Louise Galvin Flying the Flag In Rugby 7’s

We catch up with Irish international Louise Galvin as she looks ahead to the Dublin 7’s Tournament this August and Ireland’s bid for an Olympic qualifying place in Rio 2016.

Originally from Finuge in Co. Kerry, Louise’s first sport was basketball which she took up at primary school and continued to play at Presentation Convent, Listowel. Louise’s prowess led to her being selected on various national teams eventually becoming one of the country’s leading female basketball players.

A qualified physiotherapist, Louise attended University of Limerick where she captained the UL Huskies basketball team to national Cup and League success.

As a sporting all-rounder she played gaelic football with local club Finuge and represented Kerry from 2010 to 2015 winning the Munster and National League in 2013.

It was only last year that the 28 year old took up rugby at outside centre with UL Bohemian RFC and has since gone on to represent Ireland in rugby 7’s.

“I played a lot of tag rugby during the summers in Limerick. UL Bohs were recruiting for players and rugby was something that was in the back of my mind for a while so I said I’d give it a go.

“It was hard to juggle football, basketball and rugby so I didn’t really get much rugby played in my first season. I decided to stop playing basketball last year to get more game time with UL Bohs in the All Ireland League.

“From there I was called up to the 15’s national extended squad for the 6 Nations but I didn’t make the final squad. Instead I was asked to try 7’s and took part in my first training camp last March. I was then was offered an Irish contract and moved from Limerick up to Dublin last May to concentrate on 7’s full time.”

Currently on a career break as a Senior Physiotherapist at the University Hospital Limerick, Louise is now focusing on her international career and says playing various sports at a high level have contributed towards her own development as a 7’s player.

“I’m very much developing as an athlete and my basketball and football background have stood to me. I think if you play any sport to a high level you naturally develop skills in terms of spacial awareness, timing and reading other players which gives you a platform to adapt to any sport to an extent.

“You’re aware of things like strength and conditioning and nutrition so nothing in that area has been life changing for me; it just means I have to put even more time and effort into being aware of what is essentially required to be an accomplished athlete.“

Following selection on the Irish panel of 24 players Louise began her 7’s campaign last April when the squad took part in an intense training camp in Canada. She has since represented her country at 7’s tournaments in Holland, Russia, France and more recently Portugal where the Ireland women successful booked their place at next year’s World Olympic Repecharge to qualify for Rio 2016.

As the squad prepares for the Dublin 7’s tournament full-time training includes gym sessions from Monday to Friday with on average four weekly pitch sessions based at Dublin City University. Commenting on the strength of the Irish squad Louise is confident the side are well prepared to go all the way as they look forward to competing on their home soil.

“We have a good strong squad. We had a few struggling with injuries but a lot of the girls are starting to come back now which is great as obviously those players are putting themselves in contention to be selected.

“It makes all players realise there’s someone hot on their heels for places so the whole squad has to put everything into training. It’s very competitive and that’s the kind of environment that you want to have in a squad.”

“The management team have worked really hard also and have done a great job preparing us for the tournament so far. I think the squad are definitely on an upward curve in terms of performances and results.”

Following the Dublin 7’s tournament the Ireland Women will focus on qualification for Rio 2016. Twelve countries will take part in the Olympic Repecharge scheduled for next June with one Olympic spot guaranteed for the tournament winner.

Looking ahead to a tough year of full-time 7’s training Louise will continue to support her former colleagues and Kerry footballers as she continues to fly the flag for Ireland women.

“I go home when I can. I’m a staunch Kerry woman so I love to get back even if it’s to go down and have a look at Kerry training and see how the girls are getting on. Some of the rugby girls have nick-named me ‘Kerry’ as I talk about it so much. I’ll definitely call into Limerick as well – I lived in Limerick for so long that it’s a large part of my life too so whenever I get the chance, yeah, I’m hot chaining it down south on the M7!”

Women's Sevens Dublin Pools:
Pool A: Brazil, Wales, Japan, Samoa
Pool B: China, Netherlands, Kenya, Colombia
Pool C: South Africa, Ireland, Hong Kong, Mexico

Ireland Women's Sevens Fixtures:
Ireland v Mexico: Match 6. Start 12.50 End 13.12
Ireland v Hong Kong: Match 12. Start 15.22 End 15.44
South Africa v Ireland: Match 18. Start 18.28 End 18.50

UCD will host over 200 visiting players and management with games taking place at the UCD Bowl, which has a capacity of up to 3,000 supporters. Tickets for the tournament start at 5 euro, with children free, and are available from www.ticketmaster.ie