Player Interviews
Rachael Kohler - Cork Harlequins

While Cork Harlequins have never managed a win over ESB IHL semi-final opponents, Pegasus, former Ireland captain Rachael Kohler - and current record caps holder - believes the large scale turnover of players at both clubs in the past season means her side will have little hang-up when Saturday comes.

Kohler is one of four survivors – Karen Bateman, Hilary and Jane Chapple the other trio – from the Munster women’s only success on the national stage a decade ago in the Irish Senior Cup.

But in recent times, the Cork women have come up against a Pegasus hoodoo which has stunted their ambitions on the Irish stage.
The arrival, though, of Sinead McCarthy from Poynton in England along with Lesle-Ann Daunt, Jane Bourke and the rise of young prospect Acacia Taylor at season’s start considerably strengthened their pack. And they managed to retain the Munster title last week for an unprecedented 15th year in succession.

With Pegasus also enduring a large player turnover with Jill Orbinson, Katherine Maybin and Alex Speers moving on, Kohler believes that any psychological scars from days gone by will be less apparent on Saturday (12.30pm, Grange Road).
“It’s probably very different from previous years. We’ve had this idea in the past that we’d never be able to beat Pegasus, when you’ve continuously lost to the same team.

“But an awful lot of our players don’t even know who Pegasus are so you can’t really look back too much historically on the fixture at all.

“Our squad this year is a real mix and it’s worked really well for us with the experience to steady the ship and the youth to bring a lot of excitement, particularly in the forwards so hopefully that should stand to us this weekend.”

Like Pegasus, Quins have recently annexed their provincial championship following a late flurry of fixture.

But the quality of recent fixtures – three battles with fellow title contenders UCC and one with Catholic Institute – has been a huge boost for the Farmer’s Cross outfit in the run up to the biggest game of their season.

Quins have often had it their own way in that past decade and a half but the students and, latterly, Institute, have closed the margins in recent times.

“Those matches have definitely helped. Before the Munster league may have been one or two team race but this year every game was challenging.  In the last few weeks, we’ve had quite a few pressurised games so we’re hoping this will stand to us.
“Saturday will be a much bigger occasion but we’re used to a couple of must-win league games already in the past few weeks.”

For Kohler, it is also her first shot at the ESB IHL crown as one of the players unavailable to play this time last year. The new and innovative nature of the competition, though, has helped motivate her this time round and to right a few unfortunate statistics.
“I’m really looking forward to it after not playing last season. One of our aims all season was to get to these finals weekend and, in general, the ESB IHL games have been a great incentive for me and I know for some of the older players as well.

“It’s something different, a new challenge. We beat Ballymoney away this year. I don’t think we’d ever beaten them up there so those extra challenges were great spur to our season.

Interview conducted by Stephen Findlater, Freelance Journalist on behalf of the IHA