News that Aoife Wafer’s knee injury makes it unlikely she will recover in time for the World Cup is disastrous for her and her nation. Even the knock-out stages in eight weeks’ time make a full recovery highly unlikely.
With this latest misfortune Ireland lose a third vital member of the back five. We already knew of Dorothy Wall and Erin King’s absence; a third makes the world seem a very unfair place. Not even the welcome return of Sam Monaghan to the fold can compensate adequately.
Scott Bemand has been building his squad up, finding the necessary support strength across the park. But three leading performers in one sector? That’s the opposite of Irish luck.
The Outlook
Every World Cup deserves to have all its top players in action. But it rarely happens.
We have a torrent of prepation matches coming through the next weeks. I have long been concerned about more names being added to this melancholy number.
The Girls in Green may still feel confident of beating Japan and Spain, less so New Zealand. And their ambitions were bound to be higher: of repeating their advance to the 2014 semis.
There are heartwaring precedents of recovery from serious injury, in time for a big appointment – Abby Down being a notably example.
We can only hope.
