Mixed Fortunes For Ireland Men’s 7s On Day 1 In Hong Kong

Anthony Eddy’s side began the day against Jamaica, and it was a shaky start from the Irish side. Jamaica did well to keep control of the ball, with Ireland fumbling the two chances they had to regain possession in the opening minutes.

It took 6 minutes for Ireland to grab hold of the game, with Foster Horan running a hard line through the Jamaican defence to touch down and finally break the deadlock. Mark Roche added the extras to give Ireland a 7-0 lead.

John O’Donnell did well to claim the loose ball from the restart, and Hugo Keenan was able to get his hands free from a tackle to get the ball to Terry Kennedy, who in turn hit speedster Jordan Conroy who dotted down in the corner. Roche slotted the ball through the posts to give Ireland a 14-0 lead going into the break.

Horan again spotted a gap in the Jamaican defence, and some hard work from the Wexford man saw him cross for his second try of the game, with Roche again getting the green light from the light-up posts at the Hong Kong Stadium.

Ireland kept Jamaica in their own half, and from a forced turnover, O’Donnell found himself in space to score the final points of the game.

Ireland 26 Jamaica 0, Hong Kong Stadium, Hong Kong
Scorers: Ireland: Tries: Foster Horan 2, Jordan Conroy, John O’Donnell; Cons: Mark Roche 3
Team: John O’Donnell, Harry McNulty, Foster Horan, Jordan Conroy, Hugo Keenan, Terry Kennedy, Mark Roche.
Subs used: Adam Leavy, Ian Fitzpatrick, Greg O’Shea, Bryan Mollen. Not Used: Billy Dardis (Capt).

Foot Off The Pedal

Uruguay, who had suffered a 26-0 defeat to Russia in the opening game were Ireland’s second opponents on Day 1.

Ireland began the game strongly, with Terry Kennedy latching on to a loose ball to hack through and score, this was quickly followed in the second minute with a try from Conroy down the right. Roche converted both to give Ireland a 14-0 lead.

Uruguay worked the ball well when they had possession and crossed for a try of their own after 4 minutes.

Kennedy crossed twice more after this and Ireland went into the break leading 26-7.

The men in green took their foot off the pedal however, and Uruguay did very well to retain possession and frustrate the Irish defence.

Two quick tries from Felipe Etcheverry put Uruguay within touching distance, and with seconds on the clock, Diego Ardo chipped over the Irish defence and gathered to score to the left of the posts.

It looked as though substitute Tomas Ubilla would be Ireland’s nemesis, but he missed the conversion, leaving the score 26-26 and also leaving Ireland with lots to think about as they head into tomorrow’s final Pool F game against Russia at 3.08am (Irish time) / 10.08am (local).

A win over the Russians will see Ireland progress to the Quarter-Finals tomorrow evening in Hong Kong.

The overall winner of the Qualification Tournament will earn a place as a core team on next season’s World Rugby World Series.

Ireland 26 Uruguay 26, Hong Kong Stadium, Hong Kong
Scorers: Ireland: Tries: Terry Kennedy 3; Jordan Conroy Cons: Mark Roche 3
Team: John O’Donnell, Harry McNulty, Foster Horan, Jordan Conroy, Hugo Keenan, Terry Kennedy, Mark Roche.
Subs used: Adam Leavy, Ian Fitzpatrick, Greg O’Shea, Bryan Mollen. Not Used: Billy Dardis (Capt).

Ireland Men’s 7s Squad – World Rugby Sevens Series Qualifier – Hong Kong 7s – 5/6/7 April
Billy Dardis (Terenure RFC)
Jordan Conroy (Buccaneers RFC)
Ian Fitzpatrick (Lansdowne FC)
Foster Horan (Lansdowne FC)
Hugo Keenan (UCD RFC/Leinster)
Terry Kennedy (St. Mary’s College RFC)
Adam Leavy (Lansdowne FC)
Mick McGrath (Clontarf FC)
Harry McNulty (UCD RFC)
Bryan Mollen (Blackrock College RFC)
John O’Donnell (Lansdowne FC)
Greg O’Shea (Shannon RFC)
Mark Roche (Blackrock College RFC)

Ireland Men’s 7s – World Rugby Sevens Series Qualifier – Hong Kong 7s –Pool F Fixtures and Results

Friday 5th April 2019
Ireland 26 – 0 Jamaica
Ireland 26 – 26 Uruguay

Saturday 6th April 2019
Ireland v Russia – 10.08am (local time) / 3.08am (Irish time)

Quarter-Finals

Sunday 7th April 2019
Semi-Finals and Final