ABU DHABI // When Ireland announced their squad to face England in a women’s Test next month, via the Irish rugby website, they might have been surprised to find the news going viral thousands of kilometres away in the Middle East.
There is a reason Abu Dhabi, in particular, has become a social media hotspot for Irish women’s rugby news this week.
Fiona Reidy, who spent four years in the capital before heading back specifically to chase her rugby dream, was named as an uncapped recruit in the squad.
The former Abu Dhabi Harlequins women’s captain has enjoyed a remarkable rise in rugby, which looks set to continue with an Ireland cap against England on November 14.
She arrived in Abu Dhabi in 2011, excelled for the Harlequins and even represented the UAE during the four years she spent here.
This year she decided to see how far she could take her sport, and landed a trial at the Irish provincial side Munster. She succeeded, and has now graduated to international selection.
When her former colleagues were alerted to the news via Facebook yesterday, there was suddenly a frenzy of activity in the capital.
“Our WhatsApp group was just pinging all morning,” said Eileen Siegel, the Harlequins club captain.
“We couldn’t be any prouder. Fiona was an excellent player herself but she really grew as a player and as a leader while she was here.”
Siegel, the current club captain, was a rugby rookie when she signed up to join Harlequins at the same time as Reidy in September 2011.
She recalls a teammate who raised everyone else’s standards, no matter what level they were starting from.
“When I met her, she was a 23 year old fresh out of university, in Abu Dhabi going through life,” Siegel said.
“Then she worked out what she wanted, and went out and got it. How many people do that? I hope she knows how much we have her back. We are so excited. She did a lot for our club. She had a job, but I would say the biggest mark she left in Abu Dhabi was her rugby. We miss her very much.”
Reidy is one of 10 uncapped players in the Ireland squad for the autumn international, which will be played on England’s home territory at The Stoop in Twickenham, London.
It provides her with the chance to stake a claim for a place in the Irish squad for the Six Nations at the start of next year.
“We have an opportunity to have a look at some new players and combinations, building towards the Six Nations,” Tom Tierney, the coach, was quoted as saying on irishrugby.ie.
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