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Ireland name their 2023/24 men’s and women’s sevens squads
By Liam Heagney
James Topping and Allan Temple-Jones have named their respective men’s and women’s sevens squads for the 2023/24 season which begins in Dubai in December and continues through to the Olympic Games in Paris in July.
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Terry Kennedy, the World Rugby sevens players of the year for 2022, is back in the mix after his year away from Topping’s squad, while Vikki Wall, a two-time Gaelic football All-Ireland winner and Aussie rules player, has been included by Temple-Jones after joining the sevens programme in August.
A statement read: “The Ireland men’s and women’s sevens squads, sponsored by TritonLake, have been announced for the 2024 season. With just two weeks to go until the HSBC SVNS season opener in Dubai, men’s head coach James Topping and women’s head coach Allan Temple-Jones have confirmed their 19-player centralised squads as the build-up to the 2024 Olympics begins in earnest.
“The new-look HSBC SVNS Series kicks off at the Dubai Sevens Stadium from December 2-3, the first of eight double-header tournaments culminating in the first ever Grand Final in Madrid in May.
“Both Ireland squads have already secured qualification for Paris 2024, Temple-Jones’ side doing so through last season’s World Series, while the Ireland men booked their Olympic ticket by winning last summer’s European Games in Krakow.
Let's get this party started! ?
The pools have been announced for the first stop on the brand new #HSBCSVNS?
#HSBCSVNSDXB | @Dubai7s pic.twitter.com/h7w69C0RsG
— HSBC SVNS (@SVNSSeries) November 7, 2023
“Harry McNulty has been confirmed as the men’s sevens captain, while Lucy Mulhall will lead the women’s sevens. There are nine Olympians from Tokyo 2020 included in the men’s sevens panel with Terry Kennedy – the World Rugby men’s sevens player of the year 2022 – returning to the centralised squad after a year out last season.
“Mulhall captains an experienced women’s squad as they prepare for their debut Olympic appearance, while Alanna Fitzpatrick and Amy Larn have been rewarded with national sevens contracts for the first time having progressed through the high performance pathway, most recently winning their senior debuts at Rugby Europe in Hamburg last July.
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“Vikki Wall, the two-time All-Ireland football championship winner with Meath who also enjoyed a spell in the AFLW with North Melbourne, has been in the national sevens programme since August, featuring in pre-season tournaments in Dublin and Elche.
“The Ireland men’s and women’s sevens squads for Dubai will be announced next week, while men’s and women’s development teams will also travel to Dubai to compete in the International Invitational Tournament, providing all players in the programme with access to early-season game time.
“From Dubai, the HSBC SVNS 2024 moves on to Cape Town (December 9-10) before Perth takes centre stage from January 26-28. All SVNS tournaments will be played as combined men’s and women’s events, with Vancouver (February 23-25), Los Angeles (March 2-3), Hong Kong (April 5-7) and Singapore (May 3-5) preceding the Grand Final in Madrid (May 31-June 2).”
Topping said: “It has been a very positive pre-season period for the squad as we have got through a good body of work here at the IRFU high performance centre, whilst also testing ourselves in match situations in Elche and most recently in Malaga.
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“We have strong experience in our centralised squad and competition for places will be high throughout the season as we build towards Paris 2024. We are looking forward to an exciting year ahead but the focus now is for us to achieve progression and consistency in our performances, starting at the HSBC SVNS Series opener in Dubai.”
Temple-Jones added: “We are delighted to confirm the centralised squad ahead of a significant season for the Ireland Sevens programme. The players have worked hard during a long pre-season period and I know the entire group are relishing the challenges ahead, determined to maximise our potential on the world and Olympic stage.”
Introducing the official @Ireland7s account! ?
Follow us on the journey to Paris 2024!#Ireland7s pic.twitter.com/Usr92QG31k
— Ireland 7s (@Ireland7s) November 15, 2023
Ireland men’s sevens 2024 squad: Niall Comerford, Jordan Conroy, Sean Cribbin, Billy Dardis, Ed Kelly, Jack Kelly, Terry Kennedy, JJ Kenny, Hugo Lennox, Matt McDonald, Harry McNulty, Bryan Mollen, Gavin Mullin, Chay Mullins, Dylan O’Grady, Aaron O’Sullivan, Connor O’Sullivan, Mark Roche, Zac Ward.
Ireland women’s sevens 2024 squad: Kathy Baker, Claire Boles, Megan Burns, Amee-Leigh Murphy Crowe, Alanna Fitzpatrick, Stacey Flood, Eve Higgins, Katie Heffernan, Erin King, Lucinda Kinghan, Vicky Elmes Kinlan, Emily Lane, Amy Larn, Kate Farrell McCabe, Anna McGann, Lucy Mulhall, Beibhinn Parsons, Aoibheann Reilly, Vikki Wall.
After the Black Ferns 7s, the Irish women are my next fave team, along with Fijiana. Murphy-Crowe is a genuine superstar & Lucy Mulhall has very similar leadership qualities to Sarah Hirini. Understated but hugely impactful. Ireland aren’t the biggest athletes but have huge hearts, exceptional skills, & play with a fight or die attitude. Love watching them play.
Hopefully they’ll choke a bit less than their 15 a-side men do every World Cup. And all without a petulant little fly-half…