The fit-again Kathy Baker leads an attack for the Ireland Women during their fifth place play-off against Czechia ©Travis Prior/Rugby Europe
After making a sluggish start to the tournament, the Ireland Women’s Sevens team (sponsored by TritonLake) won three of their last four matches in Hamburg to earn a fifth place finish.
Ireland put together play-off wins over hosts Germany (12-0) and Czechia (26-12) today, with Wicklow’s Vicky Elmes Kinlan continuing her impressive recent form with a four-try haul as the top Irish try scorer.
The second leg of the Rugby Europe Sevens Championship also saw Béibhinn Parsons run in three tries, including a terrific individual effort against Great Britain yesterday. Stand-in captain Amee-Leigh Murphy, Emily Lane, and Eve Higgins bagged two tries each.
This weekend marked the final competitive outing for Allan Temple-Jones’ side before their Olympic debut. Apart from absent skipper Lucy Rock, Ireland’s full Paris 2024 selection was involved in Hamburg as they ended the European Series in seventh place overall.
The first match of the final day’s morning session took a while to catch fire in testing wet conditions. Good defensive pressure kept Germany pinned back inside their own half, and Stacey Flood launched Ireland’s first attack off a scrum.
Alanna Fitzpatrick ended up being crowded out near the left corner, forced into touch by Mette Zimmat’s tackle. Sophie Hacker picked from a ruck to charge up into the Irish 22, only for Parsons to reel her in and claim a textbook poach at the breakdown.
Ireland duly turned the possession into points, as Higgins made it up towards halfway, and then Megan Burns retrieved a spilled pass, 70 metres out, jinking inside Hacker and dashing clear to go over untouched. Flood converted for a 7-0 lead.
Coming out of a scrappy second half spell, replacement Lane was first to a loose ball. Wicklow youngsters Erin King and Elmes Kinlan both carried well before Higgins crashed over in the 11th minute having initially juggled a Burns pass.
Knock-ons and reset scrums ate up the clock, adding to Germany’s frustration as they remained stuck inside their own half. Claire Boles and Amy Larn were both sprung from the Irish bench to get some more game-time under their belts.
Meanwhile, for the fifth place decider, Czechia, familiar rivals for Ireland this summer, provided the opposition. Their first Czech attack of note was well defended, with Fitzpatrick bundling Anezka-Marta Sladkova into touch.
Wearing their white and grey alternate jerseys, Temple-Jones’ charges made inroads through Fitzpatrick and Kathy Baker. Higgins made the breakthrough to score in the third minute, getting outside Anezka Skalova to raid over from outside the Czechia 22.
Ireland kept the pressure on, with Flood and Baker both earning penalties. The latter went quickly inside the Czech 22, barging up close before Flood picked from the ruck to score. The Dubliner also drilled over a peach of a conversion from the right.
Armed with a 14-0 interval lead, the influential Higgins set the tone early on the resumption with a big, ball-dislodging tackle on Christine Tesarova. A couple of phases later, Burns’ neat switch sent Ashleigh Orchard in under the posts from the edge of Czechia’s 22.
A quick tap paved the way for Tesarova to reduce the deficit to 21-5 in the 11th minute. Despite Julie Dolezilova taking her team into double figure with a slick show-and-go effort, Ireland finished strongly with Larn releasing Elmes Kinlan to go over from the right wing.
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 12 GERMANY 0, Sportpark Steinwiesenweg, Hamburg
Scorers: Ireland: Tries: Megan Burns, Eve Higgins; Con: Stacey Flood
Germany: –
HT: Ireland 7 Germany 0
Team: Béibhinn Parsons, Ashleigh Orchard, Vicky Elmes Kinlan, Stacey Flood, Eve Higgins, Megan Burns, Alanna Fitzpatrick.
Replacements used: Erin King, Emily Lane, Claire Boles, Amy Larn.
5TH PLACE PLAY-OFF:
IRELAND 26 CZECHIA 12, Sportpark Steinwiesenweg, Hamburg
Scorers: Ireland: Tries: Eve Higgins, Stacey Flood, Ashleigh Orchard, Vicky Elmes Kinlan; Cons: Eve Higgins 2, Stacey Flood
Czechia: Tries: Christine Tesarova, Julie Dolezilova; Con: Julie Dolezilova
HT: Ireland 14 Czechia 0
Team: Béibhinn Parsons, Kathy Baker, Eve Higgins, Emily Lane, Stacey Flood, Megan Burns, Alanna Fitzpatrick.
Replacements used: Erin King, Ashleigh Orchard, Amy Larn, Vicky Elmes Kinlan, Claire Boles.
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