IN MAY 2014, Lucy Mulhall played rugby sevens for the first time in her life.
Just over two years later, the Wicklow woman is captain of the Ireland women’s sevens squad that will bid for Olympic qualification in UCD this weekend.
Mulhall is captain of the sevens squad. Gary Carr / INPHO
Gary Carr / INPHO / INPHO
Like so many of this Ireland group, Mulhall first showed her athletic talent in a different sport.
The 22-year-old helped Wicklow to an All-Ireland Ladies Junior football title in 2011 and was content to drive on with her Gaelic football life before an email from the IRFU’s Stan McDowell in 2014 piqued her interest in sevens.
“Stan, the development coach, actually emailed me and I had never heard of the sport of rugby sevens before. I did my research and watched a few games and I thought ‘this looks like a cool sport.’
“Then I went to Amsterdam in May two years ago on a trial tournament and I loved it.
I just think it’s a really honest sport. Seven people on the field, you can’t hide or shirk away from your responsibility or your work. That’s what I really like about the sport.”
Having come from that curiously interested beginning, Mulhall quickly became a sevens devotee and her sense is that Ireland will begin to awaken more and more to the beauty of the seven-player code in the coming months.
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The entire sevens code is growing rapidly this year, particularly with the carrot of the Olympics awaiting in August.
“It’s huge and it’s the type of sport you can sit down all day and watch,” says Mulhall. “I think it’s going to grow so big.
Mulhall in action for Wicklow in the 2011 Junior final. Ryan Byrne / INPHO
Ryan Byrne / INPHO / INPHO
“Even the festival atmosphere around the tournaments, once people find out what sevens is all about they’re going to be hooked – especially after the Olympics.”
A single Olympics place waits for the victor of the competition, with World Sevens Series sides Russia and Spain set to provide the stiffest competition for Ireland.
Having returned to the World Series this season, Ireland struggled to adapt to the pace of the game initially and finished 12th of the 14 sides overall.
Nonetheless, Mulhall is confident that lessons have been learned, mainly around how to control games, and she believes the chance to gain a spot at the Olympics will motivate Ireland to new heights.
“It would mean a lot for our team,” says Mulhall. “We’ve come a long way, we’ve worked so hard together this year, especially on the World Series, and maybe not had the results we would have wanted.
“To come away from the World Series and show that we’ve learned so much and to beat the quality of teams that are in the tournament this weekend would be huge for us.
“It would require a really, really good performance and that’s exactly what we’re looking for. That would be brilliant and the Olympics is probably the best sporting event in the world so it would be huge for us.”
It's a busy weekend for sevens in UCD. Dan Sheridan / INPHO
Dan Sheridan / INPHO / INPHO
Mulhall has been captaining Ireland since last year – she was just 21 when first handed the armband – but the responsibility has rested easy on her shoulders.
The presence of more experienced heads within the sevens programme has helped, with the recent addition of 15s captain Niamh Briggs only adding to that.
“I had done a bit in GAA but I guess I joined this sport at the age of 20 and became captain at 21 so it was pretty new to me,” says Mulhall of the captaincy.
It’s obviously a huge honour but it’s not like I’m doing it myself either.
“There are a lot of leaders on the team. There are older girls who have been here for ages and there are girls who have captained in other sports. In a game of sevens, because there are only seven players on the field, you require seven leaders.
“You require every person of the 12 who comes on the field to be a leader as well, so I guess it’s not as big a duty as maybe other sports. We all help each other out and on our team we encourage each other.”
'Seven people on the field, you can't hide or shirk away from your responsibility'
IN MAY 2014, Lucy Mulhall played rugby sevens for the first time in her life.
Just over two years later, the Wicklow woman is captain of the Ireland women’s sevens squad that will bid for Olympic qualification in UCD this weekend.
Like so many of this Ireland group, Mulhall first showed her athletic talent in a different sport.
The 22-year-old helped Wicklow to an All-Ireland Ladies Junior football title in 2011 and was content to drive on with her Gaelic football life before an email from the IRFU’s Stan McDowell in 2014 piqued her interest in sevens.
“Stan, the development coach, actually emailed me and I had never heard of the sport of rugby sevens before. I did my research and watched a few games and I thought ‘this looks like a cool sport.’
“Then I went to Amsterdam in May two years ago on a trial tournament and I loved it.
Having come from that curiously interested beginning, Mulhall quickly became a sevens devotee and her sense is that Ireland will begin to awaken more and more to the beauty of the seven-player code in the coming months.
The entire sevens code is growing rapidly this year, particularly with the carrot of the Olympics awaiting in August.
“It’s huge and it’s the type of sport you can sit down all day and watch,” says Mulhall. “I think it’s going to grow so big.
“Even the festival atmosphere around the tournaments, once people find out what sevens is all about they’re going to be hooked – especially after the Olympics.”
Of course, Mulhall and Ireland must secure their own place in the Rio Games by winning this weekend’s final qualifying tournament in UCD.
A single Olympics place waits for the victor of the competition, with World Sevens Series sides Russia and Spain set to provide the stiffest competition for Ireland.
Having returned to the World Series this season, Ireland struggled to adapt to the pace of the game initially and finished 12th of the 14 sides overall.
Nonetheless, Mulhall is confident that lessons have been learned, mainly around how to control games, and she believes the chance to gain a spot at the Olympics will motivate Ireland to new heights.
“It would mean a lot for our team,” says Mulhall. “We’ve come a long way, we’ve worked so hard together this year, especially on the World Series, and maybe not had the results we would have wanted.
“To come away from the World Series and show that we’ve learned so much and to beat the quality of teams that are in the tournament this weekend would be huge for us.
“It would require a really, really good performance and that’s exactly what we’re looking for. That would be brilliant and the Olympics is probably the best sporting event in the world so it would be huge for us.”
Mulhall has been captaining Ireland since last year – she was just 21 when first handed the armband – but the responsibility has rested easy on her shoulders.
The presence of more experienced heads within the sevens programme has helped, with the recent addition of 15s captain Niamh Briggs only adding to that.
“I had done a bit in GAA but I guess I joined this sport at the age of 20 and became captain at 21 so it was pretty new to me,” says Mulhall of the captaincy.
“There are a lot of leaders on the team. There are older girls who have been here for ages and there are girls who have captained in other sports. In a game of sevens, because there are only seven players on the field, you require seven leaders.
“You require every person of the 12 who comes on the field to be a leader as well, so I guess it’s not as big a duty as maybe other sports. We all help each other out and on our team we encourage each other.”
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Dublin Ireland 7s Lucy Mulhall Olympic Dream Qualifying UCD Wicklow Women's Sevens