Ireland Sevens Squads in pre-season action in France

The Ireland Men’s and Women’s Sevens squads will finalise their preparations for the HSBC World Rugby Sevens Series 2022 when they compete in the Howard Hinton 7s tournament in Tours this weekend. Five players from Ulster have been included in the two squads – Jude Postlethwaite, Zac Ward, Claire Boles, Brittany Hogan and Maeve Liston. IRFU Director of Sevens and Women’s Rugby, Anthony Eddy, has selected a 15-player Ireland Men’s squad for the trip to France, while 16 players have been named in the Ireland Women’s panel as focus intensifies on the back-to-back World Series tournaments in Dubai in late November/early December. Eddy has selected an exciting mix of youth and experience in both panels, with Olympians Billy Dardis, Terry Kennedy, Jordan Conroy, Mark Roche, Hugo Lennox and Bryan Mollen included in the Men’s squad alongside Leinster Academy backs Niall Comerford and Liam Turner. Ireland Men will go head-to-head with France over a series of three games on Saturday, before two further match-ups between the sides on Sunday. Lucy Mulhall will lead the Ireland Women, who are coming off the back of victory at the Elche 7s earlier this month. Erin King, Aoife Wafer and Katie Whelan will be among those hoping to showcase their talents on the international stage once again having stood out for Leinster during the recent Under-18 Women’s Interprovincial Championship. Ireland Women will face hosts France, Spain and Tunisia across the weekend. Commenting ahead of the tournament, Eddy said: “This weekend provides the squad with some vital game time and tournament practice leading into Dubai. Both squads will be keen to perform well and use the weekend as preparation for the start of a very important World Series tournament next month. It is also an important weekend from a selection perspective as players will all be competing for positions on the World Series team.”   Ireland Men’s Sevens: Jordan Conroy (Buccaneers RFC) Niall Comerford (UCD RFC/Leinster) Billy Dardis (Terenure College RFC)(Capt.) Fergus Jemphrey (Blackheath RFC/IQ Rugby) Sean Kearns (Ireland Sevens) Terry Kennedy (St Mary’s College RFC) Ed Kelly (Dublin University FC) Steven Kilgallen (UCD RFC) Hugo Lennox (Skerries RFC) Bryan Mollen (Blackrock College RFC) Aaron O’Sullivan (Blackrock College RFC) Jude Postlethwaite (Banbridge RFC/Ulster) Mark Roche (Lansdowne FC) Liam Turner (Dublin University/Leinster) Zac Ward (Ballynahinch RFC).   Ireland Women’s Sevens: Kathy Baker (Blackrock College) Claire Boles (Railway Union RFC) Méabh Deely (Blackrock College) Anna Doyle (DCU/Blackrock College) Katie Heffernan (Mullingar RFC/Railway Union RFC) Brittany Hogan (DCU RFC/Old Belvedere RFC) Erin King (Old Belvedere RFC) Maeve Liston (Blackrock College RFC) Emily Lane (Blackrock College RFC) Kate Farrell McCabe (Suttonians RFC) Grace Moore (Railway Union RFC/IQ Rugby) Lucy Mulhall (Rathdrum RFC) (Capt.) Béibhinn Parsons (Blackrock College RFC) Aoibheann Reilly (Blackrock College RFC) Aoife Wafer (Enniscorthy RFC) Katie Whelan (Enniscorthy RFC).