Ireland women's national rugby sevens team

Last updated
Ireland
Irish rugby union textlogo.svg
Emblem Shamrock
Union Irish Rugby Football Union
Head coach Anthony Eddy
CaptainLucy Mulhall
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Kit left arm.svg
Kit body whitecollar.png
Kit body.svg
Kit right arm thinwhiteborder.png
Kit right arm.svg
Kit shorts.svg
Kit socks whitetop.png
Kit socks long.svg
First colours
Kit left arm thinblackborder.png
Kit left arm.svg
Kit body claretcollar.png
Kit body.svg
Kit right arm thinblackborder.png
Kit right arm.svg
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Second colours
World Cup
Appearances3
Best result6th
Website www.irishrugby.ie

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. [1] Unlike the Ireland women's national rugby union team, the sevens team is a professional team with players contracted to the Irish Rugby Football Union. [2] [3]

Contents

World Rugby Women's Sevens Series

Ireland first competed in the World Rugby Women's Sevens Series as an invited team in 2012–13. They entered the 2013 China Women's Sevens and won the Plate competition. After finishing as quarter-finalists in the 2013 Rugby World Cup Sevens, Ireland qualified to be a core team for 2013–14. [4] Ireland did not participate in 2014–15 but returned as a core team in 2015–16 after finishing as runners up to Japan in a qualifying tournament hosted at UCD Bowl in August 2015. [5] Ireland remained as a core team for 2016–17 and 2017–18. Ireland have never won a Cup at any of the Series tournaments but they have won Challenge Trophies, Plates and Bowls. Ireland's best performance in the Series came in 2016–17 when they finished ninth overall and gained their first ever wins against Fiji, England and France. [6] In April 2017 Sene Naoupu scored three tries as Ireland won the Challenge Trophy at the 2017 Japan Women's Sevens, defeating Spain 26–7 in the final. [7] In 2016 and 2017 they also won two successive Challenge Trophies at the Dubai Women's Sevens. [8] [9]

Season by season

Ireland at the World Series
SeasonRankPointsEventsBest eventMost triesMost points
2012–13 11th121/45th (China) Alison Miller (6) Alison Miller (30)
2013–14 13th115/59th (China]) Martina McCarthy (7) Martina McCarthy (35)
2014–15 Did not participate
2015–16 12th115/59th (USA]) Murphy Crowe/Mulhall (9) Lucy Mulhall (89)
2016–17 9th346/67th (Canada) A.L. Murphy Crowe (21) A.L. Murphy Crowe (105)
2017–18 10th295/56th (Canada) A.L. Murphy Crowe (18) A.L. Murphy Crowe (90)
2018–19 8th416/64th (Sydney) A.L. Murphy Crowe (35) A.L. Murphy Crowe (175)
2019–20 10th155/57th (USA) A.L. Murphy Crowe (14) A.L. Murphy Crowe (70)
2021–22 4th746/62nd (Seville) A.L. Murphy Crowe (36) A.L. Murphy Crowe (180)
2022–23 5th747/74th (Three events) A.L. Murphy Crowe (30) Lucy Mulhall (164)
2023–24 (League)7th667/71st (Perth) A.L. Murphy Crowe (33) A.L. Murphy Crowe (165)
2023–24 (Grand Final)6th1/1 A.L. Murphy Crowe (7) A.L. Murphy Crowe (35)
Total36754/631st (Perth) A.L. Murphy Crowe (197) A.L. Murphy Crowe (985)

Tournaments

Rugby World Cup Sevens

Ireland made their Rugby World Cup Sevens debut at the 2013 tournament. They qualified after finishing sixth in the 2012 Sevens Women Grand Prix Series. The team was captained by Claire Molloy and they reached the quarter-finals, finishing seventh overall. [6] [10] [11]

The Ireland women's sevens team and the Ireland women's national rugby union team has often used the same set of players. For example, the 2018 Women's Six Nations Championship squad included nine rugby sevens internationals. [12] This has occasionally led to conflicts of interest. In February 2017 Sene Naoupu, Alison Miller and Hannah Tyrrell were controversially withdrawn from Ireland's 2017 Women's Six Nations Championship squad in order to represent the Ireland Sevens in the 2017 USA Women's Sevens. The reasoning behind this decision was that the Ireland Sevens were chasing a top eight finish in the 2016–17 World Rugby Women's Sevens Series in order to qualify for the 2018 Rugby World Cup Sevens. [2] [3] Ireland eventually finished ninth in the Series but subsequently qualified for the World Cup after finishing third in the 2017 Rugby Europe Women's Sevens Grand Prix Series. [6]

Rugby World Cup Sevens
YearRoundPositionPldWLD
Flag of the United Arab Emirates.svg 2009 Did not qualify
Flag of Russia.svg 2013 Plate Semifinalists7th5230
Flag of the United States.svg 2018 5th Place Final6th4220
Flag of South Africa.svg 2022 7th Place Final7th4220
Total0 Titles3/413670

Rugby Europe Women's Sevens

Ireland first competed in the Rugby Europe Women's Sevens in 2006. Their best performances in the tournament were in 2016 and 2017 when they finished third on both occasions. [6] [13]

Olympics

In their attempt to qualify for the 2016 Summer Olympics, Ireland competed in a series of qualifying tournaments including the 2015 Rugby Europe Women's Sevens Championships, the 2015 Rugby Europe Women's Sevens Olympic Repechage Tournament and the 2016 Rugby World Women's Sevens Olympic Repechage Tournament. However they were unsuccessful in their bid to qualify. [14] [15] [16]

The team automatically qualified for the 2024 Summer Olympics on May 24, 2023, in a 10–5 win over Fiji. [17]

Olympic Games record
YearRoundPositionPldWLD
Flag of Brazil.svg 2016 Did Not Qualify
Flag of Japan.svg 2020
Flag of France.svg 2024 5th–8th place playoff8th6150
Total0 Titles1/36150

Players

Current squad

Squad named for the 2024-25 World Rugby HSBC Sevens Series in Dubai from the 30–1 December.

Caps updated to the latest date: 26 November 2024

Flag of Ireland.svg Ireland Women 7's
PlayerPositionDate of birthMatchesPoints scoredClub
Amee-Leigh Murphy Crowe Back April 26, 19952321015 Railway Union RFC
Stacey Flood Back August 5, 1996222234 Railway Union RFC
Eve Higgins Back June 23, 1999195442 Railway Union RFC
Emily Lane Back January 10, 199914870 Blackrock College RFC
Megan Burns Back April 9, 2000142100 Blackrock College RFC
Erin King Forward October 21, 200310935 Old Belvedere RFC
Beibhinn Parsons Forward November 30, 2001104310 Blackrock College RFC
Kathy Baker Forward June 23, 19989035 Blackrock College RFC
Vicki Elmes Kinlan Forward February 21, 20036670 Wicklow RFC
Anna McGann Forward June 4, 19985820 UCD RFC
Clare Gorman Forward June 23, 200160 Old Belvedere RFC
Hannah Clarke Back June 28, 200555 Tuam/Oughterard RFC
Robyn O'Connor Back July 15, 200550 Wexford Wanderers RFC
Coach: Allan Temple Jones
2024–25 World Rugby Women's Sevens Series
2018 Rugby World Cup Sevens squad

Head coach: Flag of Australia (converted).svg Anthony Eddy

No.Pos.PlayerDate of birth(age)Union / Club
1 FW Audrey O'Flynn February 20, 1987 (aged 31)IRFU flag.svg IRFU
2 BK Hannah Tyrrell August 10, 1990 (aged 27)IRFU flag.svg Old Belvedere
3 BK Stacey Flood August 5, 1996 (aged 21)IRFU flag.svg Railway Union
4 FW Kathy Baker July 6, 1994 (aged 24)IRFU flag.svg Blackrock
5 BK Amee-Leigh Murphy-Crowe April 26, 1995 (aged 23)IRFU flag.svg Railway Union
6 FW Ashleigh Baxter December 21, 1991 (aged 26)IRFU flag.svg Cooke
7 FW Katie Fitzhenry April 23, 1989 (aged 29)IRFU flag.svg Blackrock
8 BK Aoife Doyle June 2, 1995 (aged 23)IRFU flag.svg Shannon
9 BK Lucy Mulhall (c)September 29, 1993 (aged 24)IRFU flag.svg Rathdrum
10 BK Eve Higgins June 23, 1999 (aged 19)IRFU flag.svg Railway Union
11 BK Louise Galvin April 3, 1987 (aged 31)IRFU flag.svg UL Bohemians
12 FW Deirbhile Nic a Bhaird September 22, 1995 (aged 22)IRFU flag.svg UL Bohemians
13 FW Claire Boles May 28, 1998 (aged 20)IRFU flag.svg Railway Union

Source: [18]

Award winners

The following Ireland Sevens players have been recognised at the World Rugby Awards since 2013: [19]

Honours

Cups
Challenge Trophies
Plates
Bowls
Notes

See also

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References

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