‘I thought ‘I can’t turn this down’

Perry qualifies via her maternal grandfather, William Foster, who hailed from Derry, and she spoke fondly on Thursday before the squad flew to England of how her mum would tune into Ireland’s Six Nations game down the years.

Irish sport has leaned heavily on the diaspora down the years but the idea of switching allegiances having represented other jurisdictions at the elite level is a more modern phenomenon and one that doesn’t sit well with everyone.

Declan Rice is the most famous example of that in an Irish context, the now Arsenal midfielder having represented the Republic of Ireland from U17 through to senior level, where he played three times, before declaring for his native England.

It was in late 2021 that World Rugby introduced a regulation that allowed players to switch countries where there was a familial link once they had served a three-year period without featuring for their original national team.

“It’s just such an amazing opportunity to be part of this is,” said Perry of her move. “I just wanted to take it with both hands and be able to say that I’ve represented Ireland and had the honor and the privilege to even be invited.

“I thought, ‘I can’t turn it down’.” The sheer speed of all this is, if anything, more eye-catching. It’s less than a month, July 21st to be exact, since Perry received a text from Ireland head coach Scott Bemand asking if she was free for a chat.

Bemand had been assistant coach with England during Perry’s time in that squad and the front row was playing her club rugby at Gloucester-Hartpury alongside Sam Monaghan and Neve Jones, two key forwards in the Irish setup.

So she was on the radar.

It was when loosehead Christy Haney picked up an injury that will ultimately keep her out of the World Cup that Bemand scrolled through his old contacts and sent out the SOS to Perry who hasn’t played for England since late 2020.

The logistics weren’t straightforward with the player scrambling to organize childcare for her three-year old son Herbert, and to smooth everything over with the company where she works in admin capacity.

“It was crazy. So I got that sorted and I rang back [the same] evening and said, ‘Yeah, I’ll come into camp’.”

The third remarkable part of this story is that Perry had actually retired from rugby after the birth of her son three years ago only to be persuaded back into the club game by then Gloucester-Hartpury head coach and current Wales boss Sean Lynne.

“Before I had my son, I’d kind of had a bit of a love-hate relationship with rugby. I put loads of pressure on myself, and I kind of fell out with a love of the game. Then we had my son, and after that I kind of watched it on the telly.

“I saw what they were doing at Gloucester-Hartpury and I just got the itch to go back a little bit. I didn’t mention anything and then Lynney messaged to ask would I like to go out for a cup of coffee. I wasn’t sure. I really wasn’t sure.” 

Starting a family helped to change her mindset. Now she was playing for herself. If anything, rugby was a break from everything else, rather than the focus it once had been. It kept her fit and healthy and it offered interaction with the team at large.

When once she “dreaded” training, now she loves it and it was reflected in what was her last call-up with England, which was to an extended squad prior to the 2024 Six Nations. Ireland wasn’t even mapped for her at that stage, but look at her now.

“It’s been a whirlwind couple of weeks,” she smiled.