With the Ireland women's team set to continue their 2023 Six Nations quest this weekend against Wales, some of the squad have spoken of those who inspired them from a young age.
In partnership with Energia, members of the Ireland squad spoke about those who "saw the possibilities" within them at the outset of their rugby careers.
Women's Six Nations: Ireland reveals inspirations from their youth
It was a tough start to Ireland's Six Nations campaign, with a heavy defeat to Wales in Cardiff not the manner in which they would have wanted to get the tournament underway.
They have a chance to get back to winning ways this weekend on home soil against France, with five changes made to the team that lined out against Wales.
No doubt they will be calling on any inspiration they can this weekend, as they look to get their 2023 Six Nations back on track. Ahead of the France game, Enya Breen, Grace Moore, and Brittany Hogan spoke about their biggest influences from their youth, in partnership with Energia's 'Think of the Possibilities' campaign.
Behind the success of every @IrishRugby star, there’s someone who made it all possible.
Hear from Grace Moore, Enya Breen and Brittany Hogan as Energia finds out who saw the possibilities in them.
| In Partnership with @Energiaenergy #ThinkOfThePossibilities pic.twitter.com/TXZBGo8AtK— Balls.ie (@ballsdotie) March 29, 2023
Enya Breen's Six Nations campaign has sadly been cut short by injury, and she will be sorely missed by the Ireland squad. The Munster centre has become a crucial part of Ireland's backline in recent years, and will be bitterly disappointed not to have a fair crack at this year's championship.
Nonetheless, she has grown into a tremendously reliable player over the course of her 17 caps for Ireland, and says that it would not have been possible without the influence of her parents, saying they were her biggest influence:
They've just supported me since day one, I suppose. I think there was a ball shoved into my hands before I could even walk. We were always just playing something against each other whether it was basketball, football, having a puck around with the hurley, rugby. And then my parents pushed me on with it because they saw the possibilities.
For many young players, school can be the place where they find the most inspiration and it was no different for Railway Union flanker Grace Moore.
London-born Moore said that she struggled with aggression in school, but that one particular teacher encouraged her to channel her energy into sport, and brought her to her first rugby club:
An ICT teacher called Mr Chodury said I was really aggresive in school. He said that I could channel that aggression into rugby and he still follows my games now. He took me down to my first club.
Brittany Hogan of Ulster and Old Belvedere found that, when she first moved into club rugby, she needed an extra push from her coaches:
Seeing the possibilities in myself, like my first sessions in Ballynahinch, it was more of a coach. He was called Neal Johnston and he kind of talent ID'd me. He came up to me after the session and was like, "I can see the potential in you." He put me through into the Ulster U18 set up. He saw the possibility in me and kind of pushed me on.
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