Erin King
Rugby Sevens
BIOGRAPHY
Erin King represented Ireland in the women’s Rugby Sevens tournament at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, where Ireland finished 8th – the first time an Irish women’s rugby sevens team had competed at the Olympics.
King was born in Sydney to English parents of Irish descent and grew up living in Dubai and Doha with her family before they returned to their Wicklow roots during her teenage years. She began playing rugby at Naas RFC aged 15 and also represented Wicklow at minor Gaelic football. She plays club rugby for Old Belvedere RFC and was identified as a Player of National Interest at 17, joining the Ireland Sevens programme in January 2021.
She made her senior sevens debut in Dubai in December 2021 and scored her first try for Ireland against Canada in Toulouse in May 2022. She played a key role in Ireland qualifying for Paris 2024, including in the decisive win over Fiji in Toulouse in May 2023. She became widely known during the Paris Games for lifting and catching teammate Emily Lane at a restart – a moment that went viral internationally.
Later in 2024 she made her Ireland women’s fifteens debut and was named World Rugby Women’s 15s Breakthrough Player of the Year at the World Rugby Awards in November 2024.
OTHER RUGBY ATHLETES
RUGBY NEWS
Performance Round Up July 2026
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Irish Sailing and Rugby Sevens Shine in Action-Packed Weekend
Sailing McMahon Claims Sailing Bronze in California Eve McMahon secured a superb bronze medal at the Sailing Grand Slam event in San Pedro, California, after a composed performance in the Final Series against some of the world's best Olympic sailors. Racing took place in ideal conditions inside the bay, with 10–13 knots of breeze providing [...]
Dan Kennedy RIP
Today, a man whose guidance helped shape generations of Irish athletes, including several Olympians, was laid to rest. Dan Kennedy, known to most simply as “DK”, was far more than a PE teacher. He was a mentor, innovator, coach and trusted voice whose influence stretched quietly but profoundly across Irish sport for more than five [...]
Istanbul 2027 European Games
A Key Step on the Road to LA28 The 4th European Games will take place in Istanbul, Turkey from 16 to 27 June 2027, one year out from the Olympic Games in Los Angeles. For Team Ireland, Istanbul represents a significant moment in the LA28 cycle: a major competitive platform, a qualification opportunity across multiple [...]
Sport Events Coming up in July
We are at the start of a jam packed July, check here for information on the upcoming events? DATES EVENT (SPORT) 27 June – 6 July EQUESTRIAN Team Ireland – World Equestrian Festival CHIO Aachen – Aachen, Germany LINK 28-29 June ATHLETICS Team Ireland – European Athletics Team Championships Division 2 – Maribor, Slovenia LINK [...]
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 [...]