Ireland Men's Sevens captain Harry McNulty is pictured on the charge during the Olympic quarter-final clash with Fiji on Thursday night ©INPHO/Dan Sheridan
A medal is out of reach, but the Ireland Men’s Sevens team will want to finish as high as possible when they resume their Paris 2024 campaign against the USA this afternoon (kick-off 2pm Irish time).
The final day of the Olympic Men’s Rugby Sevens tournament sees James Topping’s side aiming to return to winning ways following their quarter-final exit at the hands of Fiji.
There will be coverage of the 5th place semi-final against the USA on RTÉ 2, the BBC iPlayer & Red Button, and Eurosport via Discovery Plus. Check listings in other regions for your local broadcaster.
Ireland Sevens Squads – 2024 Olympic Games
2024 Olympic Games – Match Schedule
Ireland Sevens – Where To Watch The Olympic Games
5TH PLACE SEMI-FINAL –
IRELAND v USA, Stade de France, 3pm local time/2pm Irish time – Match Centre
IRELAND Profile
Head Coach: James Topping
Captain: Harry McNulty
Olympic Record: Rio 2016 – Did not qualify; Tokyo 2020 – 10th
Paris 2024 Seeding: 6th
Paris 2024 So Far: Won 10-5 v South Africa; Won 40-5 v Japan; Lost 14-12 v New Zealand; Lost 19-15 v Fiji
Paris 2024 Top Try & Points Scorer: Chay Mullins (4 tries, 20 points)
2024 SVNS Series Ranking: League runners-up
2024 SVNS Series Top Try & Points Scorer: Terry Kennedy (32 tries, 160 points)
Did You Know?: A Men’s Six Nations winner already this year with Ireland in 15s, Hugo Keenan has been lured back to Sevens by the possibility of Olympic gold to complete a unique double.
Player To Watch: Terry Kennedy
One half of Ireland’s prolific try-scoring double act with Jordan Conroy, the pair’s almost telepathic understanding has been a key factor in Ireland’s success over the years. Kennedy certainly knows his way to the try-line and has been the top scorer on the SVNS Series twice in the last three years, combining that with the World Rugby Men’s Sevens Player of the Year accolade in 2022.
USA Profile
Head Coach: Mike Friday
Captain: Kevon Williams
Olympic Record: Rio 2016 – 9th; Tokyo 2020 – 6th
Paris 2024 Seeding: 9th
Paris 2024 So Far: Drew 12-12 v France; Lost 38-12 v Fiji; Won 33-17 v Uruguay; Lost 18-0 v Australia
Paris 2024 Top Try & Points Scorer: Perry Baker (5 tries, 25 points)
2024 SVNS Series Ranking: 9th
2024 SVNS Series Top Try & Points Scorer: Perry Baker (30 tries, 150 points)
Did You Know?: The USA won gold at the 1924 Olympic Games in Paris, the last to feature the sport of rugby for 92 years until Rugby Sevens made its debut at Rio 2016.
Player To Watch: Perry Baker
Baker may be the elder statesman of squad after turning 38 last month, but he is still one of the most dangerous finishers, and only Ireland’s Terry Kennedy scored more tries than his 30 during this season’s SVNS Series. The only person to be crowned World Rugby Men’s Sevens Player of the Year twice – in 2017 and 2018 – sits second on the all-time list with 291 tries in 71 World Series tournaments.
Ireland v USA – Head-To-Head Statistics:
World Series Matches: 17; Ireland Won: 8; USA Won: 8; Drawn: 1
Last Five Meetings: 2023 – USA 26 Ireland 12, Singapore; Ireland 31-0 USA, Cape Town; 2024 – USA 26 Ireland 7, Perth; Ireland 24 USA 19 (aet), Hong Kong; USA 10 Ireland 7, Singapore
– The teams alternated victories in their four meetings during this season’s HSBC SVNS Series, with both sides recording their highest scores and biggest winning margins this term
– Ireland were first to achieve this with their 31-0 pool victory in Cape Town before the USA began the New Year with a 26-7 pool triumph in Perth
– Ireland finished as League runners-up to Argentina in the regular season while the USA finished ninth, meaning they had to battle to retain their core team status at the Grand Final in Madrid
– The American outfit did so, beating Samoa 40-19 in their decisive play-off match in the Spanish capital
– Ireland were the last team to record back-to-back victories in the fixture, winning 26-0 in Sydney and 15-10 in Vancouver during the 2023 World Series. This was part of a four-match unbeaten run for Ireland (W3, D1) against the USA
– Terry Kennedy scored an early try for Ireland in their most recent meeting in Singapore, but scores either side of half-time from captain Kevon Williams and Perry Baker saw the USA prevail by three points in the end (10-7)
– Olympic Games Head-to-Head: The USA ran out 19-17 winners in their only previous Olympic meeting in the pool stages in Tokyo. Perry Baker, Madison Hughes, and Steve Tomasin dotted down for the Eagles Sevens
– World Series Head-to-Head in France: Their only previous clash on French soil came during the inaugural World Series in 1999/00. Ireland registered a 17-7 win at Stade Charlety, with Tyrone Howe and Gordon D’Arcy among their try scorers
IRELAND Squad: 1. Jack Kelly (Dublin University FC), 2. Andrew Smith (Clontarf FC/Connacht), 3. Harry McNulty (UCD RFC) (capt), 4. Mark Roche (Lansdowne FC), 5. Zac Ward (Ballynahinch RFC), 6. Chay Mullins (Galway Corinthians RFC/Connacht/IQ Rugby), 7. Jordan Conroy (Buccaneers RFC), 8. Hugo Keenan (UCD RFC/Leinster), 9. Hugo Lennox (Skerries RFC), 10. Terry Kennedy (St. Mary’s College), 11. Gavin Mullin (UCD RFC), 12. Niall Comerford (UCD RFC).
USA Squad: 1. Aaron Cummings, 2. Maka Unufe, 3. Orrin Bizer, 4. Matai Leuta, 5. Marcua Tupuola, 6. Kevon Williams (capt), 7. Naima Fuala’au, 8. Malacchi Esdale, 9. Steve Tomasin, 10. Madison Hughes, 11. Perry Baker, 12. Lucas Lacamp.
7TH PLACE PLAY-OFF –
NEW ZEALAND/ARGENTINA v IRELAND/USA, Stade de France, 6pm local time/5pm Irish time
5TH PLACE PLAY-OFF –
NEW ZEALAND/ARGENTINA v IRELAND/USA, Stade de France, 6.30pm local time/5.30pm Irish time
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