Orla Chennaoui: Rugby-loving NI sports journalist has ‘dream come true’ as she covers first Ireland match

TNT Sport journalist Orla Chennaoui took to social media to share her delight after masking Eire’s 52-17 defeat of Fiji from pitchside at Dublin’s Aviva Stadium, alongside Irish rugby legends Brian O’Driscoll and Simon Zebo.

“Effectively, that was a little-girl’s-dream-come-true sort of day. I’ve labored in elite skilled sport for a very long time now, however this was my first time attending to cowl an Eire rugby match,” Chennaoui wrote on Instagram.

“Shall I share a narrative about Eire and why I got here to like rugby a lot as a child? It’s as a result of it was one of many few video games, once I was rising up, that we performed collectively as a nation.

“I used to be introduced up a Catholic in a deeply and violently divided Northern Eire. Whereas my love for Gaelic sports activities got here from the very coronary heart of our neighborhood, from the guts of our household, rugby was one of many few sports activities that introduced each communities collectively.”

Rising up in Draperstown, a predominantly Catholic village in Co Derry, the previous all-Eire triple leap champion recalled how she would “belt out Amhrán na bhFiann at Gaelic soccer matches,” however added the rugby anthem “was totally different.”

“It was a sporting anthem that belonged to everybody and belonged to rugby particularly,” she wrote.

She added: “I’ve all the time been proudly Irish and proudly Northern Irish, and this was one of many few sports activities the place I didn’t have to decide on allegiance between the 2.

“So, my love for rugby is deeply rooted in a love for Eire taking part in rugby particularly. To be pitch-side, to get to cowl the sport alongside legends @brianodriscoll and @simonzebo, was very particular certainly. And an terrible lot of craic.”

She added: “A pleasure of a day from begin to end, and I actually hope you loved it with us.”