Team GB select women's rugby sevens side for Paris 2024 hoping to better two fourth-place finishes

The British Olympic Association announced on Wednesday (19 June) the women's rugby sevens side tasked with breaking Britain's two consecutive fourth-place finishes at the two Olympic Games in which the sport has participated, and this time, make the podium.

Jasmine Joyce is the sole player selected to have been at both Rio 2016, the inaugural Olympic host of rugby sevens, and Tokyo 2020, which saw GB lose out in the bronze-medal matches against Canada and Fiji, respectively.

Joyce will be the first British rugby player to appear at three Olympic Games, and she will want to cap that achievement with some hardware.

Prior to the selection, Joyce said of a potential third bid for an Olympic medal: “It’s so exciting to join up with the talented GB Sevens squad ahead of this summer’s Olympic Games. This side has a genuine shot of becoming the first female Great Britain rugby Sevens team to win an Olympic medal and I would love to be part of that.”

The Welsh flyer is joined by fellow Tokyo 2020 Olympians, Lisa Thomson, and England's Emma Uren and Meg Jones in head coach Ciaran Beattie’s squad.

The rest are Olympic debutants with England's Amy Wilson Hardy, Ellie Boatman, Grace Crompton, Heather Cowell, Isla Norman-Bell, Jade Shekells, Lauren Torley and 2024 Six Nations leading try scorer, Ellie Kildunne making up the side. The reserves are Abi Burton and Kayleigh Powell.

“As you might imagine, it was extremely difficult to name 14 at this stage, as there are so many excellent players who have performed on the World Rugby SVNS stage to secure qualification for these Olympic Games," said Beattie.

“We want to be competitive in Paris and approach each match as one that can be won, with the ultimate aim of medalling, at the same time being respectful of the huge quality of other teams.”

• Olympic Games Paris 2024: Full schedule and day-by-day competitions

One last chance to qualify for GB men's rugby sevens team

The women's team qualified for the Paris Olympic Games as Team GB at the European Games in Krakow, Poland in 2023, but their counterparts on the men's side, also fourth-place finishers in Tokyo but silver medallists at Rio 2016, are yet to qualify.

Their final chance will come at the World Rugby Sevens Repechage tournament in Monaco from 21-23 June.

Only the competition winners that emerge from the 12 men's and 12 women's teams over the three-day showdown will secure their tickets to Paris.

Team GB Chef de Mission, Mark England said: “It was thrilling to watch the women’s team qualify for the Paris Games as Team GB at the Krakow European Games last summer.

"I know that the selection process for the squad was extremely competitive, and I am delighted to welcome back Olympians Jasmine, Lisa, Emma and Meg, along with eight Olympic debutants.

“We hope the women’s team will be joined in Paris by the men’s rugby sevens team and wish them well at the World Rugby Sevens Repechage tournament in Monaco this coming weekend.”

• Olympic Rugby Sevens Schedule Paris 2024

Team GB Women's Rugby Sevens Squad

Amy Wilson Hardy
Ellie Boatman
Ellie Kildunne
Emma Uren
Grace Crompton
Heather Cowell
Isla Norman-Bell
Jade Shekells
Jasmine Joyce
Lauren Torley
Lisa Thomson
Meg Jones

Reserves:
Abi Burton
Kayleigh Powell

• Olympic Games Paris 2024 Rugby Sevens Schedule