2022 In Review: Ireland Sevens Become Podium Kings and Queens

The Ireland Women’s 7s squad kicked off 2022 with a strong showing in Malaga in January where they defeated Australia in the pool stages and then finished in 5th position overall.  The following week they secured their first ever World Series podium finish in Seville finishing in second place in a hotly contested final against Australia.

Two months later they backed up their Seville form with a second podium finish taking third place in Langford, Canada. The squad would finish the 2022 World Series season with another strong performance in Toulouse finishing in fourth place and securing fourth position overall in the HSBS World Rugby Sevens Series table for the year.

Amee Leigh Murphy Crowe topped the individual scorer charts with 36 and her effort against the USA in Langford was voted Try of the Series and she was named in the 2022 Dream Team.  The squad were named Leaders of the Series for their consistency of performance and progression across the year.

Ireland captain Lucy Mulhall was second only to New Zealand’s Charlotte Caslick on the Total Impact Player Leaderboard.  Mulhall was also the third highest points scorer on 169 points behind her team mate Murphy Crowe (180) and France’s Jade Ulutule (226).

The Men’s squad’s 2022 kicked into overdrive in Seville at the start of the year.  They had delivered solid performances in Dubai before Christmas but just missed out on a podium finish losing to Argentina in the Bronze Medal match.  In Singapore they again just fell short of a medal losing to Australia but in Toulouse they made it all the way to the final to claim a silver medal after losing in the final to Fiji (29-17).

The squad would finish the Series in fifth position overall and Terry Kennedy would top the try scoring leaderboard with 50.  Terry would also occupy second spot behind Australia’s Corey Toole on the Total Impact Player Leaderboard and was subsequently named World Rugby Men’s Sevens Player of the Year at the global awards in Monaco.

The best was yet to come as the Men’s squad looked to scale new heights at the tail end of the year.  At the Rugby World Cup Sevens in Cape Town the team secured a bronze medal defeating Australia in the play-0ff game.  The Ireland squad were on the podium with Sevens giants Fiji and New Zealand in a landmark day for the programme.

The squad were not done with 2022 yet as the new World Series season kicked into gear in Dubai where again the side reached the final to take silver after losing out to South Africa in the final.  Harry McNulty and Mark Roche were both included in the tournament Dream Team for their contribution to Ireland’s podium finish.

Massive progress has been made across the Sevens programme over the past 12 months and as every World Series point counts towards Olympic qualification, 2023 promises to bring further drama and excitement as both squads continue to compete at the highest level.