Mark Roche
Date of birth (1993-01-25) 25 January 1993 (age 31)
Height5 ft 8 in (173 cm)[1]
Weight89 kg (196 lb)[1]
Occupation(s)Professional rugby player
Rugby union career
Position(s) Scrum-half (7s)
Senior career
Years Team Apps (Points)
2016– Lansdowne ()
International career
Years Team Apps (Points)
2014 Ireland under-20
National sevens team(s)
Years Team Comps
2016– Ireland 7s
Medal record
Men's rugby sevens
Representing  Ireland
European Games
Gold medal – first place 2023 Kraków–Małopolska Team competition

Mark Roche (born 25 January 1993)[1] is an Irish rugby union player. He plays for the Ireland national rugby sevens team as a scrum-half.

Youth rugby and early career

In his youth, Roche played with Blackrock.[2] He then went on to play for the Ireland under-20 national team in the 2013 IRB Junior World Championship.[3] He was also part of the Lansdowne team that was crowned 2015 All-Ireland League Division 1A champions, scoring a try in the final against Clontarf.[4]

Ireland national sevens team

Roche has played as a scrum-half for the Ireland national rugby sevens team since 2015. Roche played for Ireland in the 2017 Rugby Europe Grand Prix, helping Ireland qualify for the 2018 Hong Kong qualifier and the 2018 Rugby World Cup Sevens.[5]

Roche was part of the Ireland team that reached the semifinals of the 2018 Hong Kong Sevens qualifier for the 2018–19 World Rugby Sevens Series.[6] He started at scrum-half for the Ireland team that finished third at the 2018 London Sevens; Roche was selected to the tournament Dream Team at the conclusion of the tournament.[7] He competed for Ireland at the 2022 Rugby World Cup Sevens in Cape Town.[8]

References

  1. ^ a b c "Ireland 7s Squad: Mark Roche". Irish Rugby Football Union. Archived from the original on 29 December 2018.
  2. ^ Thornley, Gerry (2 April 2013). "League great for bringing players on, but paying for success leading clubs to the wall". The Irish Times.
  3. ^ "Ruddock makes 11 changes for Fiji match". The Irish Times. 7 June 2013.
  4. ^ O'Sullivan, John (9 May 2015). "Lansdowne fight back to be crowned Division 1A champions". The Irish Times.
  5. ^ O'Sullivan, John (5 June 2017). "Moscow success gives Ireland Sevens World Cup boost". The Irish Times.
  6. ^ "Hong Kong Sevens: Ireland to play Japan in semi-finals". The Irish Times. 7 April 2018.
  7. ^ "HSBC Dream Team: London" (Video). World Rugby. 4 June 2018.
  8. ^ "Ireland Squads Named For Rugby World Cup Sevens In Cape Town". Irish Rugby. 6 September 2022. Retrieved 17 September 2022.

External links

Ireland – 2020 Summer Olympics Squad
Ireland 2017 Rugby Europe Sevens Grand Prix Series squad
Categories