Ireland Women’s Sevens – Day Two Preview

Yesterday’s 38-0 victory over South Africa moved Ireland (+29 points difference) onto four points in Pool B, level with second-placed Great Britain (-22).

The crunch encounter with Australia, the table toppers and the tournament’s second seeds, kicks off at 1.30pm Irish time (live on RTÉ 2/RTÉ Player/BBC iPlayer & Red Button/Eurosport via Discovery Plus).

The unbeaten Australians have six points, so a first, second, or third place finish in the pool could see Allan Temple-Jones’ charges make the quarter-finals, which take place tonight from 8pm.

Ireland Sevens Squads – 2024 Olympic Games

2024 Olympic Games – Match Schedule

Ireland Sevens – Where To Watch The Olympic Games

2024 OLYMPIC GAMES – WOMEN’S RUGBY SEVENS TOURNAMENT DAY TWO:

POOL B –

AUSTRALIA (1st) v IRELAND (3rd), Stade de France, 2.30pm local time/1.30pm Irish time – Match Centre

AUSTRALIA Profile

Head Coach: Tim Walsh
Captain: Charlotte Caslick

Olympic Record: Rio 2016 – Champions; Tokyo 2020 – 5th
Paris 2024 Seeding: 2nd

Paris 2024 So Far: Won 34-5 v South Africa; Won 36-5 v Great Britain
Paris 2024 Top Try & Points Scorer: Maddison Levi (7 tries, 35 points)

2024 SVNS Series Ranking: SVNS champions (Grand Final winners in Madrid)
2024 SVNS Series Titles: 2 (Dubai, Cape Town)
2024 SVNS Series Top Try & Points Scorer: Maddison Levi (69 tries, 345 points)

Did You Know?: Tim Walsh coached Australia to Olympic gold at Rio 2016 and is back with the team after going to Tokyo 2020 with the Men’s side. Only two of his golden girls are in action in Paris in Charlotte Caslick and Sharni Smale (née Williams).

Player To Watch: Maddison Levi

It is hard to believe that Levi only made her debut on the global stage at Tokyo 2020, such has been her impact on the Women’s World Series. The elder of the Levi sisters is a lethal finisher, give her an inch and with her pace and strength she is gone. She has been the top scorer for the last two Series, bettering her 57 tries in 2023 with 69 this season – a record beaten by only one player in Men’s and Women’s Series history.

IRELAND Profile

Head Coach: Allan Temple-Jones
Captain: Lucy Mulhall Rock

Olympic Record: Rio 2016 – Did not qualify; Tokyo 2020 – Did not qualify
Paris 2024 Seeding: 5th

Paris 2024 So Far: Lost 21-12 v Great Britain; Won 38-0 v South Africa
Paris 2024 Top Try & Points Scorer: Amee-Leigh Murphy Crowe (3 tries, 15 points)

2024 SVNS Series Ranking: 7th (Regular season)
2024 SVNS Series Titles: 1 (Perth)
2024 SVNS Series Top Try & Points Scorer: Amee-Leigh Murphy Crowe (33 tries, 165 points)

Did You Know?: Ireland’s success in the Perth round of the HSBC SVNS Series in January was the first title won by an Irish team on the World Series circuit.

Player To Watch: Amee-Leigh Murphy Crowe

Murphy Crowe has carried the weight of expectation on her shoulders for a long time, her pace providing a regular outlet for Ireland to quickly turn defence into attack. The first northern hemisphere player to finish a World Series as top try scorer in 2019, her leadership qualities have seen her captain the side in the injury-enforced absence of Lucy Mulhall Rock for part of the season.

Australia v Ireland – Head-To-Head Statistics:

World Series Matches: 36; Australia Won: 34; Ireland Won: 2

Last Five Meetings: 2024 – Ireland 19 Australia 14, Perth; Australia 31 Ireland 0, Los Angeles; Australia 35 Ireland 0, Hong Kong; Australia 24 Ireland 14, Singapore; Australia 33 Ireland 14, Madrid

– Ireland made history by beating Australia 19-14 in the Perth Cup final to become HSBC SVNS Series tournament champions for the first time. Since that January win, they have lost the past four meetings by an average margin of 24 points

– Ireland have been held scoreless in at least one half of rugby in each of these four losses

– Maddison Levi has scored the opening try inside the first two minutes in each of Australia’s past four victories since Perth

– Ireland have never scored more than 19 points in a game against Australia, and only more than two tries on five occasions from 36 previous encounters

– Australia have only been held to less than three tries in a game by Ireland three times in their history, twice during the 2012/13 World Series, and in this season’s Cup final in Perth

– Australia have scored 30 tries against Ireland this season across seven matches, their joint-second most against any opponents after Fiji (31), and alongside Japan

– Ireland have scored 10 tries against Australia this season, equalling their 2023 World Series total (also from seven matches)

– Olympic Games Head-to-Head: This is their first meeting

– World Series Head-to-Head in France: Australia have won all five previous meetings in France by an average margin of 24 points. They have restricted Ireland to one try or less in four of their five victories. Ireland have only led Australia at half-time once in France, leading 12-7 at the break in their pool match in Toulouse last season before conceding 26 unanswered points to lose 33-12

AUSTRALIA Squad: 1. Bienne Terita, 2. Sharni Smale, 3. Faith Nathan, 4. Dominique du Toit, 5. Teagan Levi, 6. Sariah Paki, 7. Charlotte Caslick (capt), 9. Tia Hinds, 10. Isabella Nasser, 11. Bridget Clark, 12. Maddison Levi, 13. Kahli Henwood.

IRELAND Squad: 1. Ashleigh Orchard (Cooke RFC), 2. Vicky Elmes Kinlan (Wicklow RFC), 3. Stacey Flood (Railway Union RFC), 4. Alanna Fitzpatrick (Portarlington RFC/Blackrock College RFC), 5. Amee-Leigh Murphy Crowe (Railway Union RFC) (capt), 6. Kathy Baker (Blackrock College RFC), 7. Béibhinn Parsons (Blackrock College), 8. Megan Burns (Blackrock College RFC), 10. Eve Higgins (Railway Union RFC), 11. Erin King (Old Belvedere RFC), 12. Emily Lane (Blackrock College RFC), 14. Amy Larn (Athy RFC).

RANKING MATCHES (9th-12th) (7pm and 7.30pm kick-offs Irish time)

QUARTER-FINALS:

Pool A Winners v 8th Ranked Team, kick-off 8pm Irish time

Pool B Runners-Up v Pool C Runners-Up, kick-off 8.30pm

Pool C Winners v Pool A Runners-Up, kick-off 9pm

Pool B Winners v 7th Ranked Team, kick-off 9.30pm