Ireland's Scott Bemand has claimed that the Women's Six Nations is a good competition.
The Irish women's team has struggled to gain any ground over the better teams in the competition and was trounced in England last weekend. England, who have won five consecutive titles and are close to a sixth, beat Bemand's team 88-10.
Ireland now faces Scotland this weekend, and a win would seal a top-three finish and World Cup qualification, a huge improvement on previous years.
When asked if he thinks the current Six Nations format is suitable, the Ireland coach said it was.
“I think the fact that people are talking about it shows how much interest there is,” Bemand said to RTE Sport. “Do I think it’s a viable competition? Yes, I do.
“People and the media generally want quick fixes for things. There’s investment going in, and there’s focus being put on it."
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Bemand also recognises that getting to England's level will take time, and the IRFU has to find a way to bridge the gap between the sides if it wants to do so.
“I was involved in the England programme when it really started with professionalism. I remember my first dealings with the Six Nations. The girls were teaching and working as firefighters, and they were out and having to come in from a place of work to do the Six Nations and then go back out," he added.
“I remember sessions with Sarah Hunter at Bath University, and we had some lights, and we were trying to get a session with six or seven girls on a Monday evening. So, that started somewhere. That was six or seven years ago, and things have quite quickly accelerated within that programme.
“There will be some pieces that we can say, 'Well, we can use that intel.' We can use what worked and what didn’t, hopefully streamlining and being more efficient about how quickly we can get there. The IRFU already has some pieces in place, which I believe will add to that. How quickly that gap is bridged remains to be seen.”
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