Updated Wednesday 15.00
IRELAND’S MEN’S SEVENS team will be part of this weekend’s Olympic repechage qualifying tournament, when they will have their final shot at securing a place in this summer’s Rio Olympics.
Ireland men’s 7s captain Tom Daly with women’s captain Lucy Mulhall. Source: Morgan Treacy/INPHO
Ireland were buoyed by victory in last weekend’s first leg of the Rugby Europe Men’s Sevens Trophy in Sweden, but they remain heavy underdogs to qualify for the Olympics this weekend.
The repechage tournament takes place this Saturday 18 June and Sunday 19 June at the Stade Louis II in Monaco, when top seeds Samoa will attempt to take the final qualification spot for the Rio Games.
Favourites Samoa – who won the Paris 7s last month – are joined in this weekend’s tournament by fellow HSBC World Rugby Sevens Series sides Canada and Russia.
With Samoa, Zimbabwe and Tonga in their pool, the challenge for Ireland is a daunting one. Two teams will advance from each pool into the quarter-finals, from where it will be knock-out rugby straight into the final.
The victor of that final will join hosts Brazil, Fiji, Great Britain, New Zealand, South Africa, Argentina, USA, France, Japan, Australia and Kenya in the 2016 Olympic Sevens in August.
It’s an outside shot for Anthony Eddy, Stan McDowell and James Topping’s side but last weekend was a hugely positive one for the men’s programme as Ireland were convincing winners of the first leg of the Rugby Europe Men’s Sevens Trophy in Malmo.
Having won the European Division C and Division B titles last summer, Ireland will attempt to secure the the second leg of the Trophy in Prague on 2 and 3 July.
Young Munster man Dan Goggin was among the tries in Malmo. Source: Ryan Byrne/INPHO
Victory there would see Ireland qualify for the 2017 Rugby Europe Men’s Sevens Grand Prix Series, which is a far stronger standard of sevens rugby and involves teams from England, Scotland and Wales.
Qualification into the Grand Prix Series would move Ireland one step close to their eventual goal of being promoted into the top-tier World Sevens Series.
Last weekend saw Ireland hammer hosts Sweden 57-0 in the final of the first leg of the Trophy competition. St. Mary’s man Steve Toal-Lennon scored a hat-trick in the final, while UCD’s Barry Daly bagged a brace and captain Tom Daly, Harry McNulty of UCD, Lansdowne’s Ian Fitzpatrick and Young Munster centre Dan Goggin also dotted down. Billy Dardis contributed six conversions for Ireland.
The first-leg victory leaves Ireland with a maximum 20 series points and they will attempt to wrap up promotion into the Grand Prix Series in the Czech Republic next month.
This weekend, however, the focus will be on giving their unlikely shot at Olympics qualification everything they have.
Ireland men’s 7s squad
Adam Byrne – UCD / Leinster
Tom Daly – Lansdowne FC / Leinster
Barry Daly – UCD
Billy Dardis – UCD / Leinster
Ian Fitzpatrick – Lansdowne FC / Leinster
Dan Goggin –Young Munster / Munster
Shane Layden – Buccaneers
Mick McGrath – Clontarf FC
Harry McNulty – UCD
Josh Rowland – Ireland Sevens
Steve Toal-Lennon – St. Mary’s RFC
Alex Wootton – Garryowen / Munster