Ireland Women’s Sevens Squad To Take Part In Marcoussis Training Tournament

Twelve players from the IRFU Women’s Sevens Programme will take part in a training tournament at the Centre National de Rugby in Marcoussis, outside of Paris, over the coming days.

The weekend will see the Ireland Women’s Sevens squad play against Canada, Belgium and hosts France, with games taking place over Friday, Saturday and Sunday in Marcoussis.

With the majority of the players having lined out for the Ireland Under-18 Sevens side in recent years, the travelling squad has an average age of just 21, but also includes experienced players Claire Keohane and Hannah Tyrrell, who have both spent several seasons on the HSBC World Rugby Women’s Sevens Series circuit.

For the younger players in the programme, the tournament will provide them with the opportunity to test themselves against international opposition.

Anthony Eddy, the IRFU Director of Women’s & Sevens Rugby, said: “We had a squad at the Hokkiado invitational tournament in Japan last month, finishing third overall, and Marcoussis this weekend gives us the chance to get more players in the programme into competitive action.

“These tournaments are really important for player development, as it exposes them to valuable game-time and also provides the players with an opportunity to put their hand up for further selection.

“Having the likes of Katie (Heffernan), Deirbhile (Nic a Bhaird), Claire and Hannah involved, players who have all competed on the Women’s Sevens Series, adds experience and leadership to the squad so it’s set to be a good test for the players this weekend.”

This season’s HSBC World Rugby Women’s Sevens Series kicks off in Glendale, Colorado on October 20-21, with Ireland drawn in Pool C along with France and Canada, who finished third and fourth respectively in the 2018 series, and Fiji. The full series calendar can be viewed here.

Relive the Ireland Women’s and Men’s Sevens teams’ 2017/18 campaigns in our exclusive behind-the-scenes series – On The Road with the Ireland 7s.

The Ireland Sevens jerseys are available to buy online here from Elverys Intersport, official sports retailer of the IRFU.

IRELAND WOMEN’S SEVENS Squad (Marcoussis Training Tournament, Friday, October 5-Sunday, October 7, 2018):

Stephanie Carroll (Railway Union/Leinster)
Anna Doyle (Tullow/Leinster)
Alexandra Dunne (IQ Rugby)
Katie Heffernan (Railway Union/Mullingar (dual status)/Leinster)
Brittany Hogan (Railway Union/Ulster)
Claire Keohane (UL Bohemians/Munster)
Lucinda Kinghan (Monaghan/Ulster)
Anna McGann (Old Belvedere/Leinster)
Deirbhile Nic a Bhaird (Old Belvedere/Munster)
Molly Scuffil-McCabe (Railway Union/Leinster)
Hannah Tyrrell (Old Belvedere/Leinster)
Dorothy Wall (Fethard/Munster)