Ireland 7s open Olympics with defeat of Blitzboks

PERFECT START: Terry Kennedy celebrates scoring his Ireland's second try. Pic: Stephen McCarthy, Sportsfile

Olympic Sevens: Ireland 10-5 South Africa 

Team Ireland’s 2024 Olympic Games are up and running with James Topping’s men’s rugby sevens team overcoming South Africa in their opening group game at a packed Stade de France.

It wasn’t perfect, the Irish side failing to score until deep into the first-half despite an abundance of possession and having to close out the game with just one score in it at the very end but, still, job done.

“From that spectacle, there’s always going to be nerves,” said Hugo Lennox, “but that’s the sign of a good team or squad, nerves going into it. The boys dug deep there and to come away with the win is massive.” 

This is a side that, while ranked sixth, came in to the tournament with a strong shout at a medal of some hue after some superb performances in the HSBC sevens series and this gets them started on that road.

Terry Kennedy almost opened the scoring with a kick-chase, only for the ball to beat him to the end line. Jordan Conroy knocked on just inches from the line a minute before the break in a half where they had virtually all the ball.

The opening score finally came, long after the buzzer sounded to signal half-time at the next break in play, with Hugo Keenan’s break creating the dog leg that allowed Ireland work the numbers for Conroy on the blind side.

That left it 5-0 at the interval.

Ireland’s opening game three years ago was a 33-14 loss to these opponents in Tokyo, one they followed up with a two-point loss to the USA. A 12-7 defeat of Kenya in their last group game proved too little too late and that was their Olympic medal hopes done and dusted.

This was much better.

South Africa’s first opportunity came after the break with Shilton van Wyk knocking on a grubber kick under pressure on the Irish try line. These are the tiny margins that decide games that last only seven minutes per half.

Bigger ones matter too. Ryan Oosthuizen’s high tackle on Gavin Mullin earned him a yellow card with three minutes to go and Kennedy all but made the game safe in the next play by skipping down the left touchline in trademark style for Ireland’s second try.

Hugo Lennox’s missed conversion wasn’t a concern under the circumstances, even when South African captain Selvyn Davids went over for their opening score just as the clock was ticking into the red.

One more play still had to be dealt with and, with the Blitzboks failing to kick it the required ten metres it fell to Ireland to whack it to touch, claim the points and inject some early momentum into their bid.

“One hundred percent and we had possession for seven minutes,” said Conroy. “When you don’t have the ball you are chasing the game and it is a horrible spot to be in. But I have to commend our lads, we stuck to the plan and you can’t really do much if you don’t have the ball.

Ireland's Hugo Keenan in action against South Africa's Tristan Leyds. Pic: Stephen McCarthy, Sportsfile

“It was all about controlling that game. We just wanted to drain the energy out of them, which we did. Second-half they nudged back in, just a lack of concentration in a way, but we did the job and that’s all that matters. On to the next one.” 

Argentina and Morocco had got these Olympics officially underway in their opening football group game at the Stade Geoffrey-Guichard in Saint-Etienne earlier in the day, but it was Australia and Samoa who started the party in the capital with the first sevens tie.

For most of those present at a jammed Stade de France, though, it was the sight of the French team sprinting from the corner tunnel here in Saint-Denis before the third game that signalled the true starting point for Paris 2024.

There was an air of ‘a nation expects’ about it all on the streets and in the bars outside in the hours beforehand and, you would have to imagine, a sense of unfinished business after their XVs side was eliminated from the World Cup at the last eight stage here nine months ago.

So, this was set up to be a grand opening for Team France with their golden boy Antoine Dupont on hand to guide a side that had claimed the HSBC series this year to their promised land. That will mean nothing less than a gold medal come Saturday.

Nobody told their opponents.

The USA are ranked ninth in the world but they proved to be sticky customers. They led 7-5 at the interval and had a kick to win it at the end. The end result was a 12-12 draw that will temper talk of a procession among the hosts if nothing else.

Ireland and France and the rest will be in action again later on Wednesday evening with the boys in green facing Japan. Their third group game, against tournament favourites New Zealand, will take place on Thursday. The medal games are due on Saturday.

“The pre-match nerves are gone,” said Conroy. “You always try to get the first game out of the way. It’s always like that with any tournament really. It’s just getting the first one done and then you’re in the zone. It’s been a long, massive build-up as well.” 

There are three groups of four teams in action with the top two from each progressing to the quarter-finals and joined by the two best third-placed finishers. Ireland’s women’s sevens side gets their campaign underway on Sunday.

Ireland: H McNulty, M Roche, Z Ward, J Conroy, H Keenan, T Kennedy, n Comerford. Replacements: J Kelly, A Smith, C Mullins, H Lennox, G Mullin.

South Africa: C Grobbelaar, R Oosthuizen, Z Davids, Q Nortje, T Leyds, S Davids, S van Wyk. Replacements: I Visser, T Pretorius, S Williams, R Specman, S Soyizwapi.

Referee: G Gnecchi (Ita).