World Cup has come 'sooner than I thought' - Bemand

Ireland head coach Scott Bemand believes his side are further along in their journey than he anticipated they would be at this stage of his tenure.

Bemand is preparing his side up for the Rugby World Cup in England next month, with Ireland drawn against Japan, Spain and New Zealand in Pool C.

Whilst pleased with their success, which includes qualifying for the tournament, beating New Zealand in the WXV1 and finishing third in the Women's Six Nations, he has been surprised by their quick progress.

"Whatever happens in this World Cup, when I was sat in the interview for this job two years ago, I was talking about Australia World Cup in 2029," he told BBC Sport NI's Orla Bannon.

"I'm not surprised with the level of performance the girls have got to, but with where we have got to, it is a bit sooner than we thought, but we won't fight it."

Bemand dismissed the notion that the World Cup is "a free hit" and is hoping his players can perform to their potential as they aim to reach the knockout stages.

"We have earned the right to be here and we're not under the radar now, we want to deliver on the world stage and if the time is now, it is now and there's an internal pressure to deliver on what we are capable of," he added.

"We have two warm-up games and by the time we get to the shores of England, we will be ready. We're concentrated on getting our best performance out there and if we do, the results will take care of themselves.

"We believe we have the capability to get to London [where the semi-finals are being held], so why not dream?"