Ireland U-18 Women’s Sevens Squad Named For European Championship
The Ireland Sevens management have confirmed the 12 players to represent Ireland at the Rugby Europe Under-18 Women’s Sevens Championship and Youth Olympic qualifier in Vichy, France this weekend.
Sixteen teams will compete in the tournament, with the winning side being awarded the Rugby Europe U-18 Women’s Sevens title for 2018, and also claiming a spot at the Youth Olympic Games which takes place in Buenos Aires, Argentina this October.
The girls in green, who finished sixth at last September’s European Championship in Vichy, have been drawn in Pool D this weekend with Andorra, Latvia and the Netherlands.
The Ireland U-18s are co-captained by Tullow’s Anna Doyle and Dorothy Wall from Fethard Rugby Club, two of the six players who back up from the 2017 competition. The other players set to play in successive European Championship are Megan Burns, Meabh Deely, Lucinda Kinghan and Kelly McCormill.
They are part of a core group, including Grace Browne Moran and Saoirse O’Reilly, who won the UK School Games title last September, while IQ Rugby recruit Alexandra Dunne will don the green jersey just a few weeks after her twin brother Joshua played for the Ireland Under-18 Clubs & Schools team.
Ahead of the tournament kicking off in Vichy, Ireland Under-18 Women’s Sevens head coach Matthew Wilkie said: “The girls are all very excited to run out there tomorrow to represent their country. They have trained really well in the two camps leading into this tournament.
“The skills and knowledge they have displayed is testament to the training they have been receiving in their clubs and schools to date. I am very much looking forward to seeing them continue to build on this and perform to their potential this weekend.”
Ireland start the competition against Latvia, before facing Andorra and finishing the opening day against the Netherlands. Rugby Europe will provide a live stream of the matches via www.rugbyeurope.tv.
IRELAND UNDER-18 WOMEN’S SEVENS Squad (2018 Rugby Europe Under-18 Women’s Sevens Championship, Stade Darragon, Vichy, France, Saturday, April 28-Sunday, April 29):
Maggie Boylan (Carrick-On-Suir RFC/Munster)
Grace Browne Moran (Westport RFC/Connacht)
Megan Burns (Tullamore RFC/Leinster)
Meabh Deely (Ballinasloe RFC/Connacht)
Katelynn Doran (Port Dara RFC/Leinster)
Anna Doyle (Tullow RFC/Leinster) (co-capt)
Alexandra Dunne (Denston College/IQ Rugby)
Lucinda Kinghan (Monaghan RFC/Ulster)
Kelly McCormill (Monaghan RFC/Ulster)
Saoirse O’Reilly (Wicklow RFC/Leinster)
Beibhinn Parsons (Ballinasloe RFC/Connacht)
Dorothy Wall (Fethard RFC/Munster) (co-capt)
IRELAND UNDER-18 WOMEN’S SEVENS Management:
Head Coach – Matthew Wilkie
Assistant Coach – Adam Griggs
Women’s Sevens Programme Manager – Eimear Flannery
Team Manager – Elaine Ryan
Physiotherapist – Niamh Connolly
IRELAND UNDER-18 WOMEN’S SEVENS Fixtures –
Day 1 – Saturday, April 28:
Pool D –
Ireland U-18s v Latvia U-18s, Stade Darragon, 11.28am local time/10.28am Irish time
Ireland U-18s v Andorra U-18s, Stade Darragon, 3.08pm local time/2.08pm Irish time
Ireland U-18s v Netherlands U-18s, Stade Darragon, 6.26pm local time/5.26pm Irish time
Day 2 – Sunday, April 29:
Play-Offs
The full tournament fixtures and pools are available to view on the Rugby Europe website.