Following strong performances in Toulouse and London in May, James Topping’s side currently sit fifth in the World Series standings heading into the finale of the 2022 season at Dignity Health Sports Park.

Squad arrived yesterday

A 15-player squad, captained by Billy Dardis, arrived in Los Angeles yesterday to finalise preparations for the first LA Sevens since 2020.

Eight Olympians are included in the travelling squad, while Ireland U20s Grand Slam winger Chay Mullins and Leinster duo Andrew Smith and Niall Comerford add further World Series experience to the ranks having featured strongly over the course of the 2022 season.

Terry Kennedy will be looking to continue his rich vein of form having been one of the standout performers on the World Series, with the 26-year-old leading the try-scoring charts with 47, nine ahead of Australia’s Corey Toole and Marcos Moneta of Argentina.

This weekend, Ireland will have one eye on building towards the upcoming Rugby World Cup Sevens in Cape Town, which takes place between 9-11 September.

Ireland’s Group

Ireland have been paired in Pool C alongside France, Wales and Fiji, with all the action live from LA on the World Rugby stream here.

Topping’s side open their LA Sevens campaign against France on Saturday (6.48pm Irish time), before facing Wales (10.09pm Irish time) and Fiji (2.05am Irish time) early the following morning Irish time.

“A pleasing World Series season so far”

Commenting ahead of the tournament, the Ireland Head Coach said: “It has been a pleasing World Series season for us so far, particularly as we’ve introduced a number of new players onto this stage since the turn of the year, and the squad are motivated to finish as strong as possible in LA.

“It was a big achievement for the group to reach our first World Series final in Toulouse in May and coming off the back of a Rugby Europe campaign in June and July, we are excited to return to action this weekend. We are also building towards the Rugby World Cup Sevens and performing well in LA will be an important stepping stone for us towards Cape Town.”

Ireland Men’s Sevens Squad, LA Sevens

Jordan Conroy (Buccaneers RFC)
Niall Comerford (UCD RFC/Leinster)
Sean Cribbin (Suttonians RFC)
Billy Dardis (Terenure College RFC) (capt)
Ed Kelly (Dublin University FC)
Jack Kelly (Dublin University FC)
Terry Kennedy (St. Mary’s College RFC)
Hugo Lennox (Skerries RFC)
Matt McDonald (IQ Rugby)
Harry McNulty (UCD RFC)
Bryan Mollen (Blackrock College RFC)
Chay Mullins (IQ Rugby)
Aaron O’Sullivan (Blackrock College RFC)
Mark Roche (Lansdowne FC)
Andrew Smith (Clontarf FC/Leinster).

Ireland Sevens Schedule, LA Sevens

Saturday, August 27:
Ireland v France, 10.48am local time/6.48pm Irish time
Ireland v Wales, 2.09pm local time/10.09pm Irish time
Ireland v Fiji, 6.05pm local time/2.05am Irish time

Sunday, August 28:
Play-off matches

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IRFU Director of Women’s and Sevens Rugby, Anthony Eddy, has called up four players that were involved in Ireland’s (15s) win over the United States in Dublin earlier this month.

Beibhinn Parsons, Amee-Leigh Murphy Crowe, Stacey Flood and Eve Higgins were all part of Adam Griggs’ squad for the November Internationals before leaving to join the Sevens squad for the upcoming tournament.

Sevens captain Lucy Mulhall returns to the setup after spending time with the national rugby union team during their failed World Cup qualification campaign.

Mulhall will lead the Ireland Women as they make a welcome return to World Series action for the first time since Sydney in February 2020.

The uncapped Erin King is set to make her senior Sevens debut in Dubai after being called up following some stand-out performances for Leinster in last summer’s Under-18 Women’s Interprovincial Championship.

Ireland, under the guidance of Eddy and incoming Head Coach, Aiden McNulty, kick off their 2022 campaign against Fiji in Pool B on Friday morning (9.22 am local time/5.22 am Irish time).

Ireland Women then face familiar foes Great Britain (12.34 pm local time/8.34 am Irish time) and Canada (6.07 pm local time/2.07 pm Irish time) in further Pool outings on Friday, before going head-to-head with Russia in their final first-round clash on Saturday (9.44 am local time/5.44 am Irish time).

Commenting ahead of the Dubai 7s, Eddy said: “Both squads are extremely excited to be back on the World Series and Dubai is always a quality tournament and a great experience for the players.

“The teams will be very eager to perform well over the two weekends of competition and get off to a good start for the Series ahead.”

All games are available to watch live on World Rugby’s HSBC World Rugby Sevens Series website here, while there will be live coverage on the Irish Rugby social media channels.

Ireland Women’s Sevens squad for Dubai

Kathy Baker (Blackrock College RFC)
Claire Boles (Railway Union RFC)
Brittany Hogan (Ballynahinch RFC/Old Belvedere RFC)
Erin King (Old Belvedere RFC)
Katie Heffernan (Mullingar RFC/Railway Union RFC)
Stacey Flood (Railway Union RFC)
Aoibheann Reilly (Blackrock College RFC)
Lucy Mulhall (Rathdrum RFC) (capt)
Eve Higgins (Railway Union RFC)
Kate Farrell McCabe (Suttonians RFC)
Béibhinn Parsons (Blackrock College RFC)
Amee-Leigh Murphy Crowe (Railway Union RFC)
Megan Burns (Blackrock College RFC)

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IRFU Director of Women’s and Sevens Rugby, Anthony Eddy, has selected a 13-player panel that will represent the national team in the United Arab Emirates this weekend – the tournament will be held at Dubai’s Sevens Stadium from Friday, November 26 – Saturday, November 27.

Six Olympians have been named in the squad as the side look to build on their first-ever Olympic appearance in Tokyo earlier this year as well as two positive tournaments in Canada back in September.

Billy Dardis once again captains the side, with fellow Olympians Jack Kelly, Mark Roche, Bryan Mollen, Hugo Lennox and Terry Kennedy all named in the squad for Dubai.

Ireland will be coached by James Topping for the tournament – Topping previously took charge of the side for the competitions in Canada.

Ireland get the Men’s tournament up and running in Pool C against South Africa on Friday morning (9.32 am local time/5.32 am Irish time). Clashes against Great Britain (1.46 pm local time/9.46 am Irish time) and Japan (4.08 pm local time/12.08 pm Irish time) follow on Friday.

The Women’s squad has also been named for their HSBC World Rugby Sevens Series opener, also held in Dubai.

Commenting ahead of the Dubai 7s, Eddy said: “Both squads are extremely excited to be back on the World Series and Dubai is always a quality tournament and a great experience for the players.

“The teams will be very eager to perform well over the two weekends of competition and get off to a good start for the Series ahead.”

All games are available to watch live on World Rugby’s HSBC World Rugby Sevens Series website here, while there will be live coverage on the Irish Rugby social media channels.

Ireland Men’s Sevens Squad – Dubai 7s

Jack Kelly (Dublin University FC)
Liam Turner (Dublin University FC/Leinster)
Mark Roche (Lansdowne FC)
Zac Ward (Ballynahinch RFC)
Bryan Mollen (Blackrock College RFC)
Billy Dardis (Terenure College RFC) (capt)
Sean Cribbin (Suttonians RFC)
Hugo Lennox (Skerries RFC)
Aaron O’Sullivan (Blackrock College RFC)
Terry Kennedy (St. Mary’s College RFC)
Niall Comerford (UCD RFC/Leinster)
Ed Kelly (Dublin University FC)
Jude Postlethwaite (Banbridge RFC/Ulster).

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McNulty had been in the position of Interim Head Coach for the conclusion of the 2021 campaign and led Ireland to promising performances at the season-ending International Rugby 7s and HPC International 7s tournaments.

An Elite Performance Development Officer at Ulster Rugby since October 2019, McNulty will commence his role at the IRFU High Performance Centre next week as the Ireland squad build towards the opening legs of the World Series in Dubai in late November/early December.

Commenting on the appointment, IRFU Director of Sevens and Women’s Rugby, Anthony Eddy, said: “I am delighted for Aiden and the programme as Aiden did such a good job with the group towards the end of last season.

“He was extremely committed and invested in the role and his progression to take on the job full time is a good fit.

“Aiden is a very good coach with good knowledge of the programme and the group and he has the skills to develop the programme and the game further.”

McNulty underlined his excitement after earning the opportunity to coach the side on a full-time basis: “I am enormously excited to be back working with everyone involved within the Ireland Women’s Sevens programme.

“Having witnessed first-hand the high potential and skill-set within the squad, I’m delighted to be tasked with the job of stretching, challenging and supporting them into the future.”

The 2022 Women’s Series will feature seven rounds over six months, kicking off with back-to-back tournaments in Dubai.

The Emirates Dubai Sevens will start with a behind-closed-doors round on 26-27 November followed by a second event on 3-4 December with fans in attendance at The Sevens Stadium.

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These tournaments will take place over the course of six months, kicking off with a pair of combined men’s and women’s events in Dubai, United Arab Emirates at the end of November.

The Emirates Dubai Sevens will host a behind-closed-doors round on 26-27 November, 2021, followed by a second event a week later on 3-4 December with fans in attendance at The Sevens Stadium.

Great Britain will represent three unions in the first two events but will split into England, Scotland and Wales in the men’s and England will take part in the women’s series following the Dubai tournaments.

The 16 men’s core teams after the Dubai events are Argentina, Australia, Canada, England, Fiji, France, Ireland, Japan, Kenya, New Zealand, Samoa, Scotland, South Africa, Spain, USA and Wales.

South Africa will look to defend the title they won in the shortened 2021 season.

Japan will join the men’s Series as a core team following their promotion as HSBC World Rugby Sevens Challenger Series champions in 2020.

The 11 core women’s teams after the Dubai events are Australia, Brazil, Canada, England, Fiji, France, Ireland, New Zealand, Russia, Spain and the USA.

New Zealand’s Black Ferns Sevens will be aiming to defend their title after being crowned champions in 2020.

There will be a similar double-header in Spain for rounds three and four with events taking place in Malaga and Seville on 21-23 and 28-30 January, 2022 respectively.

The new venues in Spain temporarily replace traditional Series hosts Sydney, Australia, and Hamilton, New Zealand, who were unable to host in 2022 due to the logistical challenges associated with the COVID-19 pandemic in their region.

The men’s Series continues with  North American rounds in Vancouver on 26-27 February and Los Angeles on 5-6 March before moving to Asia.

Hong Kong returns to host a combined men’s and women’s event on 1-3 April, followed by a men’s event in Singapore on 9-10 April.

A women’s standalone event will take place in Langford, Canada, on 30 April-1 May before both men’s and women’s teams travel to a new Series venue in Toulouse, France, on 20-22 May where the women’s Series champions will be crowned.

The men’s Series concludes with the final event in London on 28-29 May.

World Rugby Chief Executive Alan Gilpin spoke about the release of the 2022 schedule: “Following an outstandingly competitive and highly impactful Olympic Games competition it is fantastic to announce a full schedule for the HSBC World Rugby Sevens Series 2022 today.

“Alongside popular and traditional rugby sevens venues it will be exciting to take the Series to new venues in Spain and France as the game continues to expand and captivate new audiences around the world with its fast, skilful and thrilling format.

“Rugby sevens is a key driver of global growth for our sport, particularly in emerging nations, and it firmly remains a top priority for our organisation.

“A lot of hard work has gone on behind the scenes to ensure we can announce a full Series schedule today and we thank HSBC, the host organisations, unions, commercial and broadcast partners for their unwavering support and spirit of collaboration as we navigate the challenges of the global COVID-19 pandemic together.

“We now look ahead to the return of the HSBC World Rugby Sevens Series at full throttle ahead of what promises to be a very busy and exciting year for sevens with the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham and Rugby World Cup Sevens in Cape Town following the Series.

“As ever, the health and welfare of players, fans and wider society continues to be our primary concern and we will work closely with all stakeholders to ensure the safe delivery of the Series.

HSBC Group Head of Brand and Brand Partnerships Jonathan Castleman said: “Like everyone involved we are incredibly excited that the HSBC World Rugby Sevens Series is back and this is truly a testament to all of the hard work that has gone on behind the scenes.

“With new venues in both Spain and France, it opens up further opportunities to attract even more players, fans and communities to the spectacle of rugby sevens and as the long-term partner of the HSBC World Rugby Sevens Series we cannot wait to watch the teams competing at the highest levels again and where possible with full stadiums.”

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