Erin King has been appointed captain of the Ireland rugby team at just 22, following a year-long recovery from a serious knee injury. This decision reflects the coach's confidence in her potential despite her limited experience.
Key points
Erin King appointed captain of Ireland rugby team at 22
She returned from a year-long knee injury
Only six caps prior to captaincy
Coach Scott Bemand showed faith in her potential
King was speechless upon receiving the news
Mentioned in this story
Erin KingScott Bemand
Ireland rugby team
From being told she might not ever run again to taking the Ireland captaincy at 22, it has been a whirlwind 12 months for Erin King.
She had just returned from a year-long knee injury when she got called into Ireland head coach Scott Bemand's office.
Initially she thought she was in trouble, but the question could not have been further from that as Bemand asked her to lead Ireland into the Six Nations.
After a career-threatening injury, it was a huge show of faith to a player who only had six caps to her name.
"I'm not normally speechless, but I was a little bit speechless in that moment," King told the Ireland Rugby Social podcast.
"I was immensely proud and it was an absolute privilege and honour to get to be asked to captain such an amazing team.
"I already felt like I was living a dream, getting to play alongside these legends, but to lead them out is just beyond my wildest dreams."
'Rugby made me feel accepted'
King's journey to the Women's Six Nations was not conventional.
Born in Australia to English parents, she moved around the world a lot when she was young.
A kid full of energy, she was introduced to rugby at a young age - so young in fact there is a photo of her outside the stadium at the Rugby World Cup final in 2003 in Sydney, when she was just a few weeks old.
The Irish connection came from her grandfather and, after living in Dubai, she moved to Wicklow as she started secondary school.
Reflecting on that time in her life, King said rugby became "the one constant".
"That's why I really enjoyed it because everything else was changing, like school and where I was living," King said.
"Wherever I've lived around the world, I've always been really accepted into rugby clubs and that's where I made friends."
Erin King and Emily LaneImage source, Getty Images
Image caption,
King's strength to lift Emily Lane at the Paris Olympics - and safely set her back down again - went viral
After starting at Naas Rugby Club when she moved to Ireland, where she got told she was "too aggressive" as she played with girls for the first time, her love for the sport grew.
But it was not until the Covid-19 pandemic that she decided she wanted to make it her career.
King's time in green only started through Rugby Sevens, which she says played a "massive part" of her journey as she featured at the Paris Olympics as a 20-year-old.
Q&A
What led to Erin King's appointment as Ireland rugby captain?
Erin King was appointed captain after returning from a year-long knee injury, demonstrating the coach's trust in her abilities despite her limited experience.
How many caps did Erin King have before becoming captain?
Before becoming captain, Erin King had only six caps to her name.
What was Erin King's reaction to being named captain of Ireland?
Erin King described her reaction as being speechless when she was asked to lead the team.
Who is the head coach that appointed Erin King as captain?
Scott Bemand is the head coach who appointed Erin King as the captain of the Ireland rugby team.
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"It really normalised getting to play in big stadiums in front of loads of people and there's a lot of pressure in Sevens.
"If you make one mistake and it's a try. It's probably a blessing now that I got thrown into the deep end like that."
She says that feeling "stuck with me" as she transitioned into the 15-a-side game following the Paris Games.
Bemand handed her a debut in Ireland's superb win over Australia that October, and she then scored two tries in a famous win over New Zealand in WXV1.
'I found it really tough'
But just six months after her heroics against the Black Ferns, which was followed with the World Rugby's breakthrough player of the year award, she was sidelined with a knee injury sustained against England in the Six Nations.
She felt it in the first play, but fought through the pain and played the full game.
"At the end of the game, I didn't think too much of it. I was like, 'oh, it's a bit sore but I'll be fine'.
"I went to the physios and I did the jumping and the squat, and they thought it seemed okay but they would scan it in case."
But the results were not good, which King said left her "heartbroken". She would not only miss the rest of the Six Nations, but also the World Cup in the autumn.
Initially, she had been warned "I might not run again and that I might not play again".
"I'd never missed a day of training and I'd never been injured in my life," she said.
"Rugby just brings me so much joy and purpose and I couldn't imagine life without it.
"I was really down, if I'm being honest, and I found that period really tough."
Scott Bemand and Erin KingImage source, Inpho
Image caption,
Scott Bemand has showed a huge amount of faith in King by naming her as captain
Offering an insight into her mindset, King says that laziness is "one of my biggest pet peeves".
King said she did 10-hour days in rehab as she wanted to "control everything I could" in her recovery.
Almost a year to the day from her injury, she made her return in green, this time as captain, against England in front of 77,000 fans at Allianz Stadium.
She admitted she was "really emotional" in the week leading up to the game and it "felt a little surreal", and she has a "newfound gratefulness" of playing the sport she loves.
"It's given me this whole new perspective and it can be taken away from you like that," she said.
"A big part of the way I want to captain this team is the person before the player.
"If you're happy, enjoying yourself and you feel welcome and happy in your environment, you're going to play better."
The 'Green Wave' is a name that has been adopted for the Irish support, and King has introduced her own "undercurrent" to help bond the group.
It is her way of recognising "all the little moments that add up to create these amazing moments".
"I really like placing emphasis on the little bits and pieces and the unseen work," she said.
"Having this never say die attitude and chasing lost causes, because you don't know which moment is going to matter and what could create magic."
'This team is capable of so much'
Media caption,
Erin King: Leading from the front
After Ireland beat Italy to bounce back from their loss to England, King will lead the green wave over to France in their third fixture.
While France have been the nearest challengers to the all-conquering Red Roses in the Six Nations, Ireland have pushed them close in recent fixtures, including last year's World Cup quarter-final.
King said she was "absolutely gutted" for her team-mates, but it also gave her hope for the future.
"It was really positive when you look at how far the team has come.
"The fact that we're that disappointed that we didn't win a World Cup quarter-final, I really do think we've bridged that gap between ourselves and the top four in the world."
And King is not short of ambition, either.
"I'm not afraid to say it, I will be disappointed if we don't come top two in the Six Nations.
"It's not a pressure thing, it's more of an expectations thing because I do think this team is capable of so much.
"I think a lot of girls have frustrations from that game, and it is probably that little bit more personal because of what happened at the World Cup."
