout game like this.

She is going to be a big loss for Ireland.When you're in that environment and unable to play, it feels like the worst place in the world.

It'll be so disappointing for her on a personal level. You want to be involved in every game when you're in that squad, especially so whenever you're leading the team.

It just means that her role will have changed throughout this week. She's very detailed and really reads and can analyse the game like no one else throughout the week.

She'll probably look more off-field and step up on that side of things.

Edel will help prepare them in any way she can.

'What Tricky [McMahon] brings is not just her performances on the pitch but her leadership'

'A semi-final place would be absolutely huge'

This is Ireland's first quarter-final since 2014, the biggest game of their lives for these players.

There's this fine line. You want to be tapping into that emotion and it being such a huge achievement for this team, but then also not letting it override your every thought and building it up into something that you're almost afraid to be doing when the day comes around.

When I was in camp, I used to need to get out for a coffee, or even just watch a terrible TV show in the hotel, because when you're in the midst of a tournament, rugby can become every waking moment of your day.

And the closer kick-off gets, the bigger the occasion can seem.

There'll be a lot of Irish fans over again and there's a great atmosphere at a sold-out Sandy Park. It is quite an exposed stadium though, and one that the wind really whips through.

I think the weather, if it is as forecast, could play a big part and it might come down to who best manages the conditions.

Shutting down the likes of Pauline Bourdon Sansus will be huge but I do believe Ireland can do it.

A semi-final place would be absolutely huge and really highlight how far Ireland have come from the Wooden Spoon in the Six Nations in only 2023.

A lot of people have had to stand up and say that what was happening wasn't good enough and it would make all of that hardship worthwhile because we're now seeing the rewards of people stepping up and fighting for the better of the game.

Nichola Fryday was speaking to BBC Sport NI's Jonathan Bradley