Ashleigh Orchard
Rugby Sevens
BIOGRAPHY
Part of Ireland XVs’ Grand Slam win in 2013 and that famous victory over the Black Ferns (2014), Ashleigh has played in four World Cups (two XVs, two Sevens). She stepped away from the Sevens programme in 2019 after repetitive injury, returned through the development squad in 2022, and, just when she got an Irish re-call, discovered she was pregnant. She returned in May this year, just five months after giving birth to Arabella (who will be one next month), and her try against Spain in the final round of the World Series regular season was her first since 2018. She is currently on leave from Citibank.
OTHER RUGBY ATHLETES
RUGBY NEWS
DAY 4 | AFTERNOON REPORT PARIS 2024
At the canoe slalom Michaela Corcoran in the women’s C1 placed 21st overall and did not advance to the semi-finals, while Kildare paddler Noel Hendrick did enough over the course of his two runs in the K1 to advance to Thursday’s semi-final, ranked 19th. The Irish women’s rugby sevens team concluded their first ever Olympic Games with an eighth place finish [...]
2024 OLYMPIC GAMES – DAY 3 AFTERNOON REPORT FROM TEAM IRELAND
In Canoe Slalom double Olympian Liam Jegou put in an incredible run in the semi-final of the Men’s C1 to reach his first Olympic final an hour later where he placed an amazing seventh overall. Defending lightweight champion Kellie Harrington impressively defeated Italian Alessia Mesiano in the last 16 to advance to the quarter-finals on Wednesday evening (31st July). Her [...]
EVENING REPORT ON DAY 2 FOR TEAM IRELAND
It was good news all round for Team Ireland on the second evening of these Olympic Games. In front of a capacity crowd at the La Defense tonight Sligo swimmer Mona McSharry set a new Irish record of 1:05.51 in the semi-final of the women’s 100m breaststroke as she qualified in style for tomorrow night’s final [...]
AFTERNOON REPORT ON DAY TWO FROM TEAM IRELAND
On the water in Marseilles Sailors Robert Dickson and Seán Waddilove impressed to win the third of their 12 qualifying races in the Skiff this afternoon, having earlier placed fourth in the second race. In boxing Offaly welterweight (66kg) Grainne Walsh was beaten by Hungarian opponent Anna Luca Hamori in the preliminaries this afternoon 4-1.The first ever Irish Women’s Rugby Sevens team at an [...]
Ireland Sevens Squads Confirmed For 2024 Paris Olympics
The Olympic Federation of Ireland has officially selected the Men’s and Women’s Rugby Sevens teams who will compete at the Olympic Games in Paris this summer. Harry McNulty will captain the men’s team, which recently finished second in the World Series. Lucy Rock (formerly Mulhall) has been named as the captain of the women’s team [...]
Ireland’s Pool Opponents Confirmed For HSBC SVNS Grand Final Event
25 June 2023; Terry Kennedy of Ireland on his way to scoring his side's first try in the Men's Rugby Sevens match between Ireland and Italy at the Henryk Reyman Stadium during the European Games 2023 in Krakow, Poland. Photo by David Fitzgerald/Sportsfile The pools have been announced for the Ireland Men’s and Women’s [...]