Stand-in captain Amee-Leigh Murphy Crowe is pictured in possession for Ireland during the Cup quarter-final against Great Britain ©Travis Prior/Rugby Europe
The Ireland Women’s Sevens team (sponsored by TritonLake) bowed out of title contention at the Hamburg Sevens, despite a superb solo try from Béibhinn Parsons.
Parsons’ barnstorming 13th-minute score – straight from a restart kick – lifted Ireland for a grandstand finish, but Great Britain, one of their pool opponents at the Olympic Games later this month, held on for a 21-14 quarter-final win.
Allan Temple-Jones’ side had earlier opened their win account, beating Portugal 17-7 to make it through to the last-eight. Tomorrow morning will see them play hosts Germany at 8am Irish time (live on Rugby Europe TV), with a fifth place finish to aim for.
Returning to the pitch to face Portugal after a disappointing first day, an early set of attacking phases, with stand-in captain Amee-Leigh Murphy Crowe and Kathy Baker both gaining good ground, ended with the latter being held up from close range.
A penalty from the resulting scrum allowed Emily Lane to take a quick tap and snipe over for the opening try which went unconverted. The lively scrum half continued to set a high tempo with Portugal conceding more penalties.
A yellow card for Raquel Andrade Santos went unpunished on the scoreboard, with Ireland guilty of some handling errors. They tidied things up and pressed on in the 10th minute to take a 12-0 lead.
Megan Burns drew in two defenders and dangled a pass behind her for Murphy Crowe to speed over on a diagonal run to the whitewash. Stacey Flood converted and then Parsons had too much pace on the edge, zipping over from the right in the 13th minute.
Portugal gained some late consolation, putting together some of their best phases towards the end of the match, and it was Maria Joao Costa who had the gas to finish off a fine break from just inside her own half.
Britain were quickest out of the blocks in the quarter-final clash. Ellie Kildunne had an early run, and Lisa Thomson’s basketball-style pass released Welsh flyer Jasmine Joyce for a first-minute try from distance.
However, with GB’s restart going straight into touch, Ireland hit back immediately. Murphy Crowe slipped out of a tackle and weaved infield, with Vicky Elmes Kinlan timing her run to perfection to burst onto a pass and storm in under the posts.
Frustratingly, following Flood’s levelling conversion, those seven points were swiftly cancelled out. Isla Norman-Bell tapped a penalty and Ellie Boatman’s pace on the right was too much for Elmes Kinlan and Flood as she made it 14-7.
Solid defence saw Ireland stay just a converted score behind, as Joyce was hauled down a few metres short by Murphy Crowe, and then Parsons positioned herself in the passing channel to bat the ball back and thwart a promising British attack.
Joyce missed out on an early second half try due to a forward pass from Kildunne, but Britain were looking the more threatening team. They ran in a key score in the 12th minute, with Lauren Torley touching down after linking crisply with Norman-Bell.
Parsons brilliantly brought Ireland roaring back within seven points, collecting the restart, shrugging off Norman-Bell and outpacing Meg Jones for the line. Unfortunately Eve Higgins’ restart was just too long, and GB saw out the result despite a hotly-contested final scrum.
You can watch all the action live from Hamburg on Rugby Europe TV here.
Kathy Baker (Blackrock College RFC)
Claire Boles (Railway Union RFC)
Megan Burns (Blackrock College RFC)
Amee-Leigh Murphy Crowe (Railway Union RFC) (capt)
Alanna Fitzpatrick (Portarlington RFC/Blackrock College RFC)
Stacey Flood (Railway Union RFC)
Eve Higgins (Railway Union RFC)
Erin King (Old Belvedere RFC)
Vicky Elmes Kinlan (Wicklow RFC)
Emily Lane (Blackrock College RFC)
Amy Larn (Athy RFC/MU Barnhall RFC)
Ashleigh Orchard (Cooke RFC)
Béibhinn Parsons (Blackrock College RFC)
Friday, June 28 –
POOL B:
CZECHIA 28 IRELAND 17, Sportpark Steinwiesenweg, Hamburg
Scorers: Czechia: Tries: Anezka-Marta Sladkova 2, Julie Durychova, Kristyna Riegertova; Cons: Julie Dolezilova 4
Ireland: Tries: Amee-Leigh Murphy Crowe, Emily Lane, Vicky Elmes Kinlan; Con: Eve Higgins
HT: Czechia 14 Ireland 5
Team: Béibhinn Parsons, Ashleigh Orchard, Erin King, Emily Lane, Stacey Flood, Megan Burns, Amee-Leigh Murphy Crowe (capt).
Replacements used: Eve Higgins, Vicky Elmes Kinlan, Kathy Baker. Not used: Amy Larn, Alanna Fitzpatrick.
FRANCE 26 IRELAND 14, Sportpark Steinwiesenweg, Hamburg
Scorers: France: Tries: Ian Jason, Yolaine Yengo, Lina Guerin, Anne-Cecile Ciofani; Cons: Shannon Izar 2, Yolaine Yengo
Ireland: Tries: Béibhinn Parsons, Vicky Elmes Kinlan; Cons: Eve Higgins 2
HT: France 19 Ireland 0
Team: Béibhinn Parsons, Erin King, Eve Higgins, Emily Lane, Stacey Flood, Megan Burns, Amee-Leigh Murphy Crowe (capt).
Replacements used: Vicky Elmes Kinlan, Alanna Fitzpatrick, Claire Boles, Amy Larn. Not used: Ashleigh Orchard.
Day 1 Round-Up: Ireland Women Still In Hamburg Hunt Despite Opening Defeats
Saturday, June 29 –
POOL B:
IRELAND 17 PORTUGAL 7, Sportpark Steinwiesenweg, Hamburg
Scorers: Ireland: Tries: Emily Lane, Amee-Leigh Murphy Crowe, Béibhinn Parsons; Con: Stacey Flood
Portugal: Try: Maria Joao Costa; Con: Catia Lopes de Almeida
HT: Ireland 5 Portugal 0
Team: Vicky Elmes Kinlan, Kathy Baker, Erin King, Emily Lane, Stacey Flood, Megan Burns, Amee-Leigh Murphy Crowe (capt).
Replacements used: Ashleigh Orchard, Béibhinn Parsons, Alanna Fitzpatrick, Amy Larn. Not used: Eve Higgins.
GREAT BRITAIN 21 IRELAND 14, Sportpark Steinwiesenweg, Hamburg
Scorers: Great Britain: Tries: Jasmine Joyce, Ellie Boatman, Lauren Torley; Cons: Isla Norman-Bell 3
Ireland: Tries: Vicky Elmes Kinlan, Béibhinn Parsons; Cons: Stacey Flood 2
HT: Great Britain 14 Ireland 7
Team: Erin King, Béibhinn Parsons, Vicky Elmes Kinlan, Emily Lane, Stacey Flood, Eve Higgins, Amee-Leigh Murphy Crowe (capt).
Replacements used: Megan Burns, Alanna Fitzpatrick. Not used: Ashleigh Orchard, Claire Boles, Amy Larn.
Day 2 Round-Up: Ireland Women Lose Hamburg Quarter-Final Battle With Britain
Sunday, June 30 –
5TH PLACE SEMI-FINAL:
IRELAND v GERMANY, Sportpark Steinwiesenweg, Hamburg, 9am local time/8am Irish time
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