Claire Boles

Claire Boles
Date of birth (1998-05-28) 28 May 1998 (age 26)
Place of birthEnniskillen, Co Fermanagh
Height1.69 m (5 ft 6+1⁄2 in)
Weight70 kg (150 lb; 11 st 0 lb)
Rugby union career
Position(s) Back Row
Amateur team(s)
Years Team Apps (Points)
Enniskillen RFC ()
Senior career
Years Team Apps (Points)
2016 Ulster ()
2017 Railway Union ()
International career
Years Team Apps (Points)
2019– Ireland 3 (0)
National sevens team
Years Team Comps
2017- Ireland 7s

Claire Boles (born 28 May 1998) is an Irish rugby player from Enniskillen, Co Fermanagh. She plays for Railway Union, Ulster and Ireland. She plays for the Ireland women's national rugby union team and the Ireland women's national rugby sevens team. She is a student based in Dublin.

Club career

Enniskillen native Boles began rugby at her school, Enniskillen Collegiate Grammar, before joining the first girls' team at Enniskillen RFC alongside lifelong friend and Ireland teammate Kathryn Dane.[1]

She was part of the first Ulster team to win Ireland's Under-18 interprovincial title in 2016.[2]

She played with the Ulster XV and Sevens sides before being selected for the Ireland U18 Sevens in 2016, and from there she joined the Ireland Sevens programme and made her senior Sevens debut in Clermont in 2017.[3]

Boles, like Irish teammates Stacey Flood and Katie Heffernan, spent two months in Australia in the summer of 2018, where she played with Bond University in the AON University Sevens.[4]

International career

Boles made her debut for Ireland XVs in the 2019 Women's Six Nations against Scotland and was also a replacement against Italy and France in that competition.[5]

She suffered a serious hamstring injury playing for her club in early 2020 that needed surgery so missed the 2020 Six Nations.

She was selected for the Ireland women's national rugby union team for the 2021 Women's Six Nations.[6]

She was selected for the Ireland women's national rugby sevens team for the 2021-2022 season.[7] She competed for Ireland at the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris.[8][9]


Personal life

Boles is studying chemical engineering at the University College Dublin. She has a twin, Katie, who also played rugby for Enniskillen RFC. She grew up on a farm.

References

  1. ^ "Enniskillen Collegiate beat Victoria to win Girls' Rugby Schools' Cup". belfasttelegraph. ISSN 0307-1235. Retrieved 29 April 2021.
  2. ^ "Ulster U18 Girls win first ever Inter-Pro title". Ulster Rugby. 3 October 2016. Retrieved 20 September 2021.
  3. ^ "Claire Boles: "It's all about taking your chances"". Ulster Rugby. 5 July 2017. Retrieved 20 September 2021.
  4. ^ "Ireland duo Boles and Dane putting Enniskillen on map". belfasttelegraph. ISSN 0307-1235. Retrieved 29 April 2021.
  5. ^ Kinsella, Murray (20 February 2019). "7s, 15s and Chemical Engineering - Enniskillen's Boles balancing the books". The42. Retrieved 20 September 2021.
  6. ^ "Five uncapped Sevens players named in Ireland squad for Women's Six Nations". The Irish Times. Retrieved 20 September 2021.
  7. ^ "Parsons and Wall included in Ireland Sevens squad". RTÉ Sport. 10 August 2021.
  8. ^ "Ireland - Rugby Sevens Olympic Games Paris 2024". www.world.rugby. 2024. Retrieved 1 August 2024.
  9. ^ "Ireland Sevens Squads Confirmed For 2024 Paris Olympics". Irish Rugby. 17 June 2024. Retrieved 27 July 2024.