A big weekend of rugby action for the Irish Women's Sevens team ended on a high note on Sunday (June 14th) when the women in green were crowned Plate champions in Russia. Despite a rocky start to the first leg of the Rugby Europe Women's Sevens Grand Prix Series on Saturday, which saw them defeated by both Spain and France early on, Ireland dug deep and secured three wins out of their next four fixtures to bag a fifth place finish. Ireland pictured with The Netherlands. Sunday morning started off with a tough and difficult contest against England and although Ireland put in a fantastic performance it just wasn't enough as England ran out winners 17-14. Ireland then went on to brush off the challenge of Italy later in the day (31-5), to line up a nerve-wracking Plate final with the Netherlands. Ireland took on England on Sunday morning. The gripping finale had supporters on the edge of their seats as the clock ticked down, but Ireland held firm and converted tries from Alison Miller and Amee-Leigh Murphy proved crucial in their 14-10 win. "The standard of the competition was particularly high with many teams having World Series experience," said Anthony Eddy, head coach and IRFU Director of Rugby Sevens after the tournament. Ireland were crowned Plate champions on Sunday.  "It was certainly a step up for us and the team performed well over the two days." Pictures via IRFU.