Joe Schmidt's son included in Ireland 7s squad for the first time

Anthony Eddy’s side are on their travels again this weekend for the Silicon Valley 7s tournament.

TIM SCHMIDT, THE son of Ireland head coach Joe, has been named in the Ireland sevens squad for this weekend’s tournament in California.

The Terenure College scrum-half is included in the 12-player panel for the first time after impressing during the early stages of the Ulster Bank League season.

Schmidt is one of six new faces in the squad from last week’s second-place finish at the Elche 7s competition in Spain with captain Billy Dardis, Harry McNulty, Bryan Mollen, Will Connors and Greg O’Shea coming back in for the trip to America.

Ireland have been paired in Pool A of the Silicon Valley 7s alongside Canada, England and Samoa, all of whom are World Series sides.

Speaking ahead of what will be a stern test for his side, the IRFU’s director of sevens rugby Anthony Eddy said: ”This weekend’s tournament is set to be another big test for the players selected. We’re in a challenging pool, with three core World Series sides, including last year’s runners-up England, so it’s another chance to benchmark ourselves against top class opposition.

“Those players who were involved in last weekend’s tournament in Elche will also need to make sure they’ve rested and recovered appropriately ahead of this weekend – this is one of the most important aspects for sides involved on the World Series, so it’s a good opportunity to replicate these conditions.”

Ireland sevens squad:

Will Connors (UCD/Leinster)
Jordan Conroy (Buccaneers/Connacht)
Shane Daly (Cork Constitution/Munster)
Billy Dardis (UCD) (capt)
Ian Fitzpatrick (Lansdowne/Leinster)
Terry Kennedy (St. Mary’s College/Leinster)
Harry McNulty (UCD)
Bryan Mollen (Dublin University)
John O’Donnell (Lansdowne)
Greg O’Shea (Shannon)
Mark Roche (Blackrock College)
Tim Schmidt (Terenure College)