Nichola Fryday has been appointed captain of the Irish women’s rugby team for the upcoming TikTok Six Nations.
Fryday will follow in the footsteps of Ciara Griffin, who retired from the jersey last November.
“I'm absolutely honoured” said Fryday, “My parents were included in the process of being named as captain so it was an emotional day. It was a proud moment for me and my family”.
Hailing from Tullamore RFC, the Offaly native made her debut in November 2016 against Canada. She’s since gone on to earn herself 22 caps in her position at second row.
“It’s very very big boots to fill. I just want us to go out and put our hearts on the line for every match, that's my aim for the tournament” she told HerSport
📋 𝐅𝐫𝐲𝐝𝐚𝐲 𝐍𝐚𝐦𝐞𝐝 𝐈𝐫𝐞𝐥𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐂𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐚𝐢𝐧
Greg McWilliams has announced the appointment of @nicholafryday as Ireland captain for the 2022 #TikTokWomensSixNations! 🟢#NothingLikeIt | #IrishRugby
— Irish Rugby (@IrishRugby) March 21, 2022
'I'm extremely honoured.' @nicholafryday has been appointed the new @IrishRugby captain. 🇮🇪
Tune in EVERY WEEK throughout the @Womens6Nations as we bring you expert analysis, previews, interviews & a lot of laughs with our Six Nations show brought to you by @OpelIreland 🔥 pic.twitter.com/G0d7QfS2PP
— Her Sport (@HerSportDotIE) March 21, 2022
The 26-year-old is part of the 38 player squad for the championship which will kick off this Saturday in the RDS. In the lead up to the match Fryday said the mood in camp under new head coach Greg McWilliams, is “exciting…with a really good buzz”.
“With Covid restriction lifting we’ve been able to bring that craic element back in" she told HerSport, "That transpires on the pitch because we’re just happy to be there and happy to be playing rugby”.
Fryday’s squad for the upcoming Six Nations includes a host of new players which she is aiming to lead ‘“by example”.
The team will take on Wales for the first game of the Six Nations. Their last encounter with the Welsh saw them take home a massive 45-0 win. Despite the subsequent introduction of semi-professional and professional contracts on the Welsh side Fryday is certain that they can show up “fighting”.
“We’ve had really high tempo and really intense training sessions, so that will stand to us when we get onto the pitch and then it's just about fighting it out against a good Welsh side…we don’t see ourselves as amateur players, everything we do both on and off the pitch is professional” she told HerSport.
“The sacrifices we make as players and individuals that's what a professional rugby player is.I don’t see it as amateurs versus professionals I see it as rugby players versus rugby players”.
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The Her Sport Six Nations Show is brought to you by Opel. Follow all the 2022 Six Nations action throughout the Championships with expert analysis, previews, interviews and a lot of laughs! Opel are the exclusive car partner of the IRFU.
