Clarke The Bright Spark As Ireland Women Endure Play-Off Disappointment

This young and mostly inexperienced Ireland group has been up against it for much of the season, especially with eight of the Paris Olympians focusing on 15s this year ahead of the upcoming Rugby World Cup in England.

Inspirational captain Lucy Rock and Ashleigh Orchard also retired, meaning a new generation of Sevens talent was exposed to the game’s elite level with coach Allan Temple-Jones handing out eight SVNS Series debuts this season.

It has been a baptism of fire at times, with Ireland struggling for results and finishing 11th during the regular campaign. They also came up against teams in better form this weekend in South Africa, Argentina, and table-topping China, losing all three of their pool matches.

They were narrow defeats (by five, eight, and four points), and on another day, and perhaps with another game-breaker or two, those results might have reversed. Captain Megan Burns, Kathy Baker, and Kate Farrell McCabe pointed the way in terms of leadership.

With World Rugby’s restructuring of the HSBC SVNS model for next season and the number of core teams reduced from 12 to eight, a place in the new SVNS Division 1 was already out of reach for Temple-Jones’ charges.

Only the pool winners and play-off final victors in LA qualified for SVNS Division 2 in 2025/26, so despite Hannah Clarke’s trio of tries, including an outstanding brace against China, the Ireland Women are now outside the top 12 teams in the world.

The path forward for the Women’s Sevens programme lies with the regional qualifying route, from which they have the opportunity to advance to a standalone SVNS Division 3 Challenger event where they can reach Division 2 by finishing in the top two.

That puts even more emphasis on the Rugby Europe Women’s Sevens Championship Series, which has legs in Makarska (June 13-15) and Hamburg (June 27-29). Ireland have been drawn with France, Czechia, and Georgia for the Makarska event.

Talented youngsters like Clarke, Robyn O’Connor, Alanna Fitzpatrick, and Amy Larn have plenty of Sevens star potential, like a certain Amee-Leigh Costigan had back in 2014 as a teenage debutant, and returning to LA for the 2028 Olympics remains a massive carrot.

Determined to bounce back from a frustrating first day of the play-offs, Ireland had some strong early defensive sets, forcing China back towards halfway. Nonetheless, an unfortunate knock-on in a tackle landed Burns in the sin bin.

Larn and O’Connor combined to shut down the subsequent Chinese attack, the Wexford youngster bundling Dou Xinrong into touch. Even better followed when Clarke burned off her chasers on a brilliant run-in from just outside Ireland’s 22.

The Connacht flyer evaded Wang Wanyu’s attempted tackle and took off, staying clear of Xinrong and Chen Can to score a superb fourth-minute try. Farrell McCabe pulled the conversion wide to the left.

Crucially the game restarted with just seconds left on Burns’ sin-binning, and China managed to capitalise. Livewire O’Connor reeled in Can on a break down the left, but Xinrong used an overlap to dummy her way through for a seven-pointer.

Wanyu was next over the try-line, looping around to take a return pass from Can with her acceleration taking her clear down the left touchline. Conceding just 20 seconds into the second half was a considerable blow, but Ireland regrouped well at 12-5 down.

Alana McInerney brought impact off the bench, hauling down Chen Keyi for an important turnover. Lucinda Kinghan went quickly from a penalty from deep, and replacement Katie Whelan put boot to ball with Clarke outside her.

Once again Clarke showed buckets of pace, racing past Su Qi in pursuit of the ball. She right-footed it through to six metres out, collected it and stepped inside Qi to crash over in emphatic fashion. Burns’ missed conversion left it tantalisingly poised at 12-10.

China had the answers though, Qi raiding back downfield before space was created on the left for Can to go over untouched in the 11th minute. She scored close to the posts, allowing Keyi to add the extras and open up a nine-point gap.

Aggressive Irish defence pushed China back inside halfway, resulting in Lucia Linn forcing a knock-on. Ireland advanced further with a couple of penalties either side of the final hooter, and nice hands from Ella Roberts released McInerney to make it three tries apiece in the end.

IRELAND WOMEN’S SEVENS Squad (HSBC SVNS Play-Off Competition – Dignity Health Sports Park, Los Angeles, Saturday, May 3-Sunday, May 4, 2025):

Kathy Baker (Blackrock College RFC)
Megan Burns (Blackrock College RFC) (capt)
Hannah Clarke (Tuam/Oughterard RFC/Galwegians RFC/Connacht)
Alanna Fitzpatrick (Portarlington RFC/Blackrock College RFC)
Clare Gorman (Old Belvedere RFC/Leinster)
Lucinda Kinghan (Railway Union RFC/Ulster)
Amy Larn (Athy RFC)
Lucia Linn (UL Bohemian RFC/Munster)
Kate Farrell McCabe (Suttonians RFC)
Alana McInerney (UL Bohemian RFC/Munster)
Robyn O’Connor (Wexford Wanderers RFC/Old Belvedere RFC/Leinster)
Ella Roberts (Wicklow RFC/Leinster)
Katie Whelan (Old Belvedere RFC/Leinster)

IRELAND WOMEN’S SEVENS Results – HSBC SVNS Play-Off Competition:

Saturday, May 3 –

POOL B:

IRELAND 7 SOUTH AFRICA 12, Dignity Health Sports Park Pitch 2
Scorers: Ireland: Try: Kathy Baker; Con: Kate Farrell McCabe
South Africa: Tries: Ayanda Malinga, Nadine Roos; Con: Nadine Roos
HT: Ireland 7 South Africa 7

Team: Kathy Baker, Kate Farrell McCabe, Lucinda Kinghan, Robyn O’Connor, Megan Burns (capt), Clare Gorman, Alanna Fitzpatrick.

Replacements used: Hannah Clarke. Not used: Katie Whelan, Alana McInerney, Ella Roberts, Lucia Linn.

IRELAND 12 ARGENTINA 20, Dignity Health Sports Park Pitch 2
Scorers: Ireland: Tries: Hannah Clarke, Katie Whelan; Con: Katie Whelan
Argentina: Tries: Talia Rodich 2, Marianela Escalante, Maria Brigido Chamorro
HT: Ireland 0 Argentina 15

Team: Kathy Baker, Kate Farrell McCabe, Lucinda Kinghan, Robyn O’Connor, Megan Burns (capt), Hannah Clarke, Alanna Fitzpatrick.

Replacements used: Katie Whelan, Alana McInerney, Amy Larn. Not used: Ella Roberts, Lucia Linn.

Day 1 Round-Up – Ireland Women Face ‘Must Win’ LA Clash With China

Sunday, May 4 –

POOL B:

CHINA 19 IRELAND 15, Dignity Health Sports Park Pitch 2
Scorers: China: Tries: Dou Xinrong, Wang Wanyu, Chen Can; Cons: Chen Keyi 2
Ireland: Tries: Hannah Clarke 2, Alana McInerney
HT: China 7 Ireland 5

Team: Kathy Baker, Kate Farrell McCabe, Lucinda Kinghan, Robyn O’Connor, Megan Burns (capt), Hannah Clarke, Amy Larn.

Replacements used: Alana McInerney, Katie Whelan, Alana Fitzpatrick, Lucia Linn, Ella Roberts.