Ed Kelly runs in a late try during Ireland's Cup quarter-final loss at the hands of New Zealand ©INPHO/Travis Prior
Despite falling out of contention on day two in LA, the Ireland Men’s Sevens team still did enough to secure their best ever overall finish in the HSBC World Rugby Sevens Series.
Only a core team since 2019, Ireland (sponsored by TritonLake) were 10th in their Covid-19-curtailed debut year and came sixth in the two-legged 2021 series.
Now, on the back of their silver medal heroics in Toulouse and two other top four finishes, they have closed out their first fully-completed World Series in fifth place as the leading northern hemisphere nation.
The HSBC LA Sevens saw James Topping’s side reach their eighth Cup quarter-final of the campaign, but New Zealand got the better of them on a 29-14 scoreline. Returning to the pitch, Ireland then lost their grip on a 21-point lead against fast-finishing Argentina.
The 28-21 play-off defeat to the Pumas left the men in green with another top eight finish, their 10 rankings points taking their haul for the season to 92, ahead of the USA (87) and France (81), and behind fourth-place Argentina (118).
“Fifth for us is a massive thing because it’s only our first year on a whole World Series,” said coach Topping. “Our goal was always to retain our status as such, but the guys have had really, really good performances.
“There’s a lot of competition (within the squad). We had quite a settled team for a few years, maybe 12, 13 or 14 guys to pick from. This year I think we’ve got 22 guys who have played on the World Series.
“There’s guys who have come into the programme and after a month, they have been sent out there to show what they can do. So it’s a really good position to be in to have experienced guys there, we can bring in three, four guys and see how they go.
“And then that also puts pressure on the older guys, as such, to perform. We’ve got a nice blend at the minute. I’ve full confidence in all the players that go on the pitch, but it’s given us that sort of team that can play for a full 14 minutes.”
Captain Billy Dardis and that experienced core group keep a steady hand on the tiller, with the likes of Terry Kennedy continuing to reach new heights as his 50-try tally saw him crowned the Gilbert Top Try Scorer and earn a place on the HSBC Dream Team.
Eight players have made their World Series debuts for Ireland in the last nine months, acquitting themselves very well. Youngsters Andrew Smith and Chay Mullins have already played 61 matches between them, scoring 13 tries.
An experienced New Zealand outfit put together a formidable first half display, breaking into a 24-0 half-time lead thanks to a run of tries from Joe Webber, Caleb Tangitau, Amanaki Nicole and Ngarohi McGarvey-Black.
They got the bounce of the ball from the kick-off, allowing Webber to quickly get them on the board despite picking up a hamstring injury in the process. Akuila Rokolisoa converted for a 7-0 lead.
A flat pass put Tangitau over in the left corner as Ireland struggled for both possession and territory, and New Zealand pushed 17 points clear when, following a lineout, they went back to the short side for Nicole to score.
Some refereeing decisions were going against Topping’s charges, Mark Roche left frustrated by an incorrect call for a knock-on, and the All Blacks outfit used the scrum possession to send McGarvey-Black in under the posts.
Ireland were much-improved when the second half got underway, Jordan Conroy increasing his threat and Roche cut in past two players to link with Kennedy who darted through a gap to pull seven points back.
However, the game was scoreless during Regan Ware’s sin-bin period, with Harry McNulty tackled short of the line and Ireland were unable to get back into contention.
Nicole shrugged off a tackle at the other end to send Lewis Ormond over in the left corner, while there was some late consolation when Kennedy and McNulty combined, the latter’s accurate long pass allowing Ed Kelly to raid over from out wide.
Jordan Conroy (Buccaneers RFC)
Niall Comerford (UCD RFC/Leinster)
Sean Cribbin (Suttonians RFC)
Billy Dardis (Terenure College RFC) (capt)
Ed Kelly (Dublin University FC)
Jack Kelly (Dublin University FC)
Terry Kennedy (St. Mary’s College RFC)
Hugo Lennox (Skerries RFC)
Matt McDonald (IQ Rugby)
Harry McNulty (UCD RFC)
Bryan Mollen (Blackrock College RFC)
Chay Mullins (IQ Rugby)
Aaron O’Sullivan (Blackrock College RFC)
Mark Roche (Lansdowne FC)
Andrew Smith (Clontarf FC/Leinster)
Saturday, August 27 –
POOL C:
IRELAND 14 FRANCE 12, Dignity Health Sports Park
Scorers: Ireland: Tries: Terry Kennedy, Chay Mullins; Cons: Hugo Lennox, Billy Dardis
France: Tries: Pierre Mignot, Varian Pasquet; Con: Thibaud Mazzoleni
HT: Ireland 7 France 5
Team: Harry McNulty, Bryan Mollen, Jack Kelly, Mark Roche, Hugo Lennox, Terry Kennedy, Aaron O’Sullivan.
Subs used: Andrew Smith, Chay Mullins, Billy Dardis (capt), Niall Comerford, Ed Kelly.
IRELAND 46 WALES 12, Dignity Health Sports Park
Scorers: Ireland: Tries: Terry Kennedy, Andrew Smith 2, Mark Roche, Niall Comerford, Aaron O’Sullivan 2, Chay Mullins; Cons: Billy Dardis, Mark Roche 2
Wales: Tries: Luke Treharne, Lloyd Lewis; Con: Luke Treharne
HT: Ireland 17 Wales 12
Team: Harry McNulty, Andrew Smith, Chay Mullins, Billy Dardis (capt), Hugo Lennox, Terry Kennedy, Ed Kelly.
Subs used: Jack Kelly, Aaron O’Sullivan, Bryan Mollen, Mark Roche, Niall Comerford.
FIJI 21 IRELAND 7, Dignity Health Sports Park
Scorers: Fiji: Tries: Waisea Nacuqu, Kaminieli Rasaku, Iowane Teba; Cons: Waisea Nacuqu 2, Kaminieli Rasaku
Ireland: Try: Harry McNulty; Con: Billy Dardis
HT: Fiji 14 Ireland 0
Team: Harry McNulty, Bryan Mollen, Andrew Smith, Mark Roche, Niall Comerford, Aaron O’Sullivan, Jordan Conroy.
Subs used: Billy Dardis (capt), Ed Kelly, Chay Mullins, Hugo Lennox, Terry Kennedy.
HSBC World Rugby Sevens Series – LA Sevens Results
HSBC World Rugby Sevens Series – LA Sevens Pool Tables
Day 1 Round-Up: Ireland Men Tee Up La Quarter-Final Clash With New Zealand
Sunday, August 28 –
CUP QUARTER-FINAL:
NEW ZEALAND 29 IRELAND 14, Dignity Health Sports Park
Scorers: New Zealand: Tries: Joe Webber, Caleb Tangitau, Amanaki Nicole, Ngarohi McGarvey-Black, Lewis Ormond; Cons: Akuila Rokolisoa 2
Ireland: Tries: Terry Kennedy, Ed Kelly; Cons: Mark Roche, Billy Dardis
HT: New Zealand 24 Ireland 0
Team: Harry McNulty, Andrew Smith, Chay Mullins, Mark Roche, Hugo Lennox, Terry Kennedy, Jordan Conroy.
Subs used: Billy Dardis (capt), Aaron O’Sullivan, Ed Kelly, Bryan Mollen, Jack Kelly.
5TH PLACE SEMI-FINAL:
ARGENTINA 28 IRELAND 21, Dignity Health Sports Park
Scorers: Argentina: Tries: Rodrigo Isgro 2, Alejo Lavayen, Tomas Lizazu; Cons: Alejo Lavajen 4
Ireland: Tries: Jack Kelly, Ed Kelly, Bryan Mollen; Cons: Billy Dardis 3
HT: Argentina 7 Ireland 21
Team: Bryan Mollen, Jack Kelly, Chay Mullins, Billy Dardis (capt), Niall Comerford, Terry Kennedy, Ed Kelly.
Subs used: Andrew Smith, Harry McNulty, Hugo Lennox, Jordan Conroy, Mark Roche.
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