Ireland Women Finish Sixth In Dubai With Two Debutants On Board

Hannah Clarke and Robyn O’Connor, who both only turned 19 this past summer, made their Ireland Sevens debuts and look well equipped for the global stage with three starts each. Connacht flyer Clarke scored against Fiji.

This was Ireland’s first tournament since their Olympic debut in Paris, and Amee-Leigh Murphy Crowe – captaining the team after her ‘right hand woman’ Lucy Mulhall Rock’s retirement – made yet more history in the green jersey.

Murphy Crowe became the first Ireland Sevens player, male or female, to score 200 SVNS Series tries, and also the first to break the 1000-point barrier on the circuit. She ended the weekend with six scores, taking her overall haul to 203 tries in 49 SVNS Series tournaments.

The Tipperary native, back from her WXV1 exploits and her wedding to fiancé Neil just two weeks ago, bagged a brace against Fiji, came off the bench to run in a hat-trick against China, and scored from halfway against Olympic champions New Zealand.

She is only the third Women’s player in World Series history to score 200 tries, following in the footsteps of New Zealand’s Portia Woodman-Wickliffe (256) and Michaela Blyde (247). She is now the joint-all-time top try scorer in Dubai 7s history, alongside Blyde, with 37 tries.

Béibhinn Parsons also touched down twice on her return from the injury that curtailed her involvement in the Olympics. Allan Temple-Jones’ side made the Cup quarter-finals as Pool A runners-up, before losing their two Sunday games to New Zealand (33-12) and the USA (17-7).

Day two began with that Cup quarter-final clash with New Zealand, and Ireland fielded their most experienced starting line-up which included four players involved in September’s WXV1 win over the Black Ferns 15s – Eve Higgins, Erin King, Emily Lane, and Stacey Flood.

A couple of missed tackles allowed Kelsey Teneti to break clear for a first-minute opener, and a fluid attack sparked by vice-captain Risi Pouri-Lane’s weaving run saw Jorja Miller double New Zealand’s lead to 14-0 midway through the opening half.

The girls in green clicked into gear with a sharp set-piece move off a scrum, as Murphy Crowe accelerated clear to score from halfway. Flood had a key involvement during the build-up, along with Megan Burns’ decoy line. Flood added the extras.

However, the Paris 2024 gold medallists went up a gear either side of half-time, using a quickly-taken penalty to release Mahina Paul for the whitewash. Miller then completed her brace via an Irish lineout that went loose out the back.

That left Temple-Jones’ charges trailing 28-7, and a rare Murphy Crowe fumble spoiled some good work out wide from Flood. New Zealand used the scrum ball to build more pressure, and Pouri-Lane cleverly freed up replacement Katelyn Vahaakolo to get on the scoresheet.

Ireland did at least have the final say, putting together some of their best phases late on. Murphy Crowe took a penalty quickly and King fed Higgins who shrugged off Vahaakolo’s attempted tackle to raid over to the right of the posts.

Tullamore native Burns led the team out for their final match of the weekend, with Murphy Crowe sidelined. A freshened-up USA squad contained six debutants, and one of them, Nia Toliver, embarked on a powerful early run.

It was the USA who snatched the lead in the third minute, just as Ireland were hoping to profit from a King turnover. A Burns pass dropped low for O’Connor and popped loose for Kaylen Thomas to gather and race clear down the right touchline.

The Eagles pushed on to lead 10-0 at the interval, showing again how dangerous they are off turnover ball. Sariah Ibarra and Rachel Strasdas reacted quickly to set up Ariana Ramsey who scamper overed from the left wing.

Drawing encouragement from their defence, with teenage scrum half O’Connor forcing an error from her counterpart Ibarra, Ireland headed into the second half with Parsons, Lane, and Higgins coming off the bench.

However, the USA managed to make it three tries on the trot when Toliver’s strength was too much for Flood and Lane at close range as she crossed for her sixth try in Dubai, converted by co-captain Kayla Canett.

Ireland enjoyed their best spell around the 12-minute mark, with Parsons providing the attacking threat. Lane twice snapped at Ibarra off the back of scrums, the second occasion seeing replacement Kathy Baker swipe away turnover ball but be held up past the try-line.

That elusive score came soon after though, as Lane got quick ball away from the set-piece for the onrushing Parsons who neatly evaded the clutches of Toliver to touch down. Flood left-footed the conversion through the posts to reduce the arrears to 10 points again.

That was as close as Ireland could get, however, as Higgins’ restart failed to go 10 metres. They did have one last chance to attack from deep, Higgins putting boot to ball to launch a kick chase yet the US held firm to secure a fifth place finish.

IRELAND WOMEN’S SEVENS Squad (HSBC SVNS Series – Emirates Dubai 7s, The Sevens Stadium, Dubai, UAE, Saturday, November 30-Sunday, December 1, 2024):

Kathy Baker (Blackrock College RFC)
Megan Burns (Blackrock College RFC)
Hannah Clarke (Tuam/Oughterard RFC/Galwegians RFC/Connacht) *
Amee-Leigh Murphy Crowe (Railway Union RFC) (capt)
Stacey Flood (Railway Union RFC)
Clare Gorman (Old Belvedere RFC)
Eve Higgins (Railway Union RFC)
Erin King (Old Belvedere RFC)
Vicky Elmes Kinlan (Wicklow RFC)
Emily Lane (Blackrock College RFC)
Anna McGann (Railway Union RFC)
Robyn O’Connor (Wexford Wanderers RFC/Old Belvedere RFC/Leinster) *
Béibhinn Parsons (Blackrock College RFC)

* Denotes uncapped player

IRELAND WOMEN’S SEVENS Results – HSBC SVNS Series – Dubai:

Saturday, November 30 –

POOL A:

IRELAND 30 FIJI 12, The Sevens Stadium pitch 1, Dubai
Scorers: Ireland: Tries: Hannah Clarke, Vicky Elmes Kinlan 2, Amee-Leigh Murphy Crowe 2, Erin King
Fiji: Tries: Vika Nakacia, Ilisapeci Delaiwau; Con: Ana Maria Naimasi
HT: Ireland 15 Fiji 7

Team: Vicky Elmes Kinlan, Erin King, Anna McGann, Robyn O’Connor, Stacey Flood, Megan Burns, Hannah Clarke.

Replacements used: Eve Higgins, Emily Lane, Amee-Leigh Murphy Crowe (capt), Clare Gorman, Kathy Baker.

IRELAND 31 CHINA 21, The Sevens Stadium pitch 1, Dubai
Scorers: Ireland: Tries: Erin King, Amee-Leigh Murphy Crowe 3, Béibhinn Parsons; Cons: Stacey Flood, Eve Higgins 2
China: Tries: Dou Xinrong, Hu Yu, Gao Xiaoyang; Cons: Zheng Wenyan 3
HT: Ireland 5 China 21

Team: Anna McGann, Erin King, Clare Gorman, Emily Lane, Stacey Flood, Megan Burns, Hannah Clarke.

Replacements used: Eve Higgins, Kathy Baker, Béibhinn Parsons, Amee-Leigh Murphy Crowe (capt), Robyn O’Connor.

AUSTRALIA 24 IRELAND 5, The Sevens Stadium pitch 1, Dubai
Scorers: Australia: Tries: Maddison Levi 2, Charlotte Caslick, Faith Nathan; Cons: Teagan Levi, Ruby Nicholas
Ireland: Try: Megan Burns
HT: Australia 12 Ireland 5

Team: Eve Higgins, Erin King, Béibhinn Parsons, Robyn O’Connor, Stacey Flood, Megan Burns, Amee-Leigh Murphy Crowe (capt).

Replacements used: Hannah Clarke, Kathy Baker, Clare Gorman, Emily Lane, Vicky Elmes Kinlan.

Sunday, December 1 –

CUP QUARTER-FINAL:

NEW ZEALAND 33 IRELAND 12, The Sevens Stadium pitch 1, Dubai
Scorers: New Zealand: Tries: Kelsey Teneti, Jorja Miller 2, Mahina Paul, Katelyn Vahaakolo; Cons: Risi Pouri-Lane 4
Ireland: Tries: Amee-Leigh Murphy Crowe, Eve Higgins; Con: Stacey Flood
HT: New Zealand 21 Ireland 7

Team: Eve Higgins, Erin King, Béibhinn Parsons, Emily Lane, Stacey Flood, Megan Burns, Amee-Leigh Murphy Crowe (capt).

Replacements used: Vicky Elmes Kinlan, Robyn O’Connor, Hannah Clarke, Anna McGann, Clare Gorman.

5TH PLACE PLAY-OFF:

USA 17 IRELAND 7, The Sevens Stadium pitch 1, Dubai
Scorers: USA: Tries: Kaylen Thomas, Ariana Ramsey, Nia Toliver; Con: Kayla Canett
Ireland: Try: Béibhinn Parsons; Con: Stacey Flood
HT: USA 10 Ireland 0

Team: Anna McGann, Erin King, Vicky Elmes Kinlan, Robyn O’Connor, Stacey Flood, Megan Burns, Hannah Clarke.

Replacements used: Béibhinn Parsons, Emily Lane, Eve Higgins, Kathy Baker, Clare Gorman.