Beth Buttimer ready to conquer the international stage

By Joe Harvey

Beth Buttimer has enjoyed a sensational season and is now aiming even higher after being named in the Ireland Under-20 squad for the inaugural Women’s Summer Series.

The 18-year-old forward has already helped UL Bohemian RFC win their first AIL title in six years, while the Tipperary teenager has also represented his home province Munster three times and the Clovers in the Celtic Challenge competition.

One of the leaders of Niamh Briggs’ 28-player squad that will play three matches in 10 days in Parma, Italy, Buttimer arrives at the competition intent on continuing her winning ways.

Capable of playing at hooker and in the back row, Buttimer believes his side are up to the task ahead at the Stadio Sergio Lanfranchi.

“I think we’re all nervous, which is a good thing,” Buttimer said.

“It puts a little fire in the belly. It’s going to be a tough tournament to play in this kind of heat.

“It will be a big challenge. Three 80-minute games in two weeks is a lot with a small group of 28 players.

“We’re looking forward to it, we’re really excited and we’re just looking to do our best and put our hands up individually for the next year of rugby as well.

“We are a very passionate team. At the end of the day, it’s not really a tournament to win trophies. It’s all about development.”

“It’s a huge step up for a lot of girls because they’ve never played at this intensity in their entire lives.”

Buttimer is very comfortable on a rugby pitch.

Although she grew up in a rugby family, the 18-year-old only started playing the sport at the age of 14.

Considered too brutal for hockey and Gaelic football, the organised chaos of the rugby pitch allowed it to thrive.

A versatile forward, she even made history with her brother, Henry, when the duo made their age-grade debuts for Ireland in the same year.

The first brother-sister duo to achieve this, Buttimer has continued to improve on the pitch and is expected to play a major role in Italy.

There is still plenty to look forward to, with Buttimer hoping to stake his claim in the Irish senior squad in the coming months.

Qualifying for WXV1 with a third-place finish at the Guinness Women’s Six Nations earlier this year would be the culmination of a long-held ambition.

“That’s obviously the end goal and you always have to set your standards very high,” Buttimer said.

“You have to constantly get out of your comfort zone. Otherwise, you never improve.”

“It’s definitely in the back of my mind. There are a lot of girls on our team who are trying to get into the selection.

“But we have to keep our heads down and make sure that we are still working towards that end goal.”

The Women’s Summer Series is available to fans around the world via exclusive coverage on the Six Nations U20 YouTube channels, with additional coverage on the dedicated Six Nations U20 social media channels.