Local duo on Ireland women's squad for Cape Town
Two local players have been selected on the Ireland women's sevens squad for this weekend's HSBC SVNS Series action at DHL Stadium in Cape Town.
Aoibheann Reilly from Moore and Ballinasloe naitve Béibhinn Parsons - both of whom play club rugby for Blackrock College - have been named on the 14-strong Ireland squad.
Mullingar native Katie Heffernan, who plays for Railway Union, is also part of the Ireland squad.
Meanwhile, two Buccaneers players - Jordan Conroy and Shane Jennings - have been selected on the Ireland men's squad.
Following on from last weekend's season opener in Dubai, the SVNS Series rolls on to South Africa for the second leg of the campaign, with both Ireland squads aiming to improve on their quarter-final appearances in the desert.
James Topping's Ireland men finished fifth in Dubai, narrowly losing out to Fiji in a quarter-final tie, before convincingly defeating Samoa in the fifth place play-off. Ireland have travelled to Cape Town with an unchanged 13-player squad, with Topping's side paired in Pool A alongside Great Britain, hosts South Africa and USA.
For their part, Ireland women have made one injury-enforced change to their squad for this weekend with Lucinda Kinghan coming in for Kathy Baker. After finishing sixth in Dubai, Allan Temple-Jones' side will be hoping to build on their performances at The Sevens Stadium when they take on Brazil, New Zealand and Great Britain in Pool B.
The action gets underway on Saturday morning when Ireland Wwmen face Brazil in their campaign opener. You can watch all of the HSBC SVNS Series action for free on RugbyPass TV.
Ireland Men’s Sevens squad (HSBC SVNS Series – Cape Town)
Niall Comerford (UCD RFC)
Jordan Conroy (Buccaneers RFC)
Sean Cribbin (Suttonians RFC)
Billy Dardis (Terenure College RFC)
Shane Jennings (Buccaneers RFC/Connacht)
Jack Kelly (Dublin University FC)
Terry Kennedy (St Mary’s College RFC)
Hugo Lennox (Skerries RFC)
Harry McNulty (UCD RFC), captain
Gavin Mullin (UCD RFC)
Chay Mullins (Galway Corinthians RFC/Connacht/IQ Rugby)
Mark Roche (Lansdowne FC)
Zac Ward (Ballynahinch RFC).
Ireland Women’s Sevens squad (HSBC SVNS Series – Cape Town)
Natasja Behan (Blackrock College RFC)
Megan Burns (Blackrock College RFC)
Amee-Leigh Murphy Crowe (Railway Union RFC)
Stacey Flood (Railway Union RFC)
Katie Heffernan (Railway Union RFC)
Eve Higgins (Railway Union RFC)
Erin King (Old Belvedere RFC)
Vicky Elmes Kinlan (Wicklow RFC)
Emily Lane (Blackrock College RFC)
Kate Farrell McCabe (Suttonians RFC)
Lucy Mulhall (Wicklow RFC) captain
Lucinda Kinghan (Railway Union RFC)
Béibhinn Parsons (Blackrock College RFC)
Aoibheann Reilly (Blackrock College RFC).
Ireland fixtures – HSBC SVNS Series, Cape Town (Saturday, December 9)
Ireland Women v Brazil, 9am local time/7am Irish time
Ireland Men v USA, 8.50am Irish time
Ireland Women v Great Britain, 9.12am Irish time
Ireland Men v Great Britain, 12.50pm Irish time
Ireland Women v New Zealand, 1.10pm Irish time
Ireland Men v South Africa, 5.34pm Irish time.
Sunday, December 10: play-off matches