O’Connor contributed a try and an assist from the left wing as Ireland cemented themselves in third place with a 54-5 win over Scotland. Her first Guinness Women’s Six Nations Championship could hardly have gone any better, with four starts and two scores against Italy and the Scots.
The 20-year-old was in the senior camp before in 2024, but this has been her breakthrough season, earning her first Six Nations call-up on the back of her Celtic Challenge performances with the Wolfhounds. Her form was undeniable and saw her come in for the Italy match and hold onto the number 11 jersey.
She has managed to do so while studying for her first year exams in Business Management at TU Dublin. They began just last Tuesday, in the build-up to the clash with Scotland, and she had her ‘fingers crossed’ for her latest exam which came just 24 hours after her try-scoring exploits at the Aviva.
Reflecting on what it was like to line out at the home of Irish Rugby for the first time, the Wexford native said: “That was just such a surreal experience, I don’t think I can put it into words.
“I guess when you’re walking out (of the tunnel), you’re trying not to get too psyched out by the big crowd and stuff. You’re just trying to focus on the game ahead of you.
“But it was hard not to look around and see all the green flags and supporters, and knowing that your family and friends are in the crowd as well. It was really, really special.
“Just looking around, seeing the size of the crowd, having such a good home win with the girls, three from three home wins now. You couldn’t ask for anything better.”
O’Connor finished the tournament as a real rising star of the Irish back-line, and with 223 minutes of Test rugby under her belt. Along with her two tries, she made six line breaks, 13 tackle breaks, and four dominant tackles, and accumulated over 300 running metres from 28 carries.
A regular starter for the Ireland Under-18, Under-20, and Sevens teams in recent seasons, it is easy to forget that it was just two short years ago that she captained Loreto Wexford to their first Bank of Ireland Leinster Girls Senior Schools Cup title.
Her experience on the HSBC SVNS Series circuit in 2024/25 certainly helped to accelerate her development, beginning with her debut in Dubai towards the end of 2024, in a squad that included Erin King, the newly-appointed 15s captain, and four other members of Sunday’s matchday 23.
Each level O’Connor has gone up, she has been able to quickly adapt and thrive, fitting in seamlessly with the team and the environment. It was the same again at the weekend as she looked unruffled when handling pressure of such a momentous occasion and playing in front of a record home crowd of over 31,000.
“It was a massive game with a record-breaking crowd, and we knew the pressure was definitely on,” she admitted.
“It’s just such a special moment for Women’s rugby, and we just knew we had to go out there, put our best foot forward and show the world what we can do. I think we really did that today, so it’s very special.
“(Getting used to the crowd noise in training) 100% helped. We came out for the Captain’s Run and they had the sound of the crowd and everything. It helps you focus in on the rugby and everything around you, just focusing on what really matters.
“We knew at the time, like Galway was also a record-breaking crowd, so we knew how important it would be to just focus in and essentially drown out the noise.”
A proud product of Wexford Wanderers RFC where her dad James has done a lot of good work as an underage coach, she was delighted to deliver some big moments in front of her family and friends, as well the three busloads of young Wexford Wanderers players and coaches who were in attendance.
Noted for her footwork and her ability to beat players, whether through speed alone or her fight in contact, O’Connor cut back inside the experienced Chloe Rollie to run in a rapid second try for Ireland from just inside the Scottish 22.
Her assist for Aoife Wafer’s 39th-minute dive in under the posts was just as good. She collected a kick from Lucia Scott, sidestepped past the Scottish replacement on halfway and fended off Leah Bartlett to burst through a gap and then set up Wafer to show off her finishing skills.
On her own try and how much it meant to her to play at the national stadium, she commented: “For the try, we made a big, strong carry, I looked up, I saw the space, and then Stacey (Flood) gave me such a good ball. I just said, ‘I’ll have to back myself’, and I’m really glad I did.
“It was really special and I just really can’t put it into words. Playing in the Aviva Stadium, I don’t think I ever really imagined it as a very young girl playing rugby. I just can’t believe it.
“I think it’s just been such an amazing campaign for us. Winning the three games at home is really, really important.
“So just onwards and upwards from here. We’re going into the Global Series now at the end of the year. So just building on everything and moving forward.”
Before the recent victory over Wales in Belfast, the Old Belvedere and Leinster youngster praised Scott Bemand and his fellow coaches for the ‘huge’ support they have given her while she has broken not just into Ireland’s matchday squad, but the starting XV.
“They’ve told me to back myself because they have that belief in me,” was how she put it. How well his four new caps have taken to Six Nations rugby saw head coach Bemand reward O’Connor with four starts, while there were five appearances off the bench for Katie Whelan, four for Eilís Cahill, and two for Niamh Gallagher.
Speaking after the Scotland game, he said: “We’re in a really fortunate position where we’ve been able to get caps into people without it being wholesale changes. We’ve had new caps but being able to be consistent with selections.
“So, those girls get to come in with a high-functioning group around them. Someone like Robyn, we’ve known about Robyn for a good while. She’s a little pocket rocket. I thought she had an excellent game today.
“To be honest, we took her off (in the 49th minute) because we just wanted to get Vicky (Elmes Kinlan) on. Robyn wasn’t doing anything wrong.
“So, it bodes well for the future, doesn’t it? Where you’ve got a winger who is scoring tries, beating people, and we’ve got others that we want to get minutes into as well.”