Mark Roche

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.

Mark Roche

Roche attempts a conversion during the Ireland's quarter-final matchup against Fiji at the 2024 Summer Olympics
Date of birth	(1993-01-25) 25 January 1993 (age 31)
Height	173 cm (5 ft 8 in)[1]
Weight	89 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 Years Team Comps 2016– Ireland 7s
Medal record Men's rugby sevens Representing  Ireland European Games 2023 Kraków–Małopolska Team competition

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

Mark Roche during Ireland's 2024 Summer Olympics quarter-final.

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]

He represented Ireland at the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris.^[9][10]

References

1. "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.
9. "Ireland Sevens Squads Confirmed For 2024 Paris Olympics". Irish Rugby. 17 June 2024. Retrieved 27 July 2024.
10. "Ireland - Rugby Sevens Olympic Games Paris 2024". www.world.rugby. 2024. Retrieved 1 August 2024.

External links

• Mark Roche at Irish Rugby Football Union