Ireland Women Move Up To Fourth In World Series Standings

Ireland faced three of the world’s current top five teams on day two in Hamilton, firstly taking out the fourth-seeded French with an impressive 24-7 Cup quarter-final win.

However, hosts and eventual champions New Zealand dominated the semi-final, handing Aiden McNulty’s side a 32-0 defeat, before Ireland were denied a third ever World Series medal by a strong Australian outfit.

Parsons, who topped the DHL Impact Player tracker, took her Hamilton haul to five tries in the Bronze final, while Eve Higgins also crossed the whitewash, but Tim Walsh’s charges ran out 33-17 winners.

It is back-to-back fourth place finishers for the Ireland Women, who have climbed above France into fourth in the overall World Series standings. The top four teams at the end of the season will qualify for the 2024 Olympics.

Captain Lucy Mulhall and her team-mates, including the newly-capped Natasja Behan, will be back in action at next week’s Sydney leg where they have been drawn in Pool C with home side Australia, Spain and Brazil.

Parsons pointed the way for Ireland in the quarter-final, winning turnover ball and then, a few phases later, evading Joanna Grisez’s tackle to race over from 40 metres out. Mulhall converted.

Higgins ripped the ball away in a tackle to halt a French attack, and after Ireland lifted the tempo from an advanced scrum position, Amee-Leigh Murphy Crowe’s clever line onto a Mulhall pass took her in behind the posts.

The Ireland skipper’s conversion put 14 points between the sides, the gap remaining in place thanks to a terrific tackle from Higgins on French replacement Lucy Hapulat who had looked set to score.

Emily Lane was also quick to hoover up a loose French pass, and Ireland’s swarming defence was led by Higgins again on the restart, as her driving tackle on Chloé Pelle led to a subsequent turnover.

Higgins then turned provider, sidestepping into space from a tapped penalty and releasing Megan Burns on the outside to sprint clear of Hapulat and make it 19-0.

As France attempted to respond, Hapulat was sin-binned for a high tackle on Lane. Quick ruck ball, good lines of running, and two final passes from replacements Kate Farrell McCabe and Claire Boles put Parsons over to complete her brace.

Sprung from the bench, Séraphine Okemba cut in off the right wing and accelerated clear for a 12th-minute try. Ireland’s defence held firm for the remainder with Mulhall and Murphy Crowe both prominent in keeping les Bleues out.

18-year-old talent Jorja Miller bagged a brace of first half tries for New Zealand in the Cup semi-final, scoring inside the opening minute after Stacey Fluhler and Michaela Blyde had gained the initial ground.

Ireland had limited possession and a rare knock-on from Mulhall was duly punished, the hosts clinically used scrum possession to flood out to the left where Miller showed her finishing skills when arrowing through a gap.

There were positives for the girls in green in the lead up to half-time, Murphy Crowe jinking her way up towards halfway and a Mulhall kick had Blyde under some pressure.

However, 12-0 became 32-0 in the end, Fluhler’s impressive work from restarts allowing New Zealand to strike quickly again on the restart. A pacy attack ended with Fluhler scoring in the right corner.

Space was created for Blyde to blaze over on the left and Portia Woodman-Wickliffe came off the bench to run in their fifth try, fending off Behan in the process.

Blyde evaded the clutches of Vicky Elmes Kinlan to complete the scoring, with Ireland’s only real second half opportunity seeing a Mulhall kick beat the chasing Murphy Crowe into touch.

The Bronze final marked Australia’s 300th World Series match, a first for a Women’s team, and they took the lead after just 32 seconds. Bienne Terita charged clear from inside her own half to put them on the board.

Ireland quickly closed the gap to 7-5, a free-flowing move ending with Anna McGann’s brilliant offload out of a double tackle which sent Higgins on her way to the try-line.

Nonetheless, the Australians developed a crucial cushion just before the break, as 19-year-old starlet Terita doubled her tally with another lung-busting run and Maddison Levi set up Charlotte Caslick to make it 19-5.

Teagan Levi’s early second half try was cancelled out by an excellent Parsons score, the Ballinasloe native using a classy sidestep to carve her way through from just over 50 metres out. Mulhall converted.

Sariah Paki’s breakaway effort had Australia too far in front, but Parsons managed to punish Faith Nathan’s sin-binning – for a deliberate knock-on – with a fine finish past Teagan Levi for her second try.

IRELAND WOMEN’S SEVENS Squad (HSBC New Zealand Sevens, FMG Stadium Waikato, Hamilton, New Zealand, January 21-22, 2023):

Kathy Baker (Blackrock College RFC)
Natasja Behan (Blackrock College RFC)
Megan Burns (Blackrock College RFC)
Amee-Leigh Murphy Crowe (Railway Union RFC)
Stacey Flood (Railway Union RFC)
Claire Boles (Railway Union RFC)
Eve Higgins (Railway Union RFC)
Erin King (Old Belvedere RFC)
Vicky Elmes Kinlan (Wicklow RFC)
Emily Lane (Blackrock College RFC)
Kate Farrell McCabe (Suttonians RFC)
Anna McGann (Railway Union RFC)
Lucy Mulhall (Wicklow RFC) (capt)
Béibhinn Parsons (Blackrock College RFC)

IRELAND WOMEN’S SEVENS Schedule – HSBC New Zealand Sevens:

Saturday, January 21 –

POOL C:

IRELAND 28 BRAZIL 5, FMG Stadium Waikato pitch 2
Scorers: Ireland: Tries: Eve Higgins, Amee-Leigh Murphy Crowe 2, Lucy Mulhall; Cons: Lucy Mulhall 4
Brazil: Try: Thalia Costa
HT: Ireland 14 Brazil 5

Team: Anna McGann, Kathy Baker, Béibhinn Parsons, Emily Lane, Lucy Mulhall (capt), Eve Higgins, Amee-Leigh Murphy Crowe.

Subs used: Erin King, Claire Boles, Kate Farrell McCabe, Vicky Elmes Kinlan, Megan Burns.

IRELAND 31 SPAIN 5, FMG Stadium Waikato pitch 2
Scorers: Ireland: Tries: Amee-Leigh Murphy Crowe, Kathy Baker, Lucy Mulhall, Béibhinn Parsons, Emily Lane; Cons: Lucy Mulhall 3
Spain: Try: Ingrid Algar
HT: Ireland 17 Spain 0

Team: Anna McGann, Kathy Baker, Béibhinn Parsons, Emily Lane, Lucy Mulhall (capt), Eve Higgins, Amee-Leigh Murphy Crowe.

Subs used: Kate Farrell McCabe, Megan Burns, Erin King, Claire Boles, Natasja Behan.

USA 15 IRELAND 7, FMG Stadium Waikato
Scorers: USA: Naya Tapper 2, Kris Thomas
Ireland: Try: Megan Burns; Con: Lucy Mulhall
HT: USA 10 Ireland 0

Team: Anna McGann, Kathy Baker, Béibhinn Parsons, Emily Lane, Lucy Mulhall (capt), Eve Higgins, Amee-Leigh Murphy Crowe.

Subs used: Megan Burns, Erin King, Claire Boles. Not used: Kate Farrell McCabe, Vicky Elmes Kinlan.

Day 1 Round-Up: Ireland Women Set Up France Showdown In Hamilton

Sunday, January 22 – 

CUP QUARTER-FINAL:

FRANCE 7 IRELAND 24, FMG Stadium Waikato
Scorers: France: Try: Séraphine Okemba; Con: Lilou Graciet
Ireland: Tries: Béibhinn Parsons 2, Amee-Leigh Murphy Crowe, Megan Burns; Cons: Lucy Mulhall 2
HT: France 0 Ireland 14

Team: Anna McGann, Eve Higgins, Béibhinn Parsons, Emily Lane, Lucy Mulhall (capt), Megan Burns, Amee-Leigh Murphy Crowe.

Subs used: Natasja Behan, Kathy Baker, Kate Farrell McCabe, Claire Boles. Not used: Erin King.

CUP SEMI-FINAL:

IRELAND 0 NEW ZEALAND 32, FMG Stadium Waikato
Scorers: Ireland: –
New Zealand: Tries: Jorja Miller 2, Stacey Fluhler, Michaela Blyde 2, Portia Woodman-Wickliffe; Con: Tyla Nathan-Wong
HT: Ireland 0 New Zealand 12

Team: Anna McGann, Eve Higgins, Béibhinn Parsons, Emily Lane, Lucy Mulhall (capt), Megan Burns, Amee-Leigh Murphy Crowe.

Subs used: Kate Farrell McCabe, Claire Boles, Natasja Behan, Vicky Elmes Kinlan. Not used: Kathy Baker.

BRONZE FINAL:

AUSTRALIA 33 IRELAND 17, FMG Stadium Waikato
Scorers: Australia: Tries: Bienne Terita 2, Charlotte Caslick, Teagan Levi, Sariah Paki; Cons: Dominque du Toit 2, Tia Hinds 2
Ireland: Tries: Eve Higgins, Béibhinn Parsons 2; Con: Lucy Mulhall
HT: Australia 19 Ireland 5

Team: Anna McGann, Kathy Baker, Béibhinn Parsons, Emily Lane, Lucy Mulhall (capt), Eve Higgins, Amee-Leigh Murphy Crowe.

Subs used: Megan Burns, Erin King, Natasja Behan, Kate Farrell McCabe, Claire Boles.