The Ireland Rugby Sevens team have qualified for the Olympics….
Six years after embarking on a rollercoaster journey from the bottom tier of European Sevens Rugby, Ireland Men’s Sevens have this evening realised their Olympic Dream by booking their place at this summer’s Tokyo Games courtesy of a 28-19 victory at the final Qualifying tournament in Monaco.
Anthony Eddy‘s side created history on a magical evening for Irish Rugby at the Stade Louis II with victory over France in the final of the World Rugby Sevens Repechage, as they secured the 12th and final place in the Men’s Sevens competition in Tokyo.
It is yet another indelible moment for this squad under the tutelage of IRFU Director of Sevens and Women’s Rugby Eddy, with the Ireland Men’s Sevens now set to become the first Irish Rugby team to compete at the Olympics, in what will be the second staging of the Sevens competition following its introduction in Rio 2016.
For the core of the squad – captain Billy Dardis, Jordan Conroy, Terry Kennedy, Harry McNulty, Foster Horan, Ian Fitzpatrick, Mark Roche, and Bryan Mollen – qualification for sport’s showpiece event is the culmination of six years of hard work, and a major moment for the National Sevens programme.
One of the core members of the Ireland Rugby Sevens squad who will be going to the Toyko Olympics representing both Wexford and Ireland is Foster Horan.
Horan, who scored a vital try today, is a proud Wexford native and played youth rugby with the Gorey Rugby Club up to the under-12 level, before going to Kilkenny College.
The Olympic Men’s Rugby Sevens competition will take place from 26-28 July, with all the action taking place at Tokyo Stadium, which hosted the opening match of Rugby World Cup 2019.
Meanwhile, in other rugby news, two Wexford natives featured on the u-20 team who defeated Scotland yesterday.
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