Gareth Steenson said he was impressed by how Ireland fly-half Dannah O’Brien coped in the “pressure cooker” of the World Cup.
The 21-year-old directed Ireland’s attack in the 42-14 win over Japan on Sunday and was perfect off the kicking tee, landing all six of her conversion attempts.
Steenson, a former fly-half who twice won the Premiership with Exeter Chiefs, is Ireland’s kicking coach for the World Cup in England.
“She has worked very hard for a number of months now,” he said.
“I’m delighted for her in that environment, it was a bit of a pressure cooker, and something a bit different with 15,000 or 16,000 out there watching.
“I’m very pleased with how she performed. It’s a big weapon for us so hopefully we can utilise it going forward.”
Upon their return to the World Cup after an eight-year absence, Steenson added that Ireland were “delighted” to start the tournament with a bonus-point win.
While praising O’Brien, who is closing in on 30 caps despite only being 21, for her individual display, he said that the Irish performance was a “collective” and the coaching team were pleased with the effort “right across the board”.
“When we look back on it there will be things we have to work on but I’m very pleased for Dannah and very pleased for the whole squad.” he added.
“We’re very fortunate in Ireland with the GAA [Gaelic Athletic Association] background and a lot of girls have a natural ability to kick the ball.
“We’ve kickers right across the board and Dannah is leading that.”
Ireland’s next game in Pool C is against Spain at Franklin’s Gardens on Sunday (12:00 BST).
