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Ireland Men’s Sevens Turning Up The Heat In Monaco

The Ireland Men's Sevens squad during Tuesday's training session in Monaco.

With just three days to go until the World Rugby Sevens Repechage, Ireland Men’s Sevens continue to turn up the heat in Monaco as Anthony Eddy‘s side gear up towards this weekend’s final Tokyo Olympic Games qualifier tournament.

The Ireland squad were back on the training pitch on Wednesday morning for their second session of the week since touching down in Monaco on Monday, with all eyes now on Saturday morning’s Pool A opener against Zimbabwe at Stade Louis II (9.50am local time/8.50am Irish time, live on World Rugby YouTube and Facebook channels).

Eddy’s side, captained by Billy Dardis, ramped up the intensity in training under sunny skies in Monaco, as the players attune themselves to conditions ahead of the weekend.

“It has been good to get used to the heat again,” Ian Fitzpatrick told IrishRugby.ie. “It has been over a year and a half since we played in these kind conditions so it takes a bit of getting used to. The body temp was quite high during the session but it is nice to get out here and have two good sessions to build towards the weekend.”

With temperatures reaching 30 degrees in Monaco, hydration and recovery will be key for Ireland this week as they bid to make history and qualify for this summer’s Olympics. Ice vests, water breaks and post-session ice baths have all been features of the first two days in the Principality for Eddy’s 14-player panel.

“For the likes of myself, it’s about getting that core temp down,” Fitzpatrick continued. “I’ll get into the ice bath and then we’ll back to the hotel for food and a few sleeps to rest up for the weekend.”

As the final countdown to the World Rugby Sevens Repechage begins, Ireland will be back in the gym on Thursday before Friday’s Captain’s Run at Stade Louis II.

“We’re excited, it has been over two years waiting for this now and building towards it,” Fitzpatrick added. “We qualified back in summer 2019 and it is only happening now, so it’s been a long time coming. We can’t wait to get out there and give it a crack.”