Getting To Know: Anna Caplice

With the Women’s World Cup right around the corner, we’ll be looking at the seven Munster ladies, who hope to make a massive impact in a home World Cup.

A historic occasion for Ireland, hosting their first Rugby World Cup, and Tom Tierney’s side, having made the semi-finals in 2014, will be looking to emulate some fine performances last time around, and cap the honour off with a first ever World Cup win.

Both captain Niamh Briggs and Heather O’Brien have previous World Cup experience, but Anna Caplice is one of the freshest face in Tierney’s squad, having won just a single cap – that against Canada in last Autumn’s internationals – but the Mallow woman is no stranger to elite rugby.

Born in Dromore, Caplice has always been a mad Munster Rugby fan, but it wasn’t until she went to school did she have her first opportunity to pick up an oval ball, and quickly progressed, joining Mallow rugby club and selected for Munster underage sides and seniors.

Back-row forward Caplice went through the Munster system, winning UL Bohemians’ Player of the Year in 2009, and progressed to Ireland sevens, and ultimately the senior team.

Anna brought the Women’s Rugby World Cup Trophy to Burnfort National School a few weeks ago, and will undoubtedly be bursting to try and represent her country in a World Cup, like the Munster players she’s followed her whole life.

Name: Anna Caplice

Date of Birth: 13 September 1989

Club: UL Bohemians

Position: Back-Row Forward

Munster Caps: 10

Ireland Caps: 1

Profession: Languages Teacher & Rugby Coach

Favourite Food: Pizza

Book you are currently reading or have just finished: Legacy James Kerr

Favourite TV programme: Reeling in the Years

Favourite Film: Ace Ventura: When Nature Calls or Love Actually or any Pixar Animation

Favourite Actor/Actress: Dermot Morgan

Most enjoyable holiday location: I’ve only been there once but Rio de Janeiro.  If I had to pick somewhere a little closer I would say Vienna.

Marooned on a desert island what could you not be without: Someone to climb the coconut tree so I wouldn’t have to deal with the spiders!

Favourite sport other than rugby: To do? Anything outdoorsy from mountain biking to Stand up paddle boarding. Just to watch? Hurling.

The sport you least like: Chess?!

Person you would most like to meet: David Attenborough

Sportsperson you admire most: Ronan O’Gara

Hobbies: Playing or listening to music, singing, dancing, watching foreign language documentaries/films and travelling.

Where and when did you first play rugby: Mallow Town Park with Mallow RFC when I was 17.  My first game of rugby was in Fermoy a couple of weeks later.

What you like most/least about being a rugby player: What I like most is the friends you make and the places it brings you.

What you’re looking forward to most about a home World Cup: Having my family and friends at games and welcoming the other teams and their supporters to Ireland.

Other sports that you played: Tennis, golf, football, camogie, fly fishing.

Best rugby memory: As a supporter I’ll never forget the ’06 and ’08 finals but as a player one memory that always sticks out in my mind is the last play of the intervarsity final in UCC against the Garda College in my first year playing for UL.

I was playing at out-half for that tournament and it had been a really tense and exciting game throughout and we were just one or two points ahead when I made a break.  I was about 15 metres out from the line when I was tackled from behind and just managed to pop the ball up from the ground to Jo O’ Meara coming through like a train and I just managed to pop my head up from the ground to see her ground the ball over the line for the try to seal the win.  It was such an incredible feeling!

Rugby team you admire most: Fiji sevens.

Sporting event you would most like to attend: Ireland in a RWC final!

How would you like to pass away the time on tour in between training: Playing the ukulele, singing songs and probably organising a céilí.

Three people you would invite to dinner and why: I would invite David Attenborough, Chris Martin and JK Rowling as a thank you for all their wonderful contributions to my life.