Ireland winger Craig Gilroy relishing Sevens heaven in Kinsale
Gilroy showed sevens-like prowess in grabbing a hat-trick of tries in the second half of Ireland’s huge victory over Italy, and last night he was in the town to officially launch the 29th tournament, which takes place over the May Bank Holiday weekend.
Gilroy was the perfect fit to launch such an event given his success in scoring tries at the highest level.
In 126 appearances for Ulster he has notched up 41 tries, four in six appearances for the Ireland U20s, four in three appearances for Emerging Ireland and two in two games for the Irish Wolfhounds. In 10 games for Ireland he has tacked on a further five tries and that gives him the unusual record of having scored at all levels of representative rugby.
Although now immersed in the 15-a-side game, Gilroy has played sevens enthusiastically and enjoyed every minute of the experience: “I never played at international standard of course but I did compete in the Carrick Sevens back home, I really enjoyed that experience back in my teens.
“However, my main focus is on something else now. It’s interesting to see, though, some of the stars of Rugby Union (Kiwi, Sonny Bill Williams for example) playing for their country in the Olympics, maybe that’s something for later on in the career if the legs are still working.”
Gilroy said he was pleased to help promote the Kinsale event. “This type of competition is really good for the club and community where there will be a huge enjoyment factor.”
More than 80 teams will compete in men’s and women’s competition in the Kinsale Sevens. Estimates suggest there will be more than 8,000 extra visitors in the area for the weekend.
For further information, team registration and updates visit www.kinsale7s.com.
