WXV Global Series: New tournament will be like ‘mini-World Cup on home soil’ for Ireland

Cantwell won an Irish women’s record 86 caps during an illustrious international career that yielded a Grand Slam success in 2013.

Now, in her role as head of women’s strategy in the IRFU, she believes it is key that the team strive to be “financially independent and not rely on the men’s game”.

“One of the big roles, this may sound black and white, but is how do we commercialise the game and how do we go on a journey that we are able to get revenue and put it back into the pathways and grassroots?

“At the moment, the women’s game, this is in women’s sport full stop, largely relies on the men’s game to be able to fund it.

“Historically, what sport will generate revenue from is tickets, broadcast and sponsorship. We are really young on that journey and what you are trying to do is get people to see that vision, understand it and buy into it.

Cantwell also added that the IRFU can learn a lot from what has been done by other female sporting organisations throughout the world, such as the Women’s Super League [WSL] in England.

“It is a big piece of work and all women’s sport is on that journey and rugby isn’t breaking through there quite yet.

“The closest is the RFU [Rugby Football Union] and they are trying to make a return in investment by 2031/33. Otherwise, the people we looked at was basketball over in America or the WSL.

“They are big sisters that you are looking at how they do it, but there are big pieces of work.”