Ciara Griffin believes Ireland Sevens star Amee-Leigh Murphy Crowe is going to "tear it up" in her first Six Nations.
Murphy Crowe has been a star on the Sevens circuit and is one of five players from that squad named in a provisional panel by Adam Griggs for the upcoming championship.
The 25-year-old Tipp flyer is a prolific scorer - she was the HSBC World Rugby Sevens series top try scorer in 2019 and named in the dream team.
Paired with Beibhinn Parsons, Ireland could have a serious twin try threat in the coming weeks.
Grouped with Wales and France this year in a revised and shortened championship format due to the pandemic, Ireland will sit out the first week's action as their pool rivals face each other this weekend.
And Ireland skipper Griffin can't wait to see Murphy Crowe in action in the 15s Test arena.
"Yeah, completely," said Griffin, who was speaking at today's Six Nations launch. "She has a brilliant rugby brain.
"She does her homework. She works so hard off the field and performs so well on the field.
"I can’t wait to see her tear it up in this campaign.
"The Sevens girls have been in camps previously so they're not new into the squad, they have been involved a long time now and they're doing brilliantly.
"They have great attitudes, they're really eager to learn, and have fitted in seamlessly.
"They have experience in 15s with their clubs and provinces, which is brilliant for us. It's nice to have fresh faces and everyone brings something different.
"They've been doing really well in camp and looking forward to hopefully seeing them get their first caps in this campaign."
Stacey Flood, Eve Higgins, Emily Lane, Grace Moore and Murphy Crowe have been part of the Ireland training squad since the enforced conclusion of the 2020 championship back in October.
Higgins is another that Griffin predicts will make the crossover with success.
"She was involved in 2017 leading up to the World Cup so she has a lot of experience of being with us as a group," she said.
"And since she came back in, she has been doing really well.
"Eve also has great rugby knowledge and it is great to see her put up her hand for selection, Hopefully it will be a great campaign for her. "
Despite the absence of competitive action for the Ireland squad, Griffin has no qualms about going straight into a Six Nations as she says they have trained as hard as they have ever done ahead of the championship kick-off.
"We can't wait, we've been chomping at the bit now for nearly six months waiting to play," the 27-year-old admitted, pointing to improvements in defensive line-speed and a more heads-up attacking approach.
"A lot of work has been done in camps as a group - we've had over 20 camps, 60 pitch sessions, so we want to get going and play a Test match.
"I won't lie, it's been a tough few months in terms of the ups and downs, the uncertainty of matches, playing and not playing.
"What's great for us is that we have matches now, we have a match in less than two weeks.
"The girls have been phenomenal, I can't commend the girls enough. They're the most resilient and dedicated group you will ever meet.
"Their commitment to the jersey is second to none and we can't wait to go out and show all the work we've done behind the scenes.
"Like I said, we've been in 20 camps as a group. We've never had that much time together, so we can't wait to go out and show the work we have been doing."
And, given the format, every game will feel like a Cup final, starting with Ireland's opener in Cardiff on Saturday week.
"It's great to get the matches with the pandemic and this format is new for us but every match is a cup final," UL Bohs star Griffin said.
"You need to win every game, there's no chances, which is what you need. It's going to be very exciting rugby and that's why I can't wait."
With talks ongoing about a possible Women's Lions squad, the onus will be on the Celtic nations making a massive effort to bridge the gap to the standards England have set.
"It’s great to hear that they are considering a Lions squad," said the flanker.
"I understand it's just a feasibility study at the moment but I’m looking forward to seeing what happens if it does go ahead."
Women’s Six Nations 2021 Fixtures
Wales v Ireland, Cardiff Arms Park, Saturday, April 10, 5pm
Ireland v France, Energia Parck, Saturday, April 17, 2:15pm
