Ireland second row Dorothy Wall says the new Ireland women's manager Scott Bemand has brought new dimensions to the team ahead of the Six Nations.
It is the start of a new era for this side, who will be aiming to overcome a difficult 2023 Six Nations which saw them receive the wooden spoon, which brought the end to Greg McWilliams time in charge.
Ireland get their campaign under way on Saturday, when they take on France in Le Mans, as they target a top three finish to qualify for the World Cup.
For Wall, the Munster forward, the disappointment of last year's campaign took some time to overcome.
“You definitely need a grieving period after something like that, just to be able to centre yourself, spend time with friends and family, do things a normal person would. With college and stuff, I had to check into that straight after the tournament.
"It was really hard picking myself back up and finding out what you know about yourself and the team; it’s definitely a process. When you are in those lows, the lowest of lows, the only way is up really."
While it will be the first Six Nations in charge of Ireland for Bemand, a former women's attack coach for England, Ireland will go into the Six Nations with some momentum.
Ireland had three wins in the WXV tournament in November, an experience Wall has found valuable to give the team time to gel.
"“We needed to remember what it felt like to win. Against Spain, we kind of had to grind that out, because they were the hardest of the three teams to play against. It was a month away, the whole squad together. We learned a lot, we trained really hard, it was like 42 degrees over there.
"People passing out, ice baths everywhere, you are just trying to survive the conditions. It was really tough, but so rewarding as well. It was a great trip for us. We are under no illusions the Six Nations is a very different best to WXV.
"Scott's made me realise there are a lot more dimensions to rugby than I was even aware of. It's constantly expanding our rugby IQ, and asking questions and emphasising certain parts of the game that maybe we weren't aware that were so important.
"It's definitely a more rounded overall knowledge that he's bringing to the game, and it's been really important. It has been eye opening for a lot of us. We're just continuously trying to take on board that information and bring it to training and then execute into matches.
