Ireland national rugby sevens team

The Ireland national rugby sevens team competes in several international rugby sevens competitions. The team is governed by the Irish Rugby Football Union (IRFU), and has been led by Head Coach Anthony Eddy since 2015.

This article is about the men's team. For the women's team, see Ireland women's national rugby sevens team.

Ireland
UnionIrish Rugby Football Union
Coach(es)Anthony Eddy
Captain(s)Billy Dardis
Top scorerJordan Conroy (225)
Most triesJordan Conroy (45)
Team kit
Change kit
World Cup Sevens
Appearances6 (First in 1993)
Best result1993 Cup 3rd Place

Ireland competes as a "core team" on the World Rugby Sevens Series, a competition every year from December to June that includes ten tournaments staged around the globe. The 2019–20 season is Ireland's first season as a core team. At the 2019 Hong Kong Sevens Ireland won the World Series Qualifier tournament for the 2019–20 World Rugby Sevens Series, earning “core team” status for the first time. Ireland has previously competed in individual tournaments within World Rugby Sevens Series, although not as a core team. Ireland's best World Series tournament was the 2018 London Sevens, where they finished in third place, the first invitational side to reach the semi-finals of a World Rugby Sevens Series event.[1]

Ireland also competes in major quadrennial rugby sevens tournaments and their qualifying tournaments. Ireland has competed in most Rugby World Cup Sevens since the 1993 inaugural event, with their best results including finishing third in 1993 and ninth in 2018. The team also competes during qualifying for the Summer Olympics, but failed to qualify for the inaugural rugby sevens competition at the 2016 Summer Olympics.

Following the announcement in 2009 that rugby sevens would be an Olympic sport beginning in 2016,[2] the Irish Rugby Football Union created a men's rugby sevens program in 2014. The IRFU announced in 2015 its goal to field a national sevens team that has qualifies for the Summer Olympics and joins the World Rugby Sevens Series.[3] Ireland has since begun offering professional contracts to its squad of sevens players.

Ireland defeated Ukraine 26–7 at the 2008 European Championship.

Ireland also participates in the Rugby Europe Sevens Grand Prix Series.

History

Ireland competed at the 1973 International Seven-A-Side Tournament, the first rugby sevens tournament for national teams. They defeated New Zealand, Australia and Scotland in the groups phase, and lost to England in the final match.

Olympic era (2009–present)

Ireland has increased its emphasis in rugby sevens since the International Olympic Committee voted in 2009 to restore rugby to the events program in 2016. In March 2011, the IRFU announced its support for Shamrock Warriors RFC. The club's aim is to develop a pool of experienced Sevens players for the IRFU to be in position to select to develop into a future international Sevens squad to compete in tournaments by giving them experience playing in the top level competition should the IRFU become involved in professional international sevens or in the Olympic Sevens.[4][5]

Although rugby was announced in 2009 as an Olympic sport, the IRFU was slow to recognize the opportunity. As of September 2013, the IRFU said it was unlikely to send a sevens team to the 2016 Summer Olympics.[6] The IRFU did not introduce a men's rugby sevens national team program until October 2014.[7] The IRFU announced in December 2014 the hiring of Anthony Eddy as the Director of Irish rugby sevens, both the men's and women's teams.[8] In December 2014 the IRFU issued a notice to all Irish athletes to see what if could become an Elite Sevens rugby player. The IRFU hoped to see the best rugby club talent available as well as attracting athletes with transferable skills from other team sports such as athletics, basketball, and Gaelic Games. The IRFU held four talent identification days across Ireland in January 2015.[9]

The IRFU announced in May 2015 its brand new 27-man squad for the 2015 season, selected out of a pool of more than 300 applicants, a squad that later became known as “The Originals”.[10] The new team started at the bottom, beginning the 2015 season in Europe's Division C, with an eye towards gaining promotion to higher levels of competition. The highlight of Ireland's 2015 and 2016 seasons was the attempt to qualify for the 2016 Summer Olympics. At the 2015 Europe Olympic Repechage Tournament, Ireland finished with 4–1–1 record, and despite a 10–24 semifinal loss to Russia, their third-place finish gained the last European slot for the 2016 Final Olympic Qualification Tournament. At the 2016 Final Olympic Qualifying Tournament, Ireland finished pool play with a 3–0 record including a 27–21 win over Samoa, but with losses to Spain (7–12) and Canada (19–24) during knockout play Ireland failed to advance to the 2016 Summer Olympics.

Entering the 2017 season, with the Irish men's rugby sevens program in place for just over two years, the IRFU still had not handed out any full-time professional contracts to any sevens players.[11] For the 2017 summer season, Ireland played in the European Grand Prix Sevens, which included four tournaments during summer 2017. Ireland began the Grand Prix by winning the first tournament, the 2017 Moscow Sevens, defeating Spain 12–0 in the final.

For the 2017–18 season, Ireland selected a core squad of 14 players that would prioritize Sevens play for the autumn 2017 tournaments, although they are not full-time Sevens players, and they retain their club status.[12] Ireland finished ninth at the 2017 Silicon Valley Sevens with a 3–2 record; their record against World Series core teams was a respectable 2–2, with two wins over Canada.

As of December 2018 the IRFU was due to announce shortly their first-ever professional contracts for sevens players.[13] In May 2019, despite the squad qualifying for the World Rugby Sevens Series, the IRFU announced that players would remain on an 18,000 basic annual salary with bonuses of 500 for participating in each of the 10 World Series tournaments — the equivalent of a development contract.

Current squad

The following players comprise Ireland's squad for the most recent World Series tournament. Career statistics include totals from all World Rugby Sevens Series tournaments.

Squad for 2020 Canada Sevens
PlayerPositionAgeWS debutEventsTries
Harry McNultyForward27201889
Jack KellyForward222019612
Foster HoranForward27201924
Billy DardisScrum-half25201886
Hugo LennoxFly-half21201965
Terry KennedyCentre242018724
Jordan ConroyWing262018745
Substitutes
Adam LeavyForward24201963
Liam TurnerForward21201931
Mark RocheScrum-half27201862
Greg O’SheaFly-half25201965
Bryan MollenCentre24201866
Reserve
Graham CurtisForward202011

The following players who have been regular members of the squad during the previous 12 months are not included in the tournament roster:

Unavailable players
PlayerPositionAgeWS debutEventsTries
Aaron O'SullivanForward20201933
John O'DonnellForward27201844
Ian FitzpatrickForward242018

Season statistics

The following table shows the leading Irish players during the 2019–20 Sevens Series season.

Leading players (2019–20 WS season)[14]
PlayerPositionMatchesTacklesTries
Harry McNultyForward25455
Jack KellyForward28458
Terry KennedyCentre254517
Jordan ConroyWing283130
Billy DardisScrum-half28263

World Rugby Sevens Series
Main article: World Rugby Sevens Series

Ireland had a sparse participation in the World Rugby Sevens Series until 2019. Between 1999 and 2019 Ireland appeared only sporadically, and not as one of the core teams that participated in every tournament. Ireland played in very few tournaments on the World Series, such as the occasional trip to the Hong Kong Sevens. Ireland has had some limited success in the World Series tournaments in which it has played.

Ireland competed in two of the ten tournaments of the inaugural 1999–2000 World Sevens Series: at the 2000 Hong Kong Sevens, Ireland finished 17th to win the Bowl with a 4–2 record;[15] at the 2000 Paris Sevens, Ireland finished tied for 11th with a 3–2 record. The following season, in the 2000–01 World Sevens Series, Ireland played in the 2000 Dubai Sevens where they finished 9th to win the Bowl with a 4–2 record, including a 19–17 semifinal win over Wales.

Ireland has, however, since assembling a permanent sevens program in 2014, publicly stated in 2014 and again in 2015 that its goal is to qualify as one of the 15 core teams in the World Series.[16] At the 2018 Hong Kong Sevens qualifying tournament for the 2018–19 World Series, Ireland posted a 3–0 record in pool play, winning all three matches by comfortable 20+ point margins, to advance to the knockout rounds. Ireland defeated Zimbabwe 38–5 in the quarterfinals, but lost to Japan 7–12 in the semifinal and failed to qualify for the 2018-19 World Series.[17]

Ireland competed as an invitational team at the 2018 London Sevens and the 2018 Paris Sevens. At the 2018 London Sevens Ireland defeated the favoured United States and England teams en route to finishing third overall.[18] At the penultimate World Rugby Sevens Series event in London in 2018, the Irish team "stole the show", finishing in third place in their first World Series tournament since 2004, Ireland thus becoming the first invitational side to reach the semi-finals and then the podium of a World Rugby Sevens Series event.[19] Invited to the following event in Paris, Ireland finished seventh, their second top half finish as an invitational side, and the first invitational side to do so.

The following year, Ireland again played in the 2019 Hong Kong Sevens qualifier. Ireland won the tournament, defeating Hong Kong 28–7 in the final, with Jordan Conroy’s 10 tries across six matches earning him Player of the Tournament.[20] Ireland again appeared at the 2019 London Sevens and 2019 Paris Sevens, reaching the quarterfinals of the London Sevens.

Ireland joined the World Rugby Sevens Series as a “core status” team for the first time for the 2019–20 season. In their first tournament as a core status team, the 2019 Dubai Sevens, Ireland finished 12th, with the bright spot being Jordan Conroy who led all scores with seven tries and was named to the tournament Dream Team. Ireland managed to reach the quarter-final round of several tournaments during the season, with Conroy leading all try scorers.

Season by season
Ireland at the World Series
Season Rank Points Events Best event Most tries Most tackles
1999–2000 — 0 2 / 10 11th (Paris)
2000–01 17th 2 1 / 9 9th (Dubai)
2001–02 — 0 ? / 11
2002–03 — 0 ? / 7
2003–04 — 0 ? / 8
2004–05 — 0 1 / 7 14th (Dubai)
2004/05 – 2016/17 Did not appear
2017–18 15th 27 2 / 10 3rd (London) Jordan Conroy (11) Harry McNulty (38)
2018–19 16th 19 2 / 10 6th (London) Mick McGrath (6) Hugo Lennox (18)
2019–20 10th496 / 66th (twice) Jordan Conroy (30) three players tied (45)
Total — 97 - 3rd Jordan Conroy (45) Harry McNulty (96)
Ireland at the Hong Kong Sevens WS qualifier
Season Pool play Knockout rounds Most tries Qualified
2018 3–0 SF: L vs Japan (7–12) Terry Kennedy (5) No
2019 2–1–0 F: W vs Hong Kong (28–7) Jordan Conroy (10) Yes
Ireland All Time World Series Record[21]
Matches Win Draw Loss Win % Points Scored Tries Scored
90 37 4 49 41.11% 1727 274
  • Updated as of 09 March 2020

Summer Olympics
Olympic Games record
Year Round Position Pld W L D
2016 Did Not Qualify
2020 TBD
Total0 Titles0/1----
Olympics qualifying
Olympics Qualifying competition(s) Pos GP W D L Diff Qualification
20162015 European repechage3rd6411+31Qualified for 2016 intercontinental repechage
2016 Intercontinental repechage7th5302+27Failed to qualify for 2016 Summer Olympics
2020 2019 Europe qualifying tournament3rd6411+107Qualified for 2020 intercontinental playoff
2020 intercontinental playoff

2016 Olympics qualifying
See also: 2015 Rugby Europe Men's Sevens Championships and Rugby sevens at the 2016 Summer Olympics

Ireland began Olympic qualifying by playing in Division C within Europe. In the June 6–7 2015 Division C tournament, Ireland went 6–0 in the competition to win Division C, winning all six matches by a comfortable margin. This win qualified them to participate in Division B. In the June 20–21, 2015 Division B tournament, Ireland again went 6–0 to win Division B, again winning all six matches by a comfortable margin. This win qualified them for the European repechage tournament.[22]

In the July 18–19 2015 Rugby Europe sevens repechage in Lisbon, Ireland topped their group with wins over Italy and Georgia and a draw against Russia.[23] In the knockout competition, Ireland defeated Lithuania 17–0 in the quarterfinals. Ireland then lost in the semifinals to Russia 10–24, but in the third-place match defeated Georgia 15–7 to finish third overall, and secure the third and final European qualifying place for the Final 2016 Men's Olympic Qualification Tournament.[24]

The Irish team drew Samoa, Tonga and Zimbabwe in the final Olympic repechage tournament in Monaco.[25] Ireland finished first in their group with three wins, including a close 27–21 over World Series team Samoa. Ireland lost in the quarterfinals to Spain, 7–12, and did not qualify for the Olympics.[7]

2020 Olympics qualifying

Ireland finished third at the 2019 Rugby Europe qualifying tournament. With this result, they failed to gain an automatic berth in the 2020 Olympics, but gained a spot in the final inter-continental playoff tournament for the last qualifying spot in the 2020 Olympics.

Rugby World Cup Sevens
Main article: Rugby World Cup Sevens
Year Round Position Pld W L D Most tries Most tackles
1993 Semifinalist 3rd 9 6 3 0
1997 Bowl Semifinalist 19th 6 1 5 0
2001 Bowl Semifinalist 19th 6 2 4 0
2005 Plate Quarterfinalist 13th 6 2 4 0
2009 Bowl Finalist 18th 6 3 3 0
2013 Did Not Enter
2018 Challenge Winner 9th 5 4 1 0Dardis & Conroy (4)Hugo Keenan (21)
Total0 Titles6/73818200Richard Wallace (10)Hugo Keenan (21)

Ireland has played in six out of the seven Rugby World Cup Sevens tournaments. Ireland's best finish was the inaugural 1993 tournament. In that tournament, they went 4–1 in pool play, including an upset win over France, to qualify to the quarterfinal round. In the quarterfinal round of pool play they went 2–1 with wins over Samoa and Tonga to reach the semifinals. Ireland faced Australia in the semifinal and was leading but an Australia try and conversion at the end resulted in a 19–21 loss.[26]

Since the inaugural tournament, however, Ireland's performances were unremarkable in the four tournaments from 1997 to 2005, failing to reach the quarterfinals in four consecutive Sevens World Cups. At the 1997 tournament, Ireland posted a 1–5 record to finish 19th, including losses to minnows Hong Kong and Japan, with its only win a 33–5 victory over Portugal in the Bowl quarterfinal. In 2001, Ireland finished fifth in its group of six, unable to notch wins against Russia or Korea, relegating it to the Bowl competition; they defeated Chinese Taipei in the Bowl quarterfinal but lost 12–33 to Portugal in the Bowl semifinal.

In 2005, Ireland fared slightly better, with its 2–3 record in group play qualifying it for the Plate competition, where they lost to Samoa 14–19 in the Plate quarterfinal. In 2009, Ireland was up-and-down in pool play, notching a surprise win against Australia but a disappointing loss against Portugal. Ireland was one of three teams in a four-team group to finish with a 1–2 record in pool play, but Ireland was ranked last in the group on points difference and was relegated to the Bowl competition where they posted a 2–1 record in knockout play. Ireland did not qualify for the 2013 World Cup, failing to send a team to the 2012 Sevens Grand Prix qualifying tournaments.

Ireland had a better tournament in 2018, defeating core teams Kenya, Wales, and Australia en route to a ninth-place finish, their best finish since the inaugural 1993 tournament.

European competition
Main article: Sevens Grand Prix Series
European competition
Season Competition Position GP W D L Pts Diff Promotion / Qualification
2004Championship3rdQualified for 2005 Rugby World Cup Sevens
2008Championship4th7403+33Qualified for 2009 Rugby World Cup Sevens
2015Division C1st6600+271Promoted to the 2015 Division B competition
2015Division B1st6600+384Qualified for 2015 Rugby Europe repechage;
Promoted to 2016 Division A (Trophy) competition
2015Final repechage3rd6411+31Qualified for 2016 Olympic Qualification Tournament
2016Trophy1st121200+451Promoted to 2017 Grand Prix series
2017Grand Prix2nd242103+349Advanced to 2018 Hong Kong Sevens qualifier for World Series;
Qualified for 2018 Rugby World Cup Sevens
2018Grand Prix1st242301+642Advanced to 2019 Hong Kong Sevens qualifier for World Series
2019Grand Prix3rd12804+90
  • Updated 31 August 2019

2002−2014

Although Rugby Europe has held a rugby sevens championship every year since 2002, Ireland rarely participated from 2002 to 2014. Ireland participated only twice during those 13 years − in 2004 and 2008, both of which served as European regional qualifying tournaments for the following year's Rugby World Cup Sevens. Ireland finished third in the 2004 competition to qualify for the 2005 World Cup. Ireland finished fourth in the 2008 competition to qualify for the 2009 World Cup.

2015−present

The 2015 European competitions also doubled as qualifying for the 2016 Summer Olympics. Ireland played in the Division C tournament on June 6–7 and won the tournament with a 6–0 record, its closest match being the 38–10 quarterfinal win over Austria, qualifying for Division B. Ireland then played the Division B tournament on June 20–21, and won Division B with a 6–0 record, its closest match being a 54–0 pool-play win over Slovenia, qualifying for the final repechage tournament.

Ireland played in the 2015 repechage on July 18–19 where they faced a tougher level of competition. Ireland went 2-1-0 in the repechage pool play to win its group and reach the knockout rounds. Ireland lost to Russia in the semifinals, 10–24, but defeated Georgia 15–7 to take third place and secure the last qualifying spot for the final cross-continental Olympic qualifying tournament. They lost in these quarterfinals to Spain and did not make the 2016 Summer Olympics medal round.

The 2016 Trophy competition consisted of two tournaments – Malmo and Prague. Ireland went 6–0 to win the 2016 Malmo tournament, with the closest match being the 26–12 semifinal win over Ukraine. Ireland next won the 2016 Prague tournament, again with a perfect 6–0 record, with the closest match being the 24–0 semifinal win over Romania. Ireland finished first in the 2016 Trophy competition and won promotion to the 2017 Grand Prix series.

The 2017 Grand Prix series consisted of four tournaments. Ireland began the Grand Prix by winning the 2017 Moscow Sevens with a 5–1 record, defeating Russia 28–21 in the semifinals and Spain 12–0 in the finals.[27] Next, Ireland finished third in the 2017 Lodz Sevens with a 5–1 record, losing to Russia 19–26 in the semifinals. Ireland next won the 2017 Clermont-Ferrand Sevens with a 6–0 record, defeating Russia 17–14 in the final.[28] In the fourth and final tournament, the 2017 Exeter Sevens, Ireland finished with a 5–1 record, losing to Wales 12–15 in the semifinals. Ireland finished the 2017 Sevens Grand Prix Series in second place two points behind Russia, thereby qualifying for the 2018 Rugby World Cup Sevens, and advancing to the 2018 Hong Kong Sevens qualifying tournament for the 2018-19 World Series.

In the 2018 Europe Grand Prix Series, Ireland started strong, winning the 2018 Moscow Sevens with a 6–0 record, winning all six matches by a margin of more than 20 points.

Previous squads

Notable players
British and Irish Lions
 Ireland internationals
IRFU referees

Source:[29][30][31]

Player records

The tables show player career statistics from the World Rugby Sevens Series up to 10 March 2020.[32]

Head coaches
CoachTenureBest SeriesBest Series
Tournament		OlympicsWorld Cup
Anthony Eddy2015–present10th (2019–20)3rd (2018 London)2016: Did not qualify2018: 9th
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References
  1. "Fiji take giant step towards World Rugby Sevens Series title but Ireland steal the show as Jordan Conroy lights up London", 3 June 2018.
  2. "Ireland finally look to take Sevens seriously ahead of Rio 2016". More Than the Games. Archived from the original on 27 July 2011.
  3. "Ireland Men's Sevens Squad And Structures Announced" Archived 5 March 2016 at the Wayback Machine, 19 May 2015.
  4. "Williams' Warriors must wait for Rio call". BreakingNews.ie. Landmark Digital. 29 March 2011. Retrieved 18 May 2011.
  5. Hugh Farrelly (29 March 2011). "Warriors look to Rio". Independent.ie. Independent News & Media. Retrieved 18 May 2011.
  6. "Brian O’Driscoll laments Ireland’s absence from sevens scene", South China Morning Post, Nazvi Careem, 28 March 2015.
  7. "Eddy: Sevens investment is crucial to be competitive", Independent, Cian Tracey, 23 June 2016.
  8. "The IRFU have appointed a former Ireland international as the new women’s rugby coach", 12 December 2014.
  9. "IRFU Looks for Sevens Players". IrishRugby.ie. Irish Rugby. 2 December 2014. Retrieved 2 December 2014.
  10. "Ireland Men’s Sevens Squad And Structures Announced", Irish Rugby, 19 May 2015.
  11. "Fionn Carr a driving force in Irish efforts to join Sevens elite", Irish Times, Johnny Watterson, 3 May 2017.
  12. Ireland Men's Sevens Squad Confirmed for 2017/18 Season, IrishRugby.ie.
  13. “Irish rugby players showing seven into 15 does go”, Irish Times, John O’Sullivan, December 5, 2018.
  14. World Rugby Sevens Series stats — as of March 10, 2020
  15. "Kiwis claim Hong Kong crown", BBC, 26 March 2000.
  16. "Ireland Men's Sevens Squad And Structures Announced", 19 May 2015.
  17. "Fiji warm-up for Gold Coast 2018 with historic fourth win at Hong Kong Sevens", Inside the Games, Mike Rowbottom, 8 April 2018.
  18. "Video Replays: Ireland Men's Sevens Bronze Medal Run In London", Irish Rugby, 4 June 2018.
  19. "Fiji take giant step towards World Rugby Sevens Series title but Ireland steal the show as Jordan Conroy lights up London", 3 June 2018.
  20. "Ireland Men’s Sevens team wins Hong Kong knock-out", Bangladesh Sun, 8 April 2019.
  21. "Ireland 7s". worldrugby. Retrieved 4 March 2020.
  22. "Ireland Men Claim European Sevens Division B Crown", Irish Rugby, 21 June 2015.
  23. "Ireland Men Qualify For Olympic Repechage With Third Place Finish", Irish Rugby, 19 July 2015.
  24. "Ireland Men book place in Olympic 7s rugby qualifier with third place in Lisbon", The 42, 19 July 2015.
  25. Pools announced for Olympic Games rugby sevens repechage events
  26. "'We drew Fiji, Samoa and Tonga and thought 'oh lord ", Independent, Will Slattery, 23 April 2019.
  27. "Moscow success gives Ireland Sevens World Cup boost", Irish Times, John O'Sullivan, 5 June 2017.
  28. "Ireland can secure place at Rugby Sevens World Cup", Irish Times, John O'Sullivan, 3 July 2017.
  29. "Sevens". www.irishrugby.ie. Retrieved 25 November 2009.
  30. "RWC Sevens: Ireland Match Schedule: Sevens Stats". www.irishrugby.ie. 15 March 2005. Archived from the original on 17 November 2009. Retrieved 25 November 2009.
  31. "Ireland Squad Announced For RWC Sevens". www.irishrugby.ie. 23 February 2009. Archived from the original on 3 June 2009. Retrieved 25 November 2009.
  32. World Rugby Sevens Series statistics
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