The Ireland Men’s Sevens, sponsored by TritonLake, continue their HSBC World Rugby Sevens Seriescampaign in Singapore this weekend, as the race for Olympic qualification nears a thrilling climax.
With just three legs of the 2023 Series remaining, the battle to secure a place at next summer’s Games in Paris is hotting up and Ireland Men will be bidding to boost their hopes of automatic qualification in Singapore this weekend (8-9 April).
James Topping’s side are currently sitting eighth in the overall Series standings, but they are just 10 points behind South Africa in fifth and a strong performance at the National Stadium would inject vital momentum into their campaign ahead of the final Rounds in Toulouse and London in May.
The top four teams in the Series book their Olympic ticket but with hosts France currently inside the top four, a fifth place finish may be enough for one of South Africa, Australia, Samoa, Ireland and USA to automatically qualify for Paris 2024.
There is one change to the Ireland squad from last weekend’s action in Hong Kong, with Niall Comerford linking up with the travelling party in Singapore to replace the injured Jack Kelly.
Topping’s side finished ninth in Hong Kong but three play-off wins on the final day made for a strong finish heading to Singapore.
Ireland have been paired in Pool D alongside Argentina, Great Britain and Japan, with Los Pumas providing the opposition in the campaign opener on Saturday morning (9.30am local time/2.30am Irish time).
The Harry McNulty-captained side then face Great Britain (1.18pm local time/6.18am Irish time) and Japan (4.22pm local time/9.22am Irish time) later on Saturday.
You can watch all the action from Singapore on the World Rugby Sevens Series website and app.
Ireland Men’s Sevens:
Jordan Conroy (Buccaneers RFC)
Sean Cribbin (Suttonians RFC)
Fergus Jemphrey (Ballynahinch RFC)
Niall Comerford (UCD RFC/Leinster)
Hugo Lennox (Skerries RFC)
Matt McDonald (IQ Rugby)
Liam McNamara (IQ Rugby)
Harry McNulty (UCD RFC) (capt)
Chay Mullins (Galway Corinthians RFC/Connacht/IQ Rugby)
Dylan O’Grady (UCD RFC)
Mark Roche (Lansdowne FC)
Tom Roche (Lansdowne FC)
Andrew Smith (Clontarf FC/Leinster)
Ireland Men’s Sevens Schedule:
Saturday, April 8 –
- Ireland Men v Argentina, 2.30am Irish time
- Ireland Men v Great Britain, 6.18am Irish time
- Ireland Men v Japan, 9.22am Irish time.
Sunday, April 9 –
- Play-Off Matches.
