Ireland Men’s And Women’s Sevens Squads Named For Dubai

Ireland Men recorded a seventh-place finish in the Series opener in Hong Kong last month and coming off the back of a stellar 2022 which included the memorable Rugby World Cup Sevens bronze medal, James Topping‘s side will be bidding to inject positive momentum into their campaign.

Topping has named an established 13-player squad for Dubai, with Ireland Men paired in Pool C alongside France, Spain and Uganda. The top two sides in each Pool advance through to Saturday’s quarter-finals.

Dubai marks the start of the 2023 Women’s Series and Ireland will be hoping to build on last year’s success, particularly with the added motivation of Olympic Qualification on the line this year.

The top four finishers in both the Men’s and Women’s standings will automatically secure qualification for Paris 2024, with both Ireland squads setting their sights firmly on that goal.

Head Coach Aiden McNulty has selected a strong 13-player squad for Dubai, with Lucy Mulhall once again set to lead Ireland as they prepare to face Fiji, Spain and Japan in Friday’s Pool action. McNulty’s side will be out to top Pool C to assure themselves of a place in Saturday’s knock-out rounds, as only two of the second placed teams will also advance to the quarter-final stage.

Ireland Women open their Dubai campaign against Spain on Friday morning (9am local time/5am Irish time), before Ireland face the same opposition in their curtain raiser at the Sevens Stadium (10.06am local time/6.06am Irish time).  You can watch all the World Series action live on the World Rugby Sevens website, there will be updates across Irish Rugby social channels and reports on IrishRugby.ie.

The Ireland Men’s and Women’s Development teams will also be in action in Dubai this weekend as they compete in the Invitational Tournament. Both squads will be named on Wednesday.

IRELAND MEN’S SEVENS Squad (Dubai Sevens, Sevens Stadium, December 2-3, 2022):

Niall Comerford (UCD RFC/Leinster)
Jordan Conroy (Buccaneers RFC)
Sean Cribbin (Suttonians RFC)
Ed Kelly (Dublin University FC)
Jack Kelly (Dublin University FC)
Hugo Lennox (Skerries RFC)
Harry McNulty (UCD RFC)
Bryan Mollen (UCD RFC)
Chay Mullins (Connacht/IQ Rugby)
Aaron O’Sullivan (UCD RFC)
Mark Roche (Lansdowne FC)
Andrew Smith (Clontarf FC/Leinster)
Zac Ward (Ballynahinch RFC)

IRELAND WOMEN’S SEVENS Squad (Dubai Sevens, Sevens Stadium, December 2-3, 2022):

Kathy Baker (Blackrock College RFC)
Megan Burns (Blackrock College RFC)
Amee-Leigh Murphy Crowe (Railway Union RFC)
Stacey Flood (Railway Union RFC)
Katie Heffernan (Railway Union RFC)
Eve Higgins (Railway Union RFC)
Brittany Hogan (Old Belvedere RFC)
Erin King (Old Belvedere RFC)
Vicky Elmes Kinlan (Wicklow RFC)
Emily Lane (Blackrock College RFC)
Kate Farrell McCabe (Suttonians RFC)
Lucy Mulhall (Wicklow RFC) (capt)
Béibhinn Parsons (Blackrock College RFC)

IRELAND SEVENS Schedule – Dubai Sevens:

Friday, December 2 –

• Ireland Women v Spain, Sevens Stadium, 9am local time/5am Irish time
• Ireland Men v Spain, Sevens Stadium, 10.06am local time/6.06am Irish time
• Ireland Women v Japan, Sevens Stadium, 12.21pm local time/8.21am Irish time
• Ireland Men v Uganda, Sevens Stadium, 2.36pm local time/10.36am Irish time
• Ireland Women v Fiji, Sevens Stadium, 4.13pm local time/12.13pm Irish time
• Ireland Men v France, Sevens Stadium, 7.35pm local time/3.35pm Irish time.

Saturday, December 3 –

• Play-Off Matches.