Team Ireland get their Olympic Games under way this afternoon and the Men’s Sevens rugby side face off against South Africa (4.30pm) and Japan (8pm, both live on RTÉ2/Player).
It’s just the team’s second time to qualify for the tournament and after barely making a mark in Tokyo three years ago – when they had less than a month to prepare – the panel are determined to make amends this time around.
And after a consistent run across the World Series, James Topping’s men finished in second place in the regular standings but never got to lift the top prize in any of the legs.
Their best finish came in Perth in January when they lost a final to Argentina, while they racked up three third-place finishes. They were the only side to finish in the top three who didn’t record a leg win.
While a first-place finish would have franked the team’s progress over the last few seasons their form still bodes well for the competition, which they’ve set their sights on from the outset.
“It’s been a breeze to be able to have all this time and space to prepare yourself, mentally and physically,” winger Jordan Conroy, from Offaly, told RTÉ Sport when asked about the difference in preparation this time around.
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“It was such a short time in Tokyo, literally, two weeks to try and set yourself up to go for a gold medal. It was impossible.
“Being here in Paris after qualifying a year ago, it’s made so much difference to us as a team, to our rugby, and even having a whole season, it’s been a joy to be able to look forward to this.
“Now it’s really clicked in and we’re two days out from playing the game of our lives. It’s been perfect.”
For the uninitiated, Sevens rugby, which is usually not televised, is a peculiar mix of fast and frantic end-to-end action.
Lasting just 14 minutes, the games can get away from a team quickly and getting off to a fast start is usually crucial.
“Every team can beat every team, it’s so highly competitive,” says captain Harry McNulty, one of seven of the 12-strong panel who were in Japan three years ago.
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“At this level, this far in the season you can’t really afford to have one really good game, one poor game and then you are coming into the last waiting for other teams in other pools to get you to qualify on points difference.
“Really just having the confidence to play our own game, stick to what we know and what we want to do.”
Ireland face New Zealand in their third Pool A game on Thursday at 3.30pm Irish time. All the matches take place at Stade de France and each session is expected to see a full house of 69,000 at the stadium.
The sides played out a thriller when they met at the Grand Finals in Madrid earlier this month, in a game where Hugo Keenan (above) scored a late try, which brought the tie to overtime.
Casual fans of the games, who might catch up mostly via social media clips might be surprised to learn that it’s not all helter-skelter and that Ireland, in particular, have brought their own style to proceedings, evolving their game since attaining elite status in 2019.
“It’s [maybe] a bit boring [for others],” smiles head coach Topping when asked about his team’s consistency across the season.
“Everyone thinks Sevens is exciting, [all] offloading the way Fiji play. We’ve sort of come in and played with a different style, possession-based and try to control the opposition.
“The guys have bought into that and been really consistent in our defence and attack and been a tough team to beat.”
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Ireland have beaten every opponent at some stage and the most recent season demonstrates how the team have come on.
“We have been able to grow together and finally click,” is how Conroy describes it.
“It’s shown in the season we had, coming second in the World Series, leading into the Olympics.
“We’ve grown in confidence year by year and I’m absolutely delighted that it happened for us. I feel with the amount of work we put in, we deserve a good title shot.
“It’s about that podium mentality of wanting to get up there and knowing what it takes.
“We back ourselves to be able to have the power to do so. I really do think we have the chance to get up there.
And, when it comes to the Olympics, that’s what this team is dreaming of.
Three years ago, as Dubliner McNulty (above) admits, “qualifying for the Olympics was nearly our Olympics in itself” but there’s no such sense of ‘job done’ this time around.
Yes, the focus is on the Blitzboks this afternoon now but always present is the sense that a job well done will have Ireland in with a shout when the medals are presented on Saturday.
“We’ve beaten every team and going into this Olympics we’ve a real focus on a podium,” says Topping, a former Ireland international at both Sevens and 15s.
“At the last one it wasn’t our focus at all.
“We’re worked really hard and I hope the guys can perform. If you are not under pressure you are not in a good spot.
“They got themselves here and they can handle it. They have a real focus and are ready to perform.”
Watch the 2024 Olympic Games with 14 hours of televised action on RTÉ2 and RTÉ Player each day. Listen to extensive radio coverage on RTÉ Radio 1 and 2fm’s Game On and follow each moment from Paris on RTÉ.ie, the RTÉ News app and all RTÉ digital platforms. Listen to the daily RTÉ Sport Olympics Podcast.
