Leadership, injury and pet peeves - the making of Ireland's King

"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. I'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."

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 77,00 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."