Topping: We’re Distraught, But There’s Been Real Progression

Despite being knocked out of Olympic medal contention, Ireland Men’s Sevens head coach James Topping reckons there has been ‘real progression’ from the squad to be able to go toe-to-toe with the top teams in the world.

Day two of the Paris Games ended in bitter disappointment for Topping’s charges, who lost the Pool A decider to New Zealand by two points, and then fell to a 19-15 quarter-final defeat at the hands of defending Olympic champions Fiji.

Having led New Zealand by 12 points, and Fiji by eight at one stage, Ireland were left frustrated that they could not close out either result as the two top finishers from Tokyo 2020 showed exactly why they have such a rich pedigree in the game.

Highlighting how dangerous Fiji can be with or without the ball, Topping said afterwards: “Fiji are just a top team in the world in playing that there, they’re always around the ball and any mistake you make will be costly.

“To be honest, we probably made three or four mistakes in that game and that’s three or four scores and the game. It’s disappointing.

“We were ahead by a score (15-12) but you can’t just bank on that there and try to just park the bus and expect them not to come back at you.

“Listen, we’re getting beaten by New Zealand and Fiji by a score and we’re distraught, whereas last year we were still fighting for quarter-finals and bits and pieces. There’s been real progression.”

Ireland will look back at defensive errors which allowed Fiji’s Iosefo Baleiwairiki and Joji Nasova through for tries, while a Fijian restart, going in behind Hugo Keenan, the lifted receiver, bounced off Baleiwairiki’s hand for Waisea Nacuqu to scoop the ball up and score.

Ireland captain Harry McNulty argued to referee Nick Hogan that there had been a knock-on, but it was to no avail, and the TMO in Sevens, under the current protocol, is only used to review the act of scoring and serious foul play.

Nacuqu’s 12th-minute effort proved to be the match winner, with Fiji defending impressively past the full-time hooter. Asked about the potential knock-on, Topping was more concerned about why his side did not collect the ball in the air.

“I don’t know, I didn’t see it. I’m at the side of the pitch and even the angle of the replay doesn’t show it (the knock-on). We would have lost games this year if they were to look back and there were knock-ons.

“The decision is made but maybe it’s something to look at down the line if they can clean those things up. We should have caught that kick-off is what we would say probably.

“It is a bit of a restart error but it’s not the whole reason of that there loss. I thought we maybe had a couple of other opportunities but it comes down to a ball in the air, three guys going for it and it bounces the wrong way. That’s our game.”

The Ireland Men finished 10th at their first Olympics three years ago, and it is a measure of the continual development and ever-increasing standards within the Ireland Sevens programme that the Men’s and Women’s squads are both competing in Paris in a historic first.

Topping’s group of players has expanded in recent seasons with a number of young guns earning caps, and two of them, Chay Mullins and Zac Ward, have shone in the French capital as the team’s leading try scorers with four and three respectively.

Since the Tokyo Games, success has come in the form of bronze at the 2022 Rugby World Cup Sevens in Cape Town, Olympic qualification was achieved courtesy of last summer’s European Games title win, and the Ireland Men had their highest ever finish of second in the HSBC SVNS Series regular season.

McNulty and his team-mates were ultra consistent on the SVNS Series circuit this year, winning a silver and three bronzes and never finishing out of the top five at the eight tournaments around the globe, including the inaugural Grand Final in Madrid.

Singling out abrasive forward Ward for being ‘a fantastic player for us all year’, Topping reflected: “It’s been a good year but a real harsh month or two months.

“You’re sort of not selecting players, guys are missing out, guys who are putting lots of effort in and there’s been training camps going on and a real focus on it.

“I don’t think our performance was all that bad. Fiji are just a very good team. If the ball hits the ground or is a bit loose, those guys are all over it. They get a chance and they can take it.

“Maybe we have to look at the way we play to counter that a bit more but, listen, that’s probably something for next year.”

In years gone by, Ireland had often struggled against New Zealand and Fiji and shipped sizable defeats, but are now more than a match for them. Last December, in Cape Town, a Terry Kennedy hat-trick guided Ireland to their first ever win over the All Blacks Sevens – 36-21.

New Zealand have won the last four meetings, but the winning margins have all been five points or less. Similarly with Fiji, whom Topping’s men overcame in both Perth and Vancouver earlier this year, a previously considerable gap has been closed.

Seven points has been Fiji’s biggest margin of victory in the last six encounters, but the former Ireland 15s and Sevens international knows his charges will learn a lot from this gutwrenching loss as they turn their attention to Saturday’s ranking matches.

The end of an Olympic cycle always brings some changes in playing personnel, and mindful that they can still finish five places higher than they did in Tokyo, the coach spoke of their determination to sign off at the Stade de France on a winning note.

“The group are devastated because we’ve worked hard over the year building into this campaign, but we still have work to do because we want to finish strongly and on a high,” insisted Topping, with an eye on Saturday’s 5th place semi-final against the USA.

“We have a day off tomorrow (Friday), which isn’t great to have. We’d like to get it finished now, but there are a few of our players who will be moving on and retiring from the game, at least for a bit.

“We want to go and get that fifth place and give those guys who are going two great matches that they can remember because it’s a fantastic stadium and a fantastic occasion to play in.”