Ireland 7s deliver under pressure to secure Olympic ticket

A powerful performance under the highest pressure, and with that they’re off to another Olympics, this time in Paris. C’est magnifique.

OLYMPICS-BOUND: Jordan Conroy of Ireland celebrates after the Men's Rugby Sevens final match between Ireland and Great Britain at the Henryk Reyman Stadium during the European Games 2023 in Krakow, Poland. Pic: David Fitzgerald/Sportsfile

It needed a big performance, and that’s exactly what they found. Ireland’s men’s rugby sevens team qualified for their second straight Olympics by winning gold at the European Games in Poland last night, beating Great Britain 26-12 in the final at the Henryk Reyman Stadium in Krakow.

Ireland and Britain were side by side in the World Rugby Sevens Series ahead of the game, eighth and ninth, but the mismatch on the pitch last night gave little trace of that.