Tullamore youngster Megan Burns was part of the Ireland Women’s Sevens squad that finished sixth at the Emirates Dubai 7s ©INPHO/Martin Seras Lima
While disappointed with a brace of defeats on the final day, the Ireland Women’s Sevens team (sponsored by TritonLake) still managed their best ever finish at the Emirates Dubai 7s.
Ireland ended up sixth overall in their HSBC World Rugby Sevens Series opener, defeating Great Britain 21-12 either side of losses to the USA (5-0) and Fiji (28-12).
Naya Tapper scored the only try in a gut-wrenching Cup quarter-final exit for Aiden McNulty’s side, who bounced back with tries from captain Lucy Mulhall, Eve Higgins and Amee-Leigh Murphy Crowe to beat their British counterparts.
Higgins and Murphy Crowe were both excellent across the weekend, scoring five tries each with Béibhinn Parsons, who turned 21 on Wednesday, kicking off the new season with a four-try haul.
Both Parsons and Murphy Crowe crossed during the 5th place final, but Fiji exacted revenge for Saturday’s pool defeat with two unanswered second half scores as they took advantage of the sin-binning of Parsons.
The Ireland Women’s previous best placings in Dubai were eighth in 2018 and seventh last year. They move on to Cape Town next week for the first World Series leg in South Africa since December 2019.
Murphy Crowe and Stacey Flood straightened up Ireland’s attack despite some early passes going astray in a bruising quarter-final clash. The breakdown was ferociously competitive.
It was a cagey, defensive game and the girls in green were unable to get a foothold in terms of territory throughout the first half. Erin King lifted her team-mates on the restart with a well-won turnover penalty.
Ireland had to scramble back to foil a Tapper break, but she soon opened the scoring from a loose Irish lineout. The US went wide where Ilona Maher’s brilliant offload put Tapper over in the left corner despite a last-ditch Higgins tackle.
As time ticked down, Murphy Crowe did well to bring down Jaz Gray – and also cover a subsequent kick through – and it was Higgins who won the contest at the breakdown.
Crucially, the Americans’ physicality and organisation in defence kept Ireland well out of scoring range. Mulhall opted to put boot to ball during the final seconds, but Gray was able to reach the ball ahead of Murphy Crowe and seal the result.
Britain started on the front foot in the 5th place semi-final, and were rewarded when Emma Uren charged clear from a quick tap to score in the fourth minute. Captain Megan Jones converted.
Nonetheless, the Irish attack clicked into gear before half-time. Mulhall crashed in under the posts from a penalty, following up on some smart running by both Higgins and a sniping Emily Lane.
Higgins was next over the whitewash, expertly nipping through a gap to score from the right wing with the British defence sucked in by the lurking Murphy Crowe. Mulhall’s second conversion made it 14-7 at the interval.
The midway heat was a factor during a stop-start second half, but Britain closed the gap to two points after a clever score from replacement Isla Norman-Bell who broke from a ruck and beat the chasing Lane with some nifty footwork.
Playing the captain’s role, Mulhall swiftly got outside Ellie Boatman to break from inside the Irish half and she had Murphy Crowe trailing her to finish off the match-winning try to the left of the posts.
Fiji took a first-minute lead when they renewed rivalries with Ireland. Raijieli Daveua’s powerful burst downfield delivered the opening seven points, but Parsons replied in the third minute.
Nice offloading from King and Higgins, whose sidestepping run had Fiji backpedalling, set up the Ballinasloe native to dash clear from halfway. Mulhall equalised with the conversion from just to the right of the posts.
Mulhall’s short restart was won by Flood, sparking a strong spell from Ireland. Fiji absorbed the pressure but were exposed when Mulhall fed Murphy Crowe for a simple sixth-minute finish from close range.
With a terrific jinking run from deep, Lavena Cavuru made it two tries apiece for half-time, the Fijians just shading it at 14-12. They then went to score at crucial stages of the closing seven minutes.
Parsons saw yellow for preventing a quick tap, and Ana Maria Naimasi used the resulting scrum possession to step into space and canter clear for her side’s third try. Reapi Ulunisau added the extras for a 21-12 scoreline.
Ireland tried to hit back when Megan Burns chased down her own kick and Higgins also tested the Fijian defence with some elusive running. Yet, a Naimasi offload settled the issue when she released fellow replacement Younis Bese to go in under the posts.
