RWC2025 | Captain Sam Monaghan, head coach Scott Bemand and Eve Higgins react after Ireland lose to France

Captain Sam Monaghan, head coach Scott Bemand and Eve Higgins react after Ireland lose to France in their quarter-final at Sandy Park on Sunday.

Sam Monaghan, captain

On how tough the result is to take:

"We're heartbroken. It went to the death. We took them to a dark place. It was in our hands. I am so proud of this group and where we've come. Two years ago we were playing in WXV3 and now we have a quarter-final in us. 

"After last week's performance we showed we can perform and I can see it in the girls' faces they are absolutely heartbroken. To all our fans who have supported us, they have travelled, taken time off work, they have come in their tribes, I want to say thank you so much. We felt so supported through this tournament. We are sorry we couldn't get over the line today but we put our hearts and bodies on the line."

On whether they thought they had scored enough points in the first half:

"If we had got that score before half-time, we would have had more of an edge at half-time. The girls have nothing left to give and I can't ask for any more. I am so incredibly proud. The conditions were tough in the first half. We played them in the second half, but unfortunately France had that edge on us."

On the importance of the experience:

"It's not just the experience but it's the belief we have in ourselves and each other. This is only the beginning for us. We have an opportunity to play in the Aviva next year, which shows how this game is growing. This is going to hurt for a long, long time, probably until the next one comes around, but it doesn't take away from how proud I am in this group and what we've shown in this World Cup."

Scott Bemand, head coach 

On whether it was a lack of experience and composure that led to defeat:

"It didn't just come down to the end. The end of the first half, we understood the potential ramifications of that. We had a points tally in our head that we thought we'd need to get to. That was a critical moment in the game. Things can happen, I've been in that space before where one call one way or the other, a finger tip that way or not, you're either in the game or you're over. 

"I want to say well done to France. They stuck in it after a tough first half for them. Our girls will keep getting better. A good number of them will be around for the next World Cup and they definitely are going to be a different-looking side by the time we get to Australia 29."

On whether he thought the half-time lead was enough:

"Yeah, we did. We didn't sit on the lead, we tried to score again, which is why the missed opportunity at the end of the first half was a big moment. But saying that, in the second half we had opportunities as well. We created the pressure that created the chance to finish it. Scoring at the end there, it would have been a tough kick but it would have kept us alive in a sudden-death scenario."

On whether Ireland are now at the top table of world rugby:

"We'll keep going after it. We don't say we're the finished package yet. If you look at the age profile across the group, there will be a couple who move on; that's the same in any cycle. But there's another crop of good youngsters coming through who will add to the group. This group now become the middle tier where people have got 30 caps and they're 22 or 23 years old. They're going to keep getting better, they are learning to handle occasions better, but this one stings because we feel there were chances out there that we didn't convert."

Eve Higgins

On her emotions:

"Oh, we're sad. We came very close to reaching a semi-final. It was the goal. We had moments where we could have possibly scored. Full credit to the girls; we put in an absolute shift. I couldn't have asked for more."

On the chat at half-time:

"We wanted to score at the end of the first half. We knew the conditions were tough but we still felt we had the ability to go into the second half and win the game. We had chances to do that right up to the very last minute. We fell just short."

On what was said at the end in the Irish huddle:

"Sam spoke well, the pride that she felt in us, the squad effort as a whole. It's not just the 23 people that got the jersey today, it's the 32 that came and the girls who didn't make it. We're just proud."