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Ireland name their 2023/24 men’s and women’s sevens squads
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.
Comments on RugbyPass
Adding to earlier comment. Cullen Grace has been playing great at no6. Lio-Willie , who was on fire a few weeks ago, had a bad game. I think Cullen should have been moved to 8 earlier, Dominic Gardiner on earlier. Feel for Quinten Strange , put in a big shift .
2 Go to commentsWe dominated the scrums Ben Curry was all over pitch again .Surely James Harper got to be one of best English tightheads
1 Go to commentsRoos is a better option at 6 than 8 for the boks. Needs to work on his windgat though.
1 Go to commentsThe Sharks’ 2nd team maybe?
1 Go to comments‘radical’
1 Go to commentsCome back to Christchurch Robbie, please!
1 Go to commentsI think there is zero chance Sam Cane will be selected for another Test. There is simply no point except sentimentality. Razor is not sentimental- ask Wyatt Crocket. Razor is a ruthless selector
4 Go to comments> It would be best described as an elegant solution to what was potentially going to be a significant problem for new All Blacks coach Scott Robertson. It is a problem the mad population of New Zealand will have to cope with more and more as All Blacks are able to continue their careers in NZ post RWCs. It will not be a problem for coaches, who are always going to start a campaign with the captain for the next WC in mind. > Cane, despite his warrior spirit, his undoubted commitment to every team he played for and unforgettable heroics against Ireland in last year’s World Cup quarter-final, was never unanimously admired or respected within New Zealand while he was in the role. Neither was McCaw, he was considered far too passive a captain and then out of form until his last world cup where everyone opinions changed, just like they would have if Cane had won the WC. > It was never easy to see where Cane, or even if, he would fit into Robertson’s squad given the new coach will want to be building a new-look team with 2027 in mind. > Cane will win his selections on merit and come the end of the year, he’ll sign off, he hopes, with 100 caps and maybe even, at last, universal public appreciation for what was a special career. No, he won’t. Those returning from Japan have already earned the right to retain their jersey, it’s in their contract. Cane would have been playing against England if he was ready, and found it very hard to keep his place. Perform, and they keep it however. Very easy to see where Cane could have fit, very hard to see how he could have accomplished it choosing this year as his sabbatical instead of 2025, and that’s how it played out (though I assume we now know what when NZR said they were allowing him to move his sabbatical forward and return to NZ next year, they had actually agreed to simply select him for the All Blacks from overseas, without any chance he was going to play in NZ again). With a mammoth season of 15 All Black games they might as well get some value out of his years contract, though even with him being of equal character to Richie, I don’t think they should guarantee him his 100 caps. That’s not what the All Blacks should be about. He absolutely has to play winning football.
4 Go to commentswhat’s happening to Ian Peel?
1 Go to commentsAs a Crusaders fan , so disappointed , again.But I think Fergus Burke was all class for the Crusaders in his first game since October last year. Fletcher Newell , was so good at prop. Johnny McNicoll has been gold since returning from Wales. Noah Hotham brilliant , in a coming of age second season for the Crusaders.Jone Rova did really well at centre. The end of the game was tough.Sevu Reece , what a game/season in tough times.
2 Go to commentsFellas a balloon
3 Go to commentsBlues B team on display and made no race of it. By far the best team in SR with the Hurricanes barely getting past the winning post. Up the Blues 💙
7 Go to commentsWould be amazing to have Servette Genève reaching this level
3 Go to commentsThe Crusaders can't buy a win this season. Surely Penney's contract won't be renewed. There's still enough talent in the squad that they oughta be winning more.
1 Go to commentsABs captain for 23 seasons. Decent record. Surely nobody will surpass it. Legend. But alas a typo…
4 Go to commentsJust FYI Rugbypass, I for one am tired of your clickbait titles and thumbnails and will be clicking them no longer. Good day.
1 Go to commentsI think Farrell despite all of the stick he gets in the media is still one of if not the best fly half in the world. He is literally the full package. He can kick one of the best in the world, probably has the best defensive game of a fly half in the world and if he wants to he can run, take contact and find an offload to keep the pace of the attack. I dont know why he isnt spoken more about still being one of the best in the world with the likes of dupont. Farrell is the ultimate captain and team leader and is experienced- he has been in nearly any situation you can think of. I still believe due to these reasons that he is England’s best ever player and is still one of the best players in the world.
48 Go to commentsBlues are dominating up front and that’s been a long time coming. They have won the up front confrontation which is where canes, hilanders and act brumbies are also strong.
7 Go to commentsJust watched brumbies v safas game sadly not a show in he’ll thryr anywhere near quarters or semi contention. Admittedly some issues around new comers bot what stands out for me is coaching management, poor game planning and accuracy.
5 Go to commentsOne tough SOB!
16 Go to comments