Amee-Leigh Murphy Crowe bags brace as Ireland storm into Rugby World Cup Sevens quarter-finals

Amee-Leigh Murphy Crowe crossed for two tries as Ireland ground out a 24-12 victory over Brazil in their Rugby World Cup Sevens opener.

The 27-year-old, who top-scored in this season's World Series with 36 tries in 34 matches, took less than four minutes to open her account in Cape Town, with captain Lucy Mulhall extending their lead less than a minute later.

A late Brazil surge saw them cut their deficit to 14-12 at half-time but Beibhinn Parsons scored a stunning solo try after the restart to put them back on track.

Ireland pinned Brazil into their own 22 for the majority of the second half and forced a five-metre scrum late on, which resulted in a second try for Murphy Crowe.

Ireland will face New Zealand or Colombia in Saturday’s quarter-finals (kick-off 7.05pm Irish time), live on RTÉ Player.

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