Mark Roche
Rugby Sevens
BIOGRAPHY
Mark Roche represented Ireland in Rugby Sevens at the Tokyo 2020 and Paris 2024 Olympic Games.
A scrum-half, Roche was one of the founding members of the Ireland Sevens programme, joining in 2015 and participating in its first competitive outing in Zenica, Bosnia. He went on to accumulate 173 World Series appearances and score 400 points in the green jersey across his career. In 2018 he was named in the Dream Team at the London Sevens, and he was part of the squad that won bronze at the 2022 Rugby World Cup Sevens in Cape Town.
His entry into the Sevens programme came about by chance – a referee who spotted him playing tag rugby at Lansdowne encouraged him to apply for a trial. A product of Blackrock College, Roche previously represented Ireland at Under-20 level in 2013 and won the All-Ireland League Division 1A title with Lansdowne in 2015. His younger brother Tom also represented Ireland in Sevens.
OTHER RUGBY SEVENS ATHLETES
RUGBY SEVENS NEWS
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 [...]
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 [...]