Niamh Briggs (born 30 September 1984) is a former Ireland women's rugby union international. She represented Ireland at the

2010 The year saw a multitude of natural and environmental disasters such as the 2010 Haiti earthquake, the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, and the 2010 Chile earthquake. The 2009 swine flu pandemic, swine flu pandemic which began the previous year ...

and 2014 Women's Rugby World Cups. She was also a member of the Ireland teams that won the

2013 2013 was the first year since 1987 to contain four unique digits (a span of 26 years). 2013 was designated as: *International Year of Water Cooperation *International Year of Quinoa Events January * January 5 – 2013 Craig, Alask ...

and

2015 Women's Six Nations Championship The 2015 Women's Six Nations Championship, also known as the 2015 RBS Women's Six Nations due to the tournament's sponsorship by the Royal Bank of Scotland, was the 14th series of the Women's Six Nations Championship, an annual Women's rugby unio ...

s. Briggs was a member of the first Ireland teams to defeat , and . She was captain of the Ireland team when they won the 2015 Six Nations title and was the top points scorer during both the 2013 and 2015 Six Nations championships. Briggs is also an Ireland women's rugby sevens international and has also played senior

ladies' Gaelic football Ladies' Gaelic football () is an Irish team sport for women. It is the women's equivalent of Gaelic football. Ladies' football is organised by the Ladies' Gaelic Football Association. Two teams of 15 players kick or hand-pass a round ball toward ...

for . Briggs is a

Garda Síochána (; meaning "the Guardian(s) of the Peace") is the national police and security service of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. It is more commonly referred to as the Gardaí (; "Guardians") or "the Guards". The service is headed by the Garda Commissio ...

officer based in

Limerick Limerick ( ; ) is a city in western Ireland, in County Limerick. It is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Munster and is in the Mid-West Region, Ireland, Mid-West which comprises part of the Southern Region, Ireland, Southern Region. W ...

. She resigned from An Garda Síochána in June 2024.

Early years, family and education

Briggs grew up in the

Abbeyside Abbeyside () is a townland in Dungarvan in County Waterford, Ireland. It lies on the east bank of the Colligan River. History MacGrath's Castle was a notable landmark in Abbeyside, overlooking Dungarvan Harbour, until it collapsed in January ...

Ballinacourty Ballinacourty, officially Ballynacourty (), is a rural area and townland on the southern coast of Ireland near Dungarvan, County Waterford. Transport A magnesite factory in the area was served by the last remaining part of the Waterford-Mallo ...

and

Dungarvan Dungarvan () is a coastal town and harbour in County Waterford, on the south-east coast of Ireland. Prior to the merger of Waterford County Council with Waterford City Council in 2014, Dungarvan was the county town and administrative centre of ...

areas of

County Waterford County Waterford () is a Counties of Ireland, county in Republic of Ireland, Ireland. It is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Munster and is part of the Southern Region, Ireland, Southern Region. It is named after the city of Waterford. ...

. She is the daughter of Geraldine and Michael Briggs. Her mother is a nurse and her father worked in the pharmaceutical industry. She was raised in a sporting family. Her brothers, Shane and Liam, both played

Gaelic football Gaelic football (; short name '')'', commonly known as simply Gaelic, GAA, or football, is an Irish team sport. A form of football, it is played between two teams of 15 players on a rectangular grass pitch. The objective of the sport is to score ...

for

Waterford Waterford ( ) is a City status in Ireland, city in County Waterford in the South-East Region, Ireland, south-east of Ireland. It is located within the Provinces of Ireland, province of Munster. The city is situated at the head of Waterford H ...

. Shane captained the senior team. Her sister Roisin also represented

Munster Munster ( or ) is the largest of the four provinces of Ireland, located in the south west of the island. In early Ireland, the Kingdom of Munster was one of the kingdoms of Gaelic Ireland ruled by a "king of over-kings" (). Following the Nor ...

field hockey Field hockey (or simply referred to as hockey in some countries where ice hockey is not popular) is a team sport structured in standard hockey format, in which each team plays with 11 players in total, made up of 10 field players and a goalk ...

. In her youth Briggs played field hockey and Gaelic football as well as entering

athletics Athletics may refer to: Sports * Sport of athletics, a collection of sporting events that involve competitive running, jumping, throwing, and walking ** Track and field, a sub-category of the above sport * Athletics (physical culture), competitio ...

competitions. She completed her secondary level education at

St Augustine's College, Dungarvan St Augustine's College is a co-educational secondary school in Dungarvan, County Waterford, Ireland. It was founded and is now conducted by the Irish Augustinians. The school has been located at its Duckspool campus, Abbeyside since 1972. This ...

and sat for her

Leaving Cert A secondary school leaving qualification is a document signifying that the holder has fulfilled any secondary education requirements of their locality, often including the passage of a final qualification examination. For each leaving certificate ...

in 2003. Between 2004 and 2008 she attended the

Waterford Institute of Technology The Waterford Institute of Technology (WIT; ) was an Institutes of technology in the Republic of Ireland, institute of technology, located in Waterford, Ireland. The institute had six constituent schools and offered programmes in business, engi ...

where she gained a BA in Exercise and Health Studies. As of 2018–19 Briggs is attending the

University of Limerick University of Limerick (UL) () is a Public university, public research university institution in Limerick, Republic of Ireland, Ireland. Founded in 1972, as the National Institute for Higher Education, Limerick, it became a university in Septemb ...

where she is studying

Sports Psychology Sport psychology is defined as the study of the psychological basis, processes, and effects of sport. One definition of sport sees it as "any physical activity for the purposes of competition, recreation, education or health". Sport psychology i ...

Ladies' Gaelic football

Clubs

Briggs played

at club level for Old Parish.

Inter-County

Briggs played for at the senior inter-county level. In 2005 she played in the Munster Senior Championship final against at

Páirc Uí Rinn Páirc Uí Rinn (), also known as Páirc Chríostóir Uí Rinn, is a Gaelic Athletic Association stadium located between Ballinlough and Ballintemple in Cork. It was previously known as Flower Lodge and was used as an association football ...

. On 9 July 2009 Briggs scored 2–3, including a 30-metre point, as she helped Waterford defeat 2–14 to 2–10 as they won the Munster Intermediate Championship final. In 2010 she played for Waterford in two further Intermediate finals. On 3 July she played in the Munster Intermediate Championship final as Waterford defeated . On 26 September she also played for Waterford in the 2010

All-Ireland Intermediate Ladies' Football Championship The All-Ireland Intermediate Ladies' Football Championship is a knock-out competition in the game of Ladies' Gaelic football played by women in Ireland. The series of games are organised by Ladies' Gaelic Football Association (Irish :''Cumann Pe ...

final. Waterford played a team that included Briggs' Ireland women's rugby union international teammate,

Nora Stapleton Nora Stapleton is a former Ireland women's rugby union international. Stapleton represented Ireland at the 2010, 2014 and 2017 Women's Rugby World Cups. She was also a member of the Ireland teams that won the 2013 and 2015 Women's Six Nations ...

Rugby union

Clubs

Briggs first began playing

women's rugby union Women's rugby union is a full contact team sport based on running with the ball in hand. The same laws are used in men's rugby union with the same sized pitch and same equipment. Women's rugby has become popular recently. These days, women's r ...

while attending

. She subsequently played ten-a-side with

before making the move in 2008 to the senior game with

Clonmel Clonmel () is the county town and largest settlement of County Tipperary, Republic of Ireland, Ireland. The town is noted in Irish history for its resistance to the Cromwellian conquest of Ireland, Cromwellian army which sacked the towns of Dro ...

. In 2010 she joined

UL Bohemians UL Bohemian RFC is a rugby club based in Limerick, playing in Division 2B of the All-Ireland League. It is affiliated with the University of Limerick. UL Bohemians are sponsored by UL Sport, Samurai Sports and HOMS Solicitors. The symbol of ...

after transferring to

with the

Munster

Briggs has played for

in the

IRFU Women's Interprovincial Series The IRFU Women's Interprovincial Series, previously known as the IWRFU Interprovincial Championship, is the top level women's rugby union competition in Ireland. It is organised by the Irish Rugby Football Union. It is the women's equivalent of ...

. She was recruited by Munster in 2007 after being spotted playing

tag rugby file:Tag.Rugby.Belt.jpg, Tag-rugby belt Tag rugby, Flag rugby or Rippa rugby is a non-contact team game in which each player wears a belt that has two velcro tags attached to it, or shorts with velcro patches. The mode of play is based on rugby l ...

by then Munster U21 manager, Kate McCarthy. She was subsequently a prominent member of the Munster teams that won the Interpro title in 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010 and 2012. In 2015 she was named captain of the Munster team.

Ireland international

Briggs made her debut for on 1 February

2008 2008 was designated as: *International Year of Languages *International Year of Planet Earth *International Year of the Potato *International Year of Sanitation The Great Recession, a worldwide recession which began in 2007, continued throu ...

against . Briggs subsequently represented Ireland at the

and 2014 Women's Rugby World Cups. She was also a member of the Ireland teams that won the

and

s. During the

2009 Women's Six Nations Championship The 2009 Women's Six Nations Championship, also known as the 2009 RBS Women's 6 Nations, was the eighth series of the rugby union Women's Six Nations Championship, due to the tournament's sponsorship by the Royal Bank of Scotland. England comfo ...

, Briggs was a member first Ireland team to defeat . In 2013 Briggs was a prominent member of the Ireland team that won their first ever Six Nations,

Grand Slam Grand Slam or Grand slam may refer to: Games and sports * Grand slam, winning category terminology originating in contract bridge and other whist card games Athletics * Grand Slam Track, professional track and field league Auto racing * ...

and Triple Crown titles. Briggs scored three tries and kicked 28 points and finished the championship as the top points scorer with 43. This included a try, a conversion and a penalty as Ireland defeated 25–0 on 9 February. This was Ireland's first-ever win against England. Ireland secured the Grand Slam and with a 6–3 away win against Italy on

Saint Patrick's Day Saint Patrick's Day, or the Feast of Saint Patrick (), is a religious and cultural holiday held on 17 March, the traditional death date of Saint Patrick (), the foremost patron saint of Ireland. Saint Patrick's Day was made an official Chris ...

. Two penalties from Briggs gave Ireland their fifth win in a row. Briggs was subsequently named the ''

Guinness Guinness () is a stout that originated in the brewery of Arthur Guinness at Guinness Brewery, St. James's Gate, Dublin, Ireland, in the 18th century. It is now owned by the British-based Multinational corporation, multinational alcoholic bever ...

'' Rugby Writers of Ireland Women's Player of the Year for 2013. At the

2014 Women's Rugby World Cup The 2014 Women's Rugby World Cup was the seventh edition of the Women's Rugby World Cup, and the sixth held in Europe. The World Cup Final took place on 17 August. All of the pool games for the World Cup took place at the Centre National du ...

she was a member of the first Ireland team to defeat . She scored two conversions and a penalty and set up a try for

Alison Miller Alison Beth Miller is an American mathematician who was the first American female gold medalist at the International Mathematical Olympiad. She also holds the distinction of placing in the top 16 of the Putnam Competition four times, the last th ...

as Ireland won 17–14 She was named to the tournament Dream Team. Briggs was later named the Ireland Women's Player of the Year for a second successive year. Briggs captained the Ireland team that won the

and again finished the championship as the top points scorer, this time with 49. Briggs did not feature in the

2017 Six Nations The 2017 Six Nations Championship was the 18th series of the Six Nations Championship, the annual northern hemisphere rugby union championship. The tournament was also known as the RBS 6 Nations because of the tournament's sponsorship by The Roya ...

due to a

hamstring injury Straining of the hamstring, also known as a pulled hamstring, is defined as an excessive stretch or tear of muscle fibers and related tissues. Hamstring injuries are common in athletes participating in many sports. Track and field athletes are p ...

. She recovered from this injury and was initially included in the 2017 Women's Rugby World Cup squad. However she then had to withdraw from this squad because of an

Achilles tendon The Achilles tendon or heel cord, also known as the calcaneal tendon, is a tendon at the back of the lower leg, and is the thickest in the human body. It serves to attach the plantaris, gastrocnemius (calf) and soleus muscles to the calcane ...

injury. Briggs returned to the national team for the

2018 Six Nations The 2018 Six Nations Championship (known as the Natwest 6 Nations for sponsorship reasons) was the 19th Six Nations Championship, the annual international rugby union tournament for the six major European rugby union nations. The championship wa ...

. Briggs has played for the

Ireland women's national rugby sevens team The Ireland women's national rugby sevens team participates in international competitions such as the World Rugby Women's Sevens Series, the Rugby World Cup Sevens, the Rugby Europe Women's Sevens and Rugby sevens at the Summer Olympics. Unlike t ...

in several tournaments, including the 2013 European Women's Sevens Grand Prix Series and the Kazan Tournament during the

2016 Rugby Europe Women's Sevens Grand Prix Series The 2016 Rugby Europe Women's Sevens Grand Prix Series was the top level of international women's rugby sevens competitions organised by Rugby Europe during 2016. The series featured two tournaments, one hosted in Kazan and one hosted in Malemort ...

Garda Síochána officer

Briggs was a Community

officer based at Roxboro Road Garda Station in

. She graduated from

Garda Síochána College The Garda Síochána College is the education and training college of the Garda Síochána (Irish police service). It is located at McCan Barracks, Templemore, County Tipperary in Ireland. The college has been in Templemore since 1964. Histor ...

in 2010. In her role as a community officer, she has regularly organised

rugby union Rugby union football, commonly known simply as rugby union in English-speaking countries and rugby 15/XV in non-English-speaking world, Anglophone Europe, or often just rugby, is a Contact sport#Terminology, close-contact team sport that orig ...

and

association football Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a team sport played between two teams of 11 Football player, players who almost exclusively use their feet to propel a Ball (association football), ball around a rectangular f ...

training sessions at

Garryowen Football Club Garryowen Football Club (Irish: ''Cumann Rugbaí Gharraí Eoin''), usually referred to as Garryowen, is a rugby union club from Limerick, Ireland. As at the 2024–25 season, it plays in Division 1A of the All-Ireland League. Historically, Ga ...

for children from local housing estates. In both 2013 and 2015 Briggs received the ''Coiste Siamsa'' award. The award is presented to Gardaí who have achieved success in their chosen sports and is presented by the

Garda Commissioner The Garda Commissioner () – officially known as the Commissioner of An Garda Síochána () – is the head of the Garda Síochána, the national police force of Ireland. The Garda Commissioner is appointed by the Government of Ireland (Cabine ...

. In 2013 she received she received the award from

Martin Callinan Martin Callinan (born 25 August 1953), is an Irish former Garda, who served as Garda Commissioner from 2010 to 2014. Callinan is a two-time graduate of the FBI National Academy in Quantico, Virginia, qualifying in law enforcement management ( ...

and in 2015 she received it from

Nóirín O'Sullivan Nóirín O'Sullivan (born 3 November 1960) is an Irish Garda Síochána, Garda who has served as Director of Strategic Partnerships for Europe at the International Association of Chiefs of Police since October 2017. She previously served as Garda ...

. She is no longer a member of An Garda Síochána, having resigned in June 2024

Honours

Rugby union

;

Ireland Ireland (, ; ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe. Geopolitically, the island is divided between the Republic of Ireland (officially Names of the Irish state, named Irelan ...

Women's Six Nations Championship The Women's Six Nations Championship, known as the Guinness Women's Six Nations for sponsorship purposes, is an international rugby union competition featuring six European women's national teams. It started in the 1995–96 season as the Home ...

** ''Winners'':

2015 2015 was designated by the United Nations as: * International Year of Light * International Year of Soil __TOC__ Events January * January 1 – Lithuania officially adopts the euro as its currency, replacing the litas, and becomes ...

** ''Winners'': 2013 * Triple Crown **' 'Winners'':

;

** ''Winners'': 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2012: 5 ;Individual * ''

'' Rugby Writers of Ireland Women's Player of the Year Award ** 2013, 2014 * ''Coiste Siamsa'' Award ** 2013, 2015 ; Ireland Sevens * Rugby Europe Women's Sevens Championships Plate ** ''Winners'':

Gaelic football

; *

** ''Runners up'': 2010 * Munster Intermediate Ladies' Football Championship ** ''Winners'': 2009, 2010 * Munster Senior Ladies' Football Championship ** ''Runners up'': 2005

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Briggs, Niamh 1984 births Living people Alumni of Waterford Institute of Technology Alumni of Garda Síochána College Alumni of the University of Limerick Garda Síochána officers Sportspeople from Dungarvan Irish female rugby union players Ireland women's international rugby union players Ireland international women's rugby sevens players Irish rugby sevens players Munster Rugby women's players UL Bohemians R.F.C. players Rugby union fullbacks Rugby union players from County Waterford Ladies' Gaelic footballers who switched code Waterford inter-county ladies' Gaelic footballers Police officers from County Waterford 21st-century Irish sportswomen