IRELAND’S Women’s Rugby Sevens team stunned hosts Australia to win their first HSBC SVNS series tournament, striking gold in sun-drenched Perth.
The Ireland Women (sponsored by TritonLake) became the first side from the IRFU Sevens Programme to win a World Series title, as Eve Higgins pounced for a decisive 13th-minute try in an epic 19-14 Cup final victory over Australia, the current table toppers.
Having lost to the Australians in their only previous Cup final appearance in Seville two years ago, Allan Temple-Jones’ charges gained revenge with stalwarts Amee-Leigh Murphy Crowe and Lucy Mulhall both touching down during the first half.
Captain Mulhall had starred with two tries during an impressive 31-7 semi-final defeat of Great Britain in sweltering conditions. She then capitalised on Charlotte Caslick’s sin-binning in the final to squeeze in under the posts just before half-time.
Ireland’s 14-7 interval lead was erased when Teagan Levi evaded a diving tackle from Higgins for a breakaway ninth-minute effort, yet Mulhall, the HSBC player of the final, and her team-mates brilliantly held their nerve in a tense end-game.
They got back on the front foot, with Béibhinn Parsons accelerating through into the opposition 22, before replacement Aoibheann Reilly fed Higgins on the left wing and she stepped inside Isabella Nasser, shrugging off her attempted tackle to score.
Mulhall pushed her conversion narrowly wide, but it was not needed in the end as Australia knocked on from the restart. Reilly got the ball out of the scrum swiftly, allowing her skipper to kick the ball dead and crown a superb team performance.
Enjoying scenes of sheer jubilation both on and off the pitch, the Ireland fans at HBF Park had more than made their presence felt across the three-day tournament. Their weekend was capped off with a historic and unforgettable Sunday evening session for Irish Sevens rugby.
Celebrations in Australia
