The side fell short of a spot in the final after topping their pool after an unbeaten first day but achieve their highest-ever finish at a World Series event as a core team.

Nine players made their debuts for the national sevens side throughout the weekend as the rotated squad impressed in the Canadian city, coming into the tournament with just 22 caps to their name altogether.

Munster Academy winger Conor Phillips caught the eye with four tries, while Liam Turner, Mark Roche, Sean Kearns, Gavin Mullin and Shane Jennings all scored two each.

Ulster academy winger Ben Moxham also grabbed one in his first tournament with the side, scoring in extra-time in the quarter-final against Hong Kong to ensure a spot in the semi-final.

The team, coached by James Topping for the week, won twice and drew once on the first day before the experience of Kenya and Great Britain proved to be too much in the latter stages.

Ireland scored 74 points on the first day, including a 50-0 thumping of Jamaica, but injuries hampered their second day as they fell short of a spot in the top three.

A one-sided defeat to Kenya made clear the difference between the two squads and Great Britain made up for a lacklustre performance in the pool stage with a 24-14 win over Topping’s side in the bronze final.

However, Ireland can take positives from the tournament as they head into the World Series finale in Edmonton on a high.

Ireland Sevens Squad – Vancouver 7s

Niall Comerford (UCD RFC/Leinster)
Chris Cosgrave (UCD RFC/Leinster)
Sean Cribbin (Suttonians RFC)
Shane Jennings (Buccaneers RFC/Connacht)
Sean Kearns (Ireland Sevens)
Ed Kelly (Dublin University FC)
Steven Kilgallen (UCD RFC)
Bryan Mollen (Blackrock College) (capt)
Ben Moxham (Ballymena RFC/Ulster)
Gavin Mullin (UCD RFC)
Conor Phillips (Young Munster RFC/Munster)
Mark Roche (Lansdowne FC)
Liam Turner (Dublin University FC/Leinster)

The post Ireland Men’s Secure Fourth Place At Vancouver 7s appeared first on SportsNewsIreland.

The sides will play in the tournament from July 26th to July 28th – the pool stage will take place from July 26th to July 27th.

The men’s competition will be held before the Women’s Olympic Sevens tournament gets underway in a reverse to the schedule from the Rio Olympic games in 2016.

The men’s draw split the 12 teams into three pools of four.

POOLS ANNOUNCEMENT

Mouthwatering match-ups in the early stages of the men's competition

The countdown to #Tokyo2020 is #HowWeSevens pic.twitter.com/BNsWcJGMi9

— World Rugby Sevens (@WorldRugby7s) June 28, 2021

Pool A involves bookies’ favourite New Zealand, Australia, Argentina and South Korea.

The former pair will renew their historic rivalry at the Olympics, making it the perfect opportunity for current Rugby World Cup Sevens and World Series champions New Zealand to make a statement in the pool stages.

Argentina will want to improve on their respectable sixth-placed finish at Rio 2016 with an impressive outing in Tokyo.

South Korea round off Pool A and will take part in Olympic Sevens for the first time in its history after winning the Asian qualification tournament with an extra-time ‘golden-point’ try to overcome Hong Kong.

Pool B includes Fiji, Great Britain, Japan and Canada.

Reigning Olympic champions Fiji will want to assert themselves early but face a tough task to do so in Pool B.

Great Britain will want revenge for their 43-7 defeat in the 2016 Olympic Sevens final at the hands of the champions and the draw has given them an opportunity to do that early.

The pair are joined by hosts Japan who will want to get a medal on home soil after their fourth-placed finish in Rio saw them miss out on one.

Another Olympic debutant Canada is the fourth team in this tough group and will have a lot to prove as a result.

The final pool – Pool C – includes Ireland, the USA, South Africa and Kenya.

Ireland are the last of the three Olympic debutants in Tokyo and face some tough challenges in the United States, South Africa and Kenya.

Anthony Eddy’s side beat 2016 quarter-finalists France to reach Tokyo.

The United States come in as third-favourites to win the Men’s Olympic Sevens tournament this summer and will be tough for opponents to handle.

Rio 2016 Bronze medalists South Africa will want to go at least one game further in the competition this summer.

Kenya failed to get out of their group in 2016 but have grown in the five years since and will pose a threat to the other three teams in the pool.

The draw makes for an exciting tournament in late July.

You can read the Irish Rugby announcement here.

The post 7s: Full Olympic Draw appeared first on SportsNewsIreland.

They were created with the Olympics in mind after it was announced that the sport would become an Olympic sport in Rio in 2016.

The project only gained steam in 2014 after the announcement in 2009 with the men’s sevens program introduced in October of that year.

It’s first Director of Rugby was announced in December – New Zealander Anthony Eddy, who is still there today.

The IRFU then scouted talents from Ireland who were interested in joining the program and recruited those that they took a liking to.

The 27-man squad announced in May 2015 became known as ‘The Originals’ and included British and Irish Lion Tadhg Beirne was part of the squad alongside Connacht star Alex Wootton.

#LionsRugby

𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗜𝗿𝗶𝘀𝗵 𝗟𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀

Congratulations to Tadhg Beirne on his selection for the 2021 @lionsofficial Tour to South Africa! #TeamOfUs #IrishRugby #ShoulderToShoulder pic.twitter.com/BsLV6ztS95

— Irish Rugby (@IrishRugby) May 6, 2021

Other players have stayed in the program – Terry Kennedy is still the star fullback for the side and has a fantastic link with winger Jordan Conroy.

Ireland Men’s Sevens’ most-capped player of all-time Harry McNulty is an original and Foster Horan has been there from the start as well as Ian Fitzpatrick and Mark Roche.

The side started out in Rugby Europe’s Division C, playing against the likes of Liechtenstein and San Marino.

The team climbed up the ranks over time and took part in the 2015 Rugby Europe Olympic Sevens Repechage tournament where they finished third and earned a spot in the 2016 Monaco Repechage.

A spot at the inaugural Olympic Sevens tournament was up for grabs.

However, they fell short in the knockout stages but have grown exponentially since then.

Players that have shaped the core of the 2020 side became important members of the team as the side grew.

Current captain Billy Dardis became a part of the squad prior to the Olympic qualification disappointment and Jordan Conroy made notable contributions in 2017.

The aforementioned originals that are still a part of the squad began to develop chemistry with the players coming, having already bonded themselves.

Their win in Moscow marked the first tournament win for the program and underlined the progress those working on it had made since its inception.

A win over Spain in the final was a perfect example of this, after their loss to Spain in Monaco the year previous.

2018 and 2019 saw the side take part in the two final events on the 2018-19 World Rugby Sevens Series and finish sixth in the 2018 Rugby Sevens World Cup in their first appearance at the tournament.

Their impressive season saw them earn the ‘core team’ status for the 2019-20 season after their performance at the Hong Kong Sevens qualifier.

At the time, they were impressing neutrals with their energy and individual qualities.

Jordan Conroy was blazing a trail that he is still on with his blistering pace helping him to get past defences with ease.

Dardis and Harry McNulty were leaders in the side and led by example with their work-rates always at a high level.

However, the side were knocked out of the semi-finals of the 2019 Rugby Europe Sevens Olympic Qualifying tournament after a loss to France.

The loss left them with one final chance – the 2020 Monaco Repechage.

They had to succeed where they had fallen several years prior.

Before they could, the COVID-19 pandemic took hold of the world and Sevens as a sport was put on pause.

The players, who had grown as a team together, were now separated against their will and forced to work by themselves.

The period of time spent in lockdown was a struggle for several in the side but they pulled through and were back together in 2021 with a shared goal in mind – becoming Olympians.

They trained hard and the team named for the tournament was filled with players who were familiar with each other.

Harry McNulty, who had left Ireland to join Major League Rugby side LA Giltinis was part of the 14-man squad.

His club allowed him to return temporarily to chase the Olympic dream that he had wanted to make a reality for so long.

The team had developed a wonderful rhythm that they unleashed in Monaco.

On the first day, Zimbabwe, Mexico and Tonga were beaten convincingly by the Irish with the telekinetic duo of Terry Kennedy and Jordan Conroy nabbing 14 tries between themselves and providing some easy-on-the-eye moments.

#Ireland7s

If you’re looking for us, we'll be off watching the 𝗯𝗲𝘀𝘁 𝗯𝗶𝘁𝘀 from a memorable weekend in Monaco on repeat! #ShoulderToShoulder #IrishRugby #TokyoOlympics @TritonLake

pic.twitter.com/MdzD22Skia

— Irish Rugby (@IrishRugby) June 21, 2021

The side breezed past Samoa in the final pool game to qualify for the semi-finals as pool winners.

At the end of the day, they were in the final, one step from the promised land.

Ireland started the better of the two sides with Jordan Conroy making his presence known immediately.

However, Stephan Parez helped a France side looking for their second successive Olympic appearance get back into the game and Les Bleus led at the break.

A quickfire double courtesy of some Conroy-Kennedy magic swung momentum back in Ireland’s favour.

Originals member Harry McNulty sealed the deal after Dardis regained possession and passed to the veteran,who dotted down across the line.

A late France try served only to cushion the hurt of missing out on Olympic qualification, but for the Irish, the dream became a reality.

For Anthony Eddy, Harry McNulty and many others, it was the reward of years of hard work in the program.

They will forever be known as Ireland’s first Olympic rugby team.

That achievement is nothing short of what they deserve.

The Ireland Men’s Sevens side will take part in the Olympics Sevens tournament from July 26th – July 28th.

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