Beibhinn Parsons

Beibhinn Parsons (born 30 November 2001) is an Ireland women's rugby union international. She plays wing for Blackrock College RFC, Connacht and the Ireland women's national rugby union team. She made her senior international debut in 2018 aged 16, making her the youngest player, male or female, to play senior rugby for the Irish Rugby Football Union.[1]

Beibhinn Parsons
Birth nameBeibhinn Parsons
Date of birth (2001-11-30) 30 November 2001
Place of birthBallinasloe, County Galway
Rugby union career
Position(s) Winger
Senior career
Years Team Apps (Points)
Blackrock College ()
Provincial / State sides
Years Team Apps (Points)
Connacht ()
International career
Years Team Apps (Points)
2017 - Ireland 12 30
National sevens team(s)
Years Team Comps
 Ireland

She won the 2020 Guinness Rugby Writers of Ireland Player of the Year Award,[2] and was nominated as RTÉ Young Sportsperson of the Year in 2021.[3]

Club career

Parsons was one of only two girls playing when she started rugby with Ballinasloe RFC's Mixed Under-11 team and played with them in an All-Ireland Community Games final. When she was no longer allowed to play with boys she returned to playing ladies gaelic football but the club eventually got enough players to set up a girls' team.[4][5]

In 2018 she led her school Ardscoil Mhuire to the All-Ireland girls' Seven’s title and also impressed for her province, scoring a hat-trick versus Leinster to help Connacht win their first ever Under-18 interprovincial title.[6]

In 2018 she was selected to play U18 Sevens for Ireland (who were coached by future Ireland VXs head coach Adam Griggs) and soon after made her Connacht senior debut, versus Munster.[7]

When she moved to Dublin to study in late 2020 she joined All-Ireland League side Blackrock College.[8]

International career

Despite the fact that she was too young, under Irish Rugby Union rules, to playing senior club or inter-provincial rugby, Ireland head coach Adam Griggs fast-tracked Parsons into the Ireland women's national rugby union squad when she was just 16.[9]

When she played, as a replacement in the 2018 Autumn Internationals, she became Ireland’s youngest senior rugby international. She almost scored a try with her first touch in the 19-10 loss to USA and also came off the bench in Ireland's 37-15 loss to England.[10]

In January 2019, having turned 17, she was part of Ireland’s squad at the Sydney leg of the World Rugby Sevens Series. She scored a try against Fiji to help Ireland finish fourth.[11]

Parsons made her full Ireland XVs debut, as a replacement against France, in the 2019 Women's Six Nations Championship and was a starter against Wales, when she scored her first try of the competition.[12]

In the summer of 2019 she helped Ireland’s U18 Sevens to second place at the World Games in Paris and scored a hat-trick of tries when Connacht beat Munster in the senior interprovincial semi-finals.

She started on the wing for Ireland in the 2020 Women's Six Nations Championship, scoring an intercept try versus Scotland and another against Wales.[13][14] She took a break from the remainder of the competition to concentrate on her final secondary school exams (Leaving Certificate) but when the competition was disrupted by Covid-19, she returned in time to play against Italy in October.[15]

Parsons started on the left wing in all of Ireland’s 2021 Women's Six Nations games and scored two tries in their 45-0 defeat of Wales.[16]

Parsons played a role in the Irish women’s Sevens team becoming the first ever to win a World Series silver medal in February 2022, in Spain, scoring a try in the final as Ireland led Australia 12-0 before finishing 17-12 behind.[17][18] She was named in the Ireland squad for the 2022 Rugby World Cup Sevens – Women's tournament held in Cape Town, South Africa in September 2022.[19]

Personal life

Parsons is an ‘Ad Astra’ scholarship student in UCD where she started a degree in Biomedical, Health and Life Sciences in 2020-2021.[20]

The Mayo footballer Tom Parsons is her first cousin.

Honours
  • Irish Rugby Writers 2020 Women's Player of the Year
  • Try of the Round in Week 2 of 2021 Women's Six Nations

References
  1. Kinsella, Murray. "'In Beibhinn, Ireland have someone who can do things that other people can't do'". The42. Retrieved 10 April 2021.
  2. O'Sullivan, John. "Beibhinn Parsons ignoring the noise as uncertainty surrounds 2021". The Irish Times. Retrieved 10 April 2021.
  3. "Oisin Mullin misses out on RTE Young Sportsperson of the Year award". MidWest Radio. 29 January 2021. Retrieved 10 April 2021.
  4. Kinsella, Murray. "'In Beibhinn, Ireland have someone who can do things that other people can't do'". The42. Retrieved 20 September 2021.
  5. ""I was doing okay but after that call I was like, 'Oh God, this is really happening!'" - Beibhinn Parsons". SportsJOE.ie. Retrieved 20 September 2021.
  6. "Interpro Title Joy For Leinster Women And Connacht Under-18s". Irish Rugby. 17 September 2018. Retrieved 20 September 2021.
  7. "The emerging stars of the 2019/20 season: Beibhinn Parsons". the42.ie. 14 April 2020.
  8. Cummiskey, Gavin. "Beibhinn Parsons ready to move on the next level". The Irish Times. Retrieved 20 September 2021.
  9. "Connacht Rugby - PICS: Beibhinn Parsons makes rugby history with senior Ireland debut". Connacht Rugby. 19 November 2018. Retrieved 20 September 2021.
  10. "England women overcome spirited Ireland". BBC Sport. Retrieved 20 September 2021.
  11. "Lane And Parsons Picked In Ireland Women's Squad For Sydney 7s". Irish Rugby. 23 January 2019. Retrieved 20 September 2021.
  12. "Ireland finish Six Nations with sobering Cardiff defeat". 17 March 2019. {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  13. "Storm Beibhinn blows Wales away". SportsJOE.ie. Retrieved 20 September 2021.
  14. Donnybrook, Daire Walsh at. "Ireland go top after they storm home to bonus-point win over Wales". The Irish Times. Retrieved 20 September 2021.
  15. Farrell, Sean. "Beibhinn Parsons organising her next steps after 'rollercoaster' year of Leaving Cert stress". The42. Retrieved 20 September 2021.
  16. O, Tomas (24 March 2021). "Beibhinn Parsons set to star as Six Nations squad is announced". SportsNewsIreland. Retrieved 20 September 2021.
  17. "Lucy Mulhall and Erin King help make history with Irish 7s". independent.ie.
  18. "Ireland women suffer agonising Sevens final defeat against Australia". Irish Times.
  19. "Ireland Squads Named For Rugby World Cup Sevens In Cape Town". Irishrugby.ie.
  20. "UCD Ad Astra Scholar Béibhinn Parsons named Irish Rugby Writers Women's Player of the Year". www.ucd.ie. Retrieved 20 September 2021.
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