Limerick players named in Ireland squads for Rugby Europe U18 Sevens Championship

THE Ireland Men’s and Women’s U18s Sevens squads, including a number of Limerick players, have been named for this weekend’s Rugby Europe U18 Sevens Championship action.

The Men’s Championship takes place in Macolin, Switzerland, while the Women’s Championship is being staged in Prague, Czech Republic this Saturday and Sunday

Ireland Men’s U18 Sevens Head Coach Kieran Hurrell has selected a 12-player squad following a series of weekend training camps at the IRFU High Performance Centre, with Gene O’Leary Kareem named to captain the side in Switzerland.

Five of the travelling party are members of the National Talent Squad (NTS).

Ireland Men’s U18 Sevens get their Rugby Europe campaign underway against hosts Switzerland on Saturday morning (9.44am Irish time), before further Pool matches against Germany (12.44pm Irish time) and Czech Republic (3.28pm Irish time).

“We have been really impressed with the talent and skillset of all players who have been involved in camps over the past three weeks,” Hurrell said.

“With such a small window to work together and 90% of our group not having played Sevens before, we have had to maximise our development as a squad, and create a shared understanding and vision for Switzerland, while creating an enjoyable environment for players to express themselves.”

Ireland Women’s U18 Sevens, meanwhile, travel to Prague led by Head Coach Katie Fitzhenry.

Many of the squad have impressed in the recent Girls U18 Sevens Interprovincial Series, while the success of the Ireland Women’s Sevens in qualifying for the Paris Olympics has been a major inspiration for the next generation.

“We have had a good period of preparation leading into Rugby Europe,” Fitzhenry said.

“There has been really good competition for places coming off the back of the Interprovincial Series, leading to a high standard of training and preparation.

“Now these 12 players have their opportunity to pull on the green jersey and further develop in the Sevens game, testing their skillsets against their peers on the international stage. We’re looking forward to the challenge as a group.”

Ireland Women’s U18 Sevens face Poland in their opening match on Saturday (8.44am Irish time), before going head-to-head with England (1.28pm Irish time).

All fixtures and results can be found on the Rugby Europe website (Men’s here and Women’s here), while a live stream will be available via Rugby Europe TV here.

Ireland U18 Men’s Sevens:
Connor Fahy (Leinster/Good Counsel College/Wexford Wanderers RFC)
Fraser Cunningham (Ulster/RBAI)
Gene O’Leary Kareem (Munster/Presentation Brothers Cork)
Jack Dunne (Leinster/Belvedere College)
Luke Murphy (Munster/Ardscoil Ris)
Matthew Te Pou (Munster/St Munchins College)
Oisin Minogue (Munster/St Munchins College)
Orin Burke (Connacht/Presentation College/Monivea RFC)
Paidi Farrell (Leinster/St. Mary’s Edenderry/Tullamore RFC)
Tim Deering (Leinster/Skerries Community College/Skerries RFC)
Tom Murtagh (Leinster/Clongowes Wood College)
Zach Allen (Munster/Bandon RFC)

Ireland U18 Women’s Sevens:
Caitriona Finn (Munster/UL/Ballina-Killaloe RFC)
Emily Foley (Connacht/Ballina RFC)
Emma Brogan (Leinster/Navan RFC)
Hannah Clarke (Connacht/Tuam/Oughterard RFC)
Katie Corrigan (Leinster/Tullow RFC)
Lucia Linn (Munster/IQ Rugby/Loughborough University)
Lyndsay Clarke (Munster/Ennis RFC)
Molly Boote (Connacht/Connemara RFC)
Niamh Crotty (Munster/Dolphin RFC)
Niamh Murphy (Leinster/Cill Dara RFC)
Robyn O’Connor (Leinster/Wexford Wanderers RFC)
Tara O’Neill (Ulster/Cooke RFC)