At just 22 years old, Aoife Wafer has discovered something that many professional athletes only learn once they’ve retired - that sport can’t be their everything. But she had to figure that out the hard way. At 18, the Wexford woman fulfilled her lifelong dream of making her Irish debut in a 29-8 win against Italy in the 2022 Six Nations. However, it would be 18 months until her second cap as she ruptured her hamstring and had a gruelling recovery. A break from the sport at a pivotal time in her career led her down a dark path. But, the flanker is happy it taught her who she is outside of rugby. She told the Irish Sunday Mirror: "At the end of the day I want to be the best in the world and I'll do anything it takes to do that, but when you're injured, you can't do that. "My identity was attached to me being a rugby player. And when I wasn't a rugby player, then I didn't know who I was and I didn't know what I was. I really struggled with it. I didn't know what my purpose was. "It takes you into a lot of dark spaces and I'm just so grateful for my family and my teammates because if they hadn't pulled me out of some dark holes, I don’t know where I'd be right now. I had professional help in terms of trying to sort my head out because it's okay not to be okay. It's okay to reach out to people and be like ‘I'm not okay, I’m not myself’. "I needed the help and I'm very grateful for the people that kind of pushed me towards it because it gave me a huge perspective on life, rugby isn't everything." Outside of her busy schedule with Leinster and the Irish team, Aoife is studying physiotherapy at UCD. She always travels with a tin whistle and is an amateur photographer. Speaking as an ambassador for Aer Lingus, she continued: "When I was injured, and even when I was a kid, I just took photos of sports. "It's a nice feeling and it kind of still keeps you a part of the team because obviously you're still involved in the team huddles and you're capturing moments that they want to remember." Aoife believes there has been incredible support for women’s sports in the past few years. At the Six Nations Ireland vs England match in Virgin Media Park in Cork two weeks ago, there were almost 8,000 spectators. This marked a record for any standalone women’s match in Ireland. However, she believes there is still a way to go in supporting female athletes in this country. She said: "I think it's probably something that colleges could potentially get better at in terms of supporting professional female athletes. "The men's side is very well known, and people know how to deal with it, so I think it's just a new area for colleges that they have to explore. For women, obviously we don't earn as much as the men, but it's getting better. And I think in terms of sponsorship, it's definitely getting better as well." The player has had an incredible career for her age, especially as she was forced off the pitch for 18 months to recover. She has 14 caps for Ireland, was named Women’s Player of the Year in 2024 at the Rugby Writers of Ireland Awards and was named in the World Dream Team at the 2024 World Rugby Awards. But, one of her career highlights was getting her second cap for Ireland in the 53rd minute when Ireland beat Spain 15-13 to win the inaugural WXV3 tournament in October 2023. Aoife has attributed her signature red scrum cap to her grandmother, who passed away shortly after learning she got back on the pitch for Ireland, but before the game finished. She said: "My nana had passed away when we were out there, but what I'm so grateful for is that she passed away knowing I'd got back on for Ireland. She was on her deathbed and she was batting away all the nurses trying to get to my dad, asking him ‘Is she picked, is she back?’ "I'd given the red scrum cap that I'd worn that game to be buried with my nan. The red scrum cap is kind of for her. When she'd be watching games, she'd be giving out if, say Leinster were playing Connacht and one of the Connacht players was wearing a red scrum cap. "She had her own way of showing her support, she was a big character for me." Subscribe to our newsletter for the latest news from the Irish Mirror direct to your inbox: Sign up here.