Ireland national rugby sevens team

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This article is about the men's team. For the women's team, see Ireland women's national rugby sevens team.

Ireland
UnionIrish Rugby Football Union
Coach(es)Anthony Eddy
Captain(s)Billy Dardis
Most capsHarry McNulty (48)[note 1]
Top scorerJordan Conroy (225)[note 2]
Most triesJordan Conroy (45)[note 3]
Team kit
Change kit
First international
 New Zealand 18–22  Ireland
(7 April 1973)
Largest win
 Hungary 0–80  Ireland
(1 June 1996)
Largest defeat
 Fiji 56–0  Ireland
(23 November 2000)
World Cup Sevens
Appearances6 (First in 1993)
Best result1993 Cup 3rd Place

The Ireland national rugby sevens team competes in several international rugby sevens competitions. The team is governed by the Irish Rugby Football Union (IRFU), and has been led by Head Coach Anthony Eddy since 2015.

Ireland competes as a "core team" on the World Rugby Sevens Series, a competition every year from December to June that includes ten tournaments staged around the globe. The 2019–20 season is Ireland's first season as a core team. At the 2019 Hong Kong Sevens Ireland won the World Series Qualifier tournament for the 2019–20 World Rugby Sevens Series, earning "core team" status for the first time. Ireland has previously competed in individual tournaments within World Rugby Sevens Series, although not as a core team. Ireland's best World Series tournament was the 2018 London Sevens, where they finished in third place, the first invitational side to reach the semi-finals of a World Rugby Sevens Series event.[1]

Ireland also competes in major quadrennial rugby sevens tournaments and their qualifying tournaments. Ireland has competed in most Rugby World Cup Sevens since the 1993 inaugural event, with their best results including finishing third in 1993 and ninth in 2018. The team also competes during qualifying for the Summer Olympics, but failed to qualify for the inaugural rugby sevens competition at the 2016 Summer Olympics. On 20 June 2021 Ireland qualified for the 2020 Summer Olympics.[2][3]

Following the announcement in 2009 that rugby sevens would be an Olympic sport beginning in 2016,[4] the Irish Rugby Football Union created a men's rugby sevens program in 2014. The IRFU announced in 2015 its goal to field a national sevens team that has qualifies for the Summer Olympics and joins the World Rugby Sevens Series.[5] Ireland has since begun offering professional contracts to its squad of sevens players.

Ireland defeated Ukraine 26–7 at the 2008 European Championship.

Ireland also participates in the Rugby Europe Sevens Series.

History[]

Ireland competed at the 1973 International Seven-A-Side Tournament, the first rugby sevens tournament for national teams. They defeated New Zealand, Australia and Scotland in the groups phase, before losing to England in the finals.[6]

Olympic era (2009–present)[]

Ireland has increased its emphasis in rugby sevens since the International Olympic Committee voted in 2009 to restore rugby to the events program in 2016. In March 2011, the IRFU announced its support for Shamrock Warriors RFC. The club's aim is to develop a pool of experienced Sevens players for the IRFU to be in position to select to develop into a future international Sevens squad to compete in tournaments by giving them experience playing in the top level competition should the IRFU become involved in professional international sevens or in the Olympic Sevens.[7][8]

Although rugby was announced in 2009 as an Olympic sport, the IRFU was slow to recognize the opportunity. As of September 2013, the IRFU said it was unlikely to send a sevens team to the 2016 Summer Olympics.[9] The IRFU did not introduce a men's rugby sevens national team program until October 2014.[10] The IRFU announced in December 2014 the hiring of Anthony Eddy as the Director of Irish rugby sevens, both the men's and women's teams.[11] In December 2014 the IRFU issued a notice to all Irish athletes to see what if could become an Elite Sevens rugby player. The IRFU hoped to see the best rugby club talent available as well as attracting athletes with transferable skills from other team sports such as athletics, basketball, and Gaelic Games. The IRFU held four talent identification days across Ireland in January 2015.[12]

The IRFU announced in May 2015 its brand new 27-man squad for the 2015 season, selected out of a pool of more than 300 applicants, a squad that later became known as "The Originals".[13] The new team started at the bottom, beginning the 2015 season in Europe's Division C, with an eye towards gaining promotion to higher levels of competition. The highlight of Ireland's 2015 and 2016 seasons was the attempt to qualify for the 2016 Summer Olympics. At the 2015 Europe Olympic Repechage Tournament, Ireland finished with 4–1–1 record, and despite a 10–24 semifinal loss to Russia, their third-place finish gained the last European slot for the 2016 Final Olympic Qualification Tournament. At the 2016 Final Olympic Qualifying Tournament, Ireland finished pool play with a 3–0 record including a 27–21 win over Samoa.[14] However, a quarterfinal loss to Spain (7–12) eliminated them from the 2016 Summer Olympics.[14]

Entering the 2017 season, with the Irish men's rugby sevens program in place for just over two years, the IRFU still had not handed out any full-time professional contracts to any sevens players.[15] For the 2017 summer season, Ireland played in the European Grand Prix Sevens, which included four tournaments during summer 2017. Ireland began the Grand Prix by winning the first tournament, the 2017 Moscow Sevens, defeating Spain 12–0 in the final.[16]

For the 2017–18 season, Ireland selected a core squad of 14 players that would prioritize Sevens play for the autumn 2017 tournaments, although they are not full-time Sevens players, and they retain their club status.[17] Ireland finished ninth at the 2017 Silicon Valley Sevens with a 3–2 record; their record against World Series core teams was a respectable 2–2, with two wins over Canada.[18]

As of December 2018 the IRFU was due to announce shortly their first-ever professional contracts for sevens players.[19] In May 2019, despite the squad qualifying for the World Rugby Sevens Series, the IRFU announced that players would remain on an €18,000 basic annual salary with bonuses of €500 for participating in each of the 10 World Series tournaments — the equivalent of a development contract.[20]

Current squad[]

The following players comprise Ireland's squad for the Tokyo Olympics.[21] Career statistics include only totals from World Rugby Sevens Series tournaments.

Squad for 2020 Final Olympic Qualification Tournament
Player Position Age WS debut Events Tries
Harry McNulty Forward 28 2018 10 9
Jack Kelly Forward 23 2019 8 12
Foster Horan Forward 28 2019 4 4
Billy Dardis Scrum-half 26 2018 10 6
Greg O’Shea Fly-half 26 2019 6 5
Terry Kennedy Centre 25 2018 9 24
Jordan Conroy Wing 27 2018 9 45
Substitutes
Ian Fitzpatrick Forward 25 2018 4
Adam Leavy Forward 25 2019 8 3
Gavin Mullin Centre 23 – 0 0
Hugo Lennox Fly-half 22 2019 8 5
Reserves
Mark Roche Scrum-half 28 2018 6 2
Bryan Mollen Centre 25 2018 8 6

Season statistics[]

The following table shows the leading Irish players during the 2019–20 Sevens Series season.

Leading players (2019–20 WS season)[22]
Player Position Matches Tackles Tries
Harry McNulty Forward 25 45 5
Jack Kelly Forward 28 45 8
Terry Kennedy Centre 25 45 17
Jordan Conroy Wing 28 31 30
Billy Dardis Scrum-half 28 26 3

World Rugby Sevens Series[]

Main article: World Rugby Sevens Series

Ireland had a sparse participation in the World Rugby Sevens Series until 2019. Between 1999 and 2019 Ireland appeared only sporadically, and not as one of the core teams that participated in every tournament. Ireland played in very few tournaments on the World Series, such as the occasional trip to the Hong Kong Sevens. Ireland has had some limited success in the World Series tournaments in which it has played.

Ireland competed in two of the ten tournaments of the inaugural 1999–2000 World Sevens Series: at the 2000 Hong Kong Sevens, Ireland finished 17th to win the Bowl with a 4–2 record;[23] at the 2000 Paris Sevens, Ireland finished tied for 11th with a 3–2 record. The following season, in the 2000–01 World Sevens Series, Ireland played in the 2000 Dubai Sevens where they finished 9th, winning the Bowl with a 4–2 record, including a 19–17 semifinal win over Wales.[24]

Ireland has, however, since assembling a permanent sevens program in 2014, publicly stated in 2014 and again in 2015 that its goal is to qualify as one of the 15 core teams in the World Series.[25] At the 2018 Hong Kong Sevens qualifying tournament for the 2018–19 World Series, Ireland posted a 3–0 record in pool play, winning all three matches by comfortable 20+ point margins, to advance to the knockout rounds. Ireland defeated Zimbabwe 38–5 in the quarterfinals, but lost to Japan 7–12 in the semifinal and failed to qualify for the 2018-19 World Series.[26]

Ireland competed as an invitational team at the 2018 London Sevens and the 2018 Paris Sevens. At the 2018 London Sevens Ireland defeated the favoured United States and England teams en route to finishing third overall.[27] At the penultimate World Rugby Sevens Series event in London in 2018, the Irish team "stole the show", finishing in third place in their first World Series tournament since 2004, Ireland thus becoming the first invitational side to reach the semi-finals and then the podium of a World Rugby Sevens Series event.[28] Invited to the following event in Paris, Ireland finished seventh, their second top half finish as an invitational side, and the first invitational side to do so.

The following year, Ireland again played in the 2019 Hong Kong Sevens qualifier. Ireland won the tournament, defeating Hong Kong 28–7 in the final, with Jordan Conroy’s 10 tries across six matches earning him Player of the Tournament.[29] Ireland again appeared at the 2019 London Sevens and 2019 Paris Sevens, reaching the quarterfinals of the London Sevens.

Ireland joined the World Rugby Sevens Series as a "core status" team for the first time for the 2019–20 season. In their first tournament, the 2019 Dubai Sevens, Jordan Conroy led all scores with seven tries and was named to the tournament Dream Team. The ten-tournament season was cut to six tournaments due to the global Covid-19 pandemic. Ireland reached the quarter-final round in three of the six tournaments during the season, finishing in 10th place. Wing Jordan Conroy led all try scorers in the competition with 30 tries, with centre Terry Kennedy finishing fifth with 17 tries.

Season by season[]

Ireland at the World Series
Season Rank Points Events Best event GP W D L Win % PF PA Diff Tries Most tries Most points
1999–00 — 0 2 / 10 11th (Paris) 11 6 0 5 55% 242 205 +37 38 James Topping (10) James Topping (52)
2000–01 17th 2 1 / 9 9th (Dubai) 6 4 0 2 67% 132 154 –22 21 Matt Mostyn (6) Gavin Duffy (37)
2001–02 — 0 2 / 11 10th (Cardiff) 11 3 0 8 27% 176 231 –55 28 James Ferris (6) Paddy Wallace (49)
2002/03 – 2003/04 Did not compete
2004–05 — 0 2 / 7 14th (Dubai) 11 2 1 8 18% 192 267 –75 32 Tomás O'Leary (7) Ian Humphreys (52)
2005/06 – 2016/17 Did not compete
2017–18 15th 27 2 / 10 3rd (London) 11 5 1 5 45% 186 228 –42 30 Jordan Conroy (11) Jordan Conroy (55)
2018–19 16th 19 2 / 10 6th (London) 12 6 0 6 50% 241 278 –37 39 Mick McGrath (6) Billy Dardis (47)
2019–20 10th 49 6 / 6 6th (twice) 28 11 2 15 39% 558 610 –52 86 Jordan Conroy (30) Jordan Conroy (150)
2021 4th 14 1 / 1 4th (Vancouver) 6 3 1 2 50% 105 83 +22 17 Conor Phillips (4) Conor Phillips (20)
Total – 111 18 3rd 96 40 5 51 42% 1832 2056 –224 291 Jordan Conroy (45) Jordan Conroy (225)

Updated as of 19 September 2021[30]
Results listed above do not include matches played as part of the Hong Kong World Series qualifier competition.

Ireland at the Hong Kong Sevens WS qualifier
Season Position GP W D L Win % Pts scored Tries Most tries Most points Qualified
2018 3rd 5 4 0 1 80% 148 24 Terry Kennedy (5) Mark Roche (28) No
2019 1st 6 5 1 0 83% 179 27 Jordan Conroy (10) Jordan Conroy (50) Yes
Total – 11 9 1 1 82% 327 51 Terry Kennedy (11) Terry Kennedy (55) –

Summer Olympics[]

Olympic Games record
Year Round Pos Pld W D L PF PA Diff Most tries Most Points
Brazil 2016 Did Not Qualify
Japan 2020 9–12th place playoff 10th 5 2 0 3 74 81 –7 G. Mullin (3) G. Mullin (15)
Total 0 Titles 1/2 5 2 0 3 74 81 –7 G. Mullin (3) G. Mullin (15)
Olympics qualifying
Olympics Qualifying
competition(s) 		Pos GP W D L PF PA Diff Most tries Qualification
2016 Portugal 2015 European 3rd 6 4 1 1 115 84 +31 Qualified for 2016 playoff
Monaco 2016 intercontinental[31][32] 7th 5 3 0 2 108 81 +27 M. McGrath / T. Daly (3) Did not qualify for 2016 Olympics
2020 France 2019 European 3rd 6 4 1 1 169 62 +107 J. Conroy (9) Qualified for 2020 playoff
Monaco 2020 intercontinental 1st 6 6 0 0 182 41 +141 J. Conroy (11) Qualified for 2020 Olympics
Total – – 23 17 2 4 574 268 +306 –

2016 Olympics qualifying[]

See also: 2015 Rugby Europe Men's Sevens Championships and Rugby sevens at the 2016 Summer Olympics

Ireland began Olympic qualifying by playing in Division C within Europe. In the 6–7 June 2015 Division C tournament, Ireland went 6–0 in the competition to win Division C, winning all six matches by a comfortable margin. This win qualified them to participate in Division B. In the 20–21 June, 2015 Division B tournament, Ireland again went 6–0 to win Division B, again winning all six matches by a comfortable margin. This win qualified them for the European repechage tournament.[33]

In the 18–19 July 2015 Rugby Europe sevens repechage in Lisbon, Ireland topped their group with wins over Italy and Georgia and a draw against Russia.[34] In the knockout competition, Ireland defeated Lithuania 17–0 in the quarterfinals. Ireland then lost in the semifinals to Russia 10–24, but in the third-place match defeated Georgia 15–7 to finish third overall, and secure the third and final European qualifying place for the Final 2016 Men's Olympic Qualification Tournament.[35]

The Irish team drew Samoa, Tonga and Zimbabwe in the final Olympic repechage tournament in Monaco.[36] Ireland finished first in their group with three wins, including a close 27–21 over World Series team Samoa. Ireland lost in the quarterfinals to Spain, 7–12, and did not qualify for the Olympics.[10]

2020 Olympics[]

Ireland finished third at the 2019 Rugby Europe qualifying tournament. With this result, they did not automatically qualify for the 2020 Olympics, but gained a spot in the final inter-continental playoff tournament. They then won the playoff tournament to secure the last qualifying spot in the 2020 Summer Olympics.[2][3]

Ireland opened their 2020 Olympic campaign with losses to both South Africa and the United States.[37] Despite a five point victory over Kenya and a third place finish in their pool, Ireland failed to achieve a quarterfinal spot due to an unfavourable points difference.[37] They subsequently defeated South Korea 31–0, before losing to Kenya, to finish in 10th place.[37]

Previous Olympic Squads[]

Rugby World Cup Sevens[]

Main article: Rugby World Cup Sevens
Rugby World Cup Sevens
Year Round Position Pld W D L PF PA Diff Most tries Most points
Scotland 1993 Semifinalist 3rd 9 6 0 3 185 109 +76 Eric Elwood (60)
Hong Kong 1997 Bowl Semifinalist 19th 6 1 0 5 94 158 –64 David Humphreys (5)
Argentina 2001 Bowl Semifinalist 19th 7 2 1 4 108 176 –68
Hong Kong 2005 Plate Quarterfinalist 13th 6 2 0 4 100 159 –59 Andy Maxwell (6) Ian Humphreys (44)
United Arab Emirates 2009 Bowl Finalist 18th 6 3 0 3 94 110 –16 Tonetti & Carney (3) Tom Gleeson (19)
Russia 2013 Did Not Enter
United States 2018 Challenge Winner 9th 5 4 0 1 99 97 +2 Dardis & Conroy (4) Billy Dardis (32)
Total 0 Titles 6/7 39 18 1 20 680 809 –129 Richard Wallace (10) Eric Elwood (60)
Rugby World Cup Sevens Qualifying
RWC Competition Position Pld W D L PF PA Diff Qualification
1997 Portugal 1996 Qualifiers Cup Semifinalist 6 4 1 1 273 53 +220 Qualified
2001 Germany 2000 Qualifiers 3rd 8 7 0 1 245 74 +171 Qualified
Total – – 14 11 1 2 518 127 +391 –

Ireland has played in six out of the seven Rugby World Cup Sevens tournaments. Ireland's best finish was the inaugural 1993 tournament. In that tournament, they went 4–1 in pool play, including an upset win over France, to qualify to the quarterfinal round. In the quarterfinal round of pool play they went 2–1 with wins over Samoa and Tonga to reach the semifinals. Ireland faced Australia in the semifinal and was leading but an Australia try and conversion at the end resulted in a 19–21 loss.[38]

Since the inaugural tournament, however, Ireland's performances were unremarkable in the four tournaments from 1997 to 2005, failing to reach the quarterfinals in four consecutive Sevens World Cups. At the 1997 tournament, Ireland finished 19th, posting a 1��5 record which included losses to minnows Hong Kong and Japan, with its only win a 33–5 victory over Portugal in the Bowl quarterfinal.[39][40] In 2001, Ireland finished fifth in its group of six, unable to notch wins against Russia or Korea, relegating it to the Bowl competition; they defeated Chinese Taipei in the Bowl quarterfinal but lost 12–33 to Portugal in the Bowl semifinal.[41][42]

In 2005, Ireland fared slightly better, with its 2–3 record in group play qualifying it for the Plate competition, where they lost to Samoa 14–19 in the Plate quarterfinal.[43] In 2009, Ireland was up-and-down in pool play, notching a surprise win against Australia, but a disappointing loss against Portugal.[44] Ireland was one of three teams in a four-team group to finish with a 1–2 record in pool play, but Ireland was ranked last in the group on points difference and was relegated to the Bowl competition.[45] There they posted a 2–1 record in knockout play, eventually losing to Zimbabwe in the Bowl final 17–14.[46][47] Ireland did not qualify for the 2013 World Cup, failing to send a team to the 2012 Sevens Grand Prix qualifying tournaments.

Ireland had a better tournament in 2018, defeating core teams Kenya, Wales, and Australia en route to a ninth-place finish, their best finish since the inaugural 1993 tournament.[48]

Previous World Cup squads[]

Rugby Europe Sevens[]

Main article: Rugby Europe Sevens
Rugby Europe Sevens Record
Season Competition Position GP W D L PF PA Diff Promotion / Qualification
2002–03 Did not compete
2004 Poland Championship Qualifying 1st 6 6 0 2 184 34 +150
Croatia Championship Qualifying 2nd 6 5 0 1 167 52 +115 Qualified for 2004 European Sevens Championship[49]
Spain Championship 3rd 6 4 0 2 129 81 +47 Qualified for 2005 Rugby World Cup Sevens
2005–07 Did not compete
2008 Denmark Championship Qualifying 2nd 6 5 0 1 242 39 +203
Poland Championship Qualifying 1st 6 6 0 0 200 0 +200 Qualified for 2008 European Sevens Championship[50]
Germany Championship 4th 7 4 0 3 124 92 +32 Qualified for 2009 Rugby World Cup Sevens
2009–14 Did not compete
2015 Bosnia and Herzegovina Division C 1st 6 6 0 0 291 20 +271 Promoted to the 2015 Division B competition
Croatia Division B 1st 6 6 0 0 384 0 +384 Qualified for 2015 Rugby Europe repechage;
Promoted to 2016 Division A (Trophy) competition
2016 Sweden Czech Republic Trophy 1st 12 12 0 0 497 46 +451 Promoted to 2017 Grand Prix series
2017 France Russia England Poland Grand Prix 2nd 24 21 0 3 572 225 +347 Advanced to 2018 Hong Kong Sevens qualifier for World Series;
Qualified for 2018 Rugby World Cup Sevens
2018 France Russia England Poland Grand Prix 1st 24 23 0 1 780 138 +642 Advanced to 2019 Hong Kong Sevens qualifier for World Series
2019 Russia Poland Grand Prix 3rd 12 8 0 4 276 186 +90
2020 Cancelled due to Covid-19
2021 Did not compete
Total – – 97 84 0 13 3053 788 +2265

Updated 18 May 2021[51]

2002−2014[]

Although Rugby Europe has held a rugby sevens championship every year since 2002, Ireland rarely participated from 2002 to 2014. Ireland participated only twice during those 13 years − in 2004 and 2008, both of which served as European regional qualifying tournaments for the following year's Rugby World Cup Sevens. Ireland finished third in the 2004 competition to qualify for the 2005 World Cup. Ireland finished fourth in the 2008 competition to qualify for the 2009 World Cup.

2015−present[]

The 2015 European competitions also doubled as qualifying for the 2016 Summer Olympics. Ireland played in the Division C tournament on 6–7 June and won the tournament with a 6–0 record, its closest match being the 38–10 quarterfinal win over Austria, qualifying for Division B. Ireland then played the Division B tournament on 20–21 June, and won Division B with a 6–0 record, its closest match being a 54–0 pool-play win over Slovenia, qualifying for the final repechage tournament.

Ireland played in the 2015 repechage on 18–19 July where they faced a tougher level of competition. Ireland went 2-1-0 in the repechage pool play to win its group and reach the knockout rounds. Ireland lost to Russia in the semifinals, 10–24, but defeated Georgia 15–7 to take third place and secure the last qualifying spot for the final cross-continental Olympic qualifying tournament. They lost in these quarterfinals to Spain and did not make the 2016 Summer Olympics medal round.

The 2016 Trophy competition consisted of two tournaments – Malmo and Prague. Ireland went 6–0 to win the 2016 Malmo tournament, with the closest match being the 26–12 semifinal win over Ukraine. Ireland next won the 2016 Prague tournament, again with a perfect 6–0 record, with the closest match being the 24–0 semifinal win over Romania. Ireland finished first in the 2016 Trophy competition and won promotion to the 2017 Grand Prix series.

The 2017 Grand Prix series consisted of four tournaments. Ireland began the Grand Prix by winning the 2017 Moscow Sevens with a 5–1 record, defeating Russia 28–21 in the semifinals and Spain 12–0 in the finals.[52] Next, Ireland finished third in the 2017 Lodz Sevens with a 5–1 record, losing to Russia 19–26 in the semifinals. Ireland next won the 2017 Clermont-Ferrand Sevens with a 6–0 record, defeating Russia 17–14 in the final.[53] In the fourth and final tournament, the 2017 Exeter Sevens, Ireland finished with a 5–1 record, losing to Wales 12–15 in the semifinals. Ireland finished the 2017 Sevens Grand Prix Series in second place two points behind Russia, thereby qualifying for the 2018 Rugby World Cup Sevens, and advancing to the 2018 Hong Kong Sevens qualifying tournament for the 2018-19 World Series.

In the 2018 Europe Grand Prix Series, Ireland started strong, winning the 2018 Moscow Sevens with a 6–0 record, winning all six matches by a margin of more than 20 points.

Other International Tournaments[]

Ireland at International Tournaments
Tournament Position GP W D L Win % PF PA Diff
Scotland 1973 International Seven-a-side Tournament 2nd 5 4 0 1 80% 80 56 +24
Hong Kong 1993 Hong Kong Sevens Cup Quarterfinals 3 2 0 1 66.67% 43 22 +21
Hong Kong 1994 Hong Kong Sevens Plate Quarterfinals 3 1 0 2 33.33% 59 36 +23
Hong Kong 1995 Hong Kong Sevens Plate Quarterfinals 3 0 1 2 0% 45 57 –12
1995 Melun Sevens 4 1 0 3 25% 85 117 –32
Hong Kong 1996 Hong Kong Sevens Cup Quarterfinals 4 2 1 1 50% 78 83 –5
Hong Kong 1999 Hong Kong Sevens Plate Quarterfinals 4 2 0 2 50% 59 87 –28
France 1999 Paris Sevens Bowl Quarterfinals 4 0 0 4 0% 43 117 –74
Spain 2015 Elche Invitational 3rd 5 2 0 3 40% 101 107 –6
Germany 2017 Oktoberfest Sevens 7th 6 2 0 4 33.33% 52 95 –43
Spain 2017 Elche Invitational 2nd 6 4 0 2 66.67% 145 50 +95
United States 2017 Silicon Valley Sevens 9th 5 3 0 2 66.67% 81 53 +28
Uruguay Chile 2018 Sudamérica Rugby Sevens 5th 12 8 1 3 66.67% 249 126 +123
Spain 2019 Elche Invitational 2nd 6 5 0 1 83.33% 147 70 +77
England 2019 Rugby X Tournament Runner-up 4 3 0 1 75% 95 65 +30
England 2021 International Rugby 7s 1st[54] 6 4 0 2 66.67% 107 62 +45
Total – 76 40 3 33 52.63% 1374 1138 +236

The results listed above are inclusive of tournaments played outside of the World Rugby Sevens Series, Olympics, Rugby World Cup Sevens and the Rugby Europe Sevens tournaments.[6][55][51]

Ireland Wolfhounds[]

An Irish Wolfhounds side, often composed of both Irish and English rugby internationals, competed at many of the Hong Kong Sevens events between 1984 and 1992.[56][57][58] This team was not an official representative side.[57] Nonetheless, they achieved moderate success reaching several Cup quarterfinals.[59] The Wolfhounds also won the 1991 Melrose Sevens, an annual sevens competition contested by club sides.[60] In 2015 the Wolfhounds returned as an 'A' side to help strengthen the national sevens player pool.[61] The side competed in the GB7s tour against club competition.[62][63][64]

Ireland Wolfhounds at International Tournaments
Tournament Position GP W D L Win % PF PA Diff
Hong Kong 1984 Hong Kong Sevens Cup Semifinals 2 1 0 1 50% 30 16 +14
Hong Kong 1985 Hong Kong Sevens Cup Quarterfinals 3 2 0 1 66.67% 60 44 +16
Hong Kong 1988 Hong Kong Sevens Cup Quarterfinals 3 2 0 1 66.67% 42 52 –10
Hong Kong 1989 Hong Kong Sevens Cup Quarterfinals 3 2 0 1 66.67% 62 28 +34
Italy1991 Sicily Sevens – 1 1 0 0 100% 22 4 +18
Hong Kong 1992 Hong Kong Sevens Plate Semifinals 4 2 0 2 50% 62 44 +18
Portugal 1993 Lisbon Sevens – 1 0 0 1 0% 10 19 –9
France 1994 Besagne Sevens – 1 0 1 0 0% 12 12 0
Total – 18 10 1 7 55.56% 300 219 +81

Updated as of 4 March 2021.[59]

Overall Record[]

Tournament GP W D L Win % PF PA Diff
World Rugby Sevens Series 96 40 5 51 41.67% 1832 2056 –224
World Series Qualifier 11 9 1 1 81.82% 327 72 +255
Olympic Qualifiers 23 17 2 4 73.91% 574 268 +306
Olympics 5 2 0 3 40% 74 81 –7
Rugby World Cup Sevens 39 18 1 20 46.15% 680 809 –129
World Cup Qualifiers 14 11 1 2 78.57% 518 127 +391
Rugby Europe Sevens 97 84 0 13 86.6% 3053 788 +2265
Other International Tournaments 80 43 3 34 53.75% 1469 1203 +266
Total 365 224 13 128 61.37% 8527 5404 +3123

The above records are up to date as of 19 September 2021.
These records do not include matches played as the Ireland Wolfhounds.

Head to Head[]

Opponent Played Won Drawn Lost Win % For Aga Diff
Arabian Gulf 2 2 0 0 100% 65 22 +43
 Argentina 10 2 0 8 20% 153 257 –104
Argentina Argentina VII 3 2 0 1 66.67% 33 60 –27
 Australia 11 6 0 5 54.55% 207 252 –45
  5 5 0 0 100% 247 22 +225
  1 1 0 0 100% 60 0 +60
 Belgium 5 5 0 0 100% 181 17 +164
 Bosnia and Herzegovina 2 2 0 0 100% 107 0 +107
 Brazil 2 0 1 1 0% 26 31 –5
  1 1 0 0 100% 64 0 +64
 Canada 10 3 0 7 30% 174 211 –37
Canada Canada Maple Leafs 1 1 0 0 100% 33 5 +28
 Chile 1 1 0 0 100% 17 12 +5
 China 1 1 0 0 100% 31 7 +24
 Colombia 1 1 0 0 100% 33 7 +26
 Cook Islands 1 1 0 0 100% 41 5 +36
 Croatia 2 2 0 0 100% 88 0 +88
 Cyprus 3 3 0 0 100% 129 12 +117
 Czech Republic 2 2 0 0 100% 82 19 +63
 Denmark 4 4 0 0 100% 148 12 +136
 England 11 7 0 4 63.64% 227 186 +41
 Fiji 10 0 0 10 0% 87 396 –309
 France 15 8 0 7 53.33% 300 234 +66
France Emerging France 1 0 0 1 0% 12 15 –3
 Georgia 8 5 0 3 62.5% 117 121 –4
 Germany 14 12 0 2 85.71% 389 127 +262
 Great Britain 5 1 1 3 20% 52 69 –17
 Hong Kong 6 5 0 1 83.33% 112 74 +38
 Hungary 2 2 0 0 100% 120 0 +120
  2 2 0 0 100% 74 12 +62
 Italy 10 7 0 3 70% 252 130 +122
 Jamaica 3 3 0 0 100% 102 0 +102
 Japan 4 2 0 2 50% 90 62 +28
 Kenya 9 4 1 4 44.44% 150 168 –18
 Latvia 2 2 0 0 100% 64 10 +54
 Lithuania 2 2 0 0 100% 45 0 +45
 Malaysia 1 1 0 0 100% 31 12 +19
  1 1 0 0 100% 76 0 +76
 Mexico 1 1 0 0 100% 31 0 +31
  2 2 0 0 100% 99 5 +94
 Montenegro 1 1 0 0 100% 59 5 +54
 Morocco 2 2 0 0 100% 51 38 +13
 Netherlands 2 2 0 0 100% 77 0 +77
 New Zealand 7 1 0 6 14.29% 93 246 –153
 Norway 1 1 0 0 100% 73 0 +73
 Paraguay 1 1 0 0 100% 43 0 +43
 Poland 8 8 0 0 100% 262 27 +235
Poland Poland B 1 1 0 0 100% 33 0 +33
 Portugal 17 13 1 3 76.47% 411 218 +193
 Romania 3 3 0 0 100% 84 19 +65
 Russia 13 8 1 4 61.54% 331 194 +137
 Samoa 7 4 0 3 57.14% 117 120 –3
 Scotland 8 5 0 3 62.5% 186 148 +38
 Serbia 1 1 0 0 100% 74 0 +74
Serbia and Montenegro Serbia and Montenegro 1 1 0 0 100% 28 10 +18
  2 2 0 0 100% 113 0 +113
 South Africa 7 0 1 6 0% 76 225 –149
South Africa South Africa Academy 2 1 0 1 50% 24 36 –12
 South Korea 4 3 1 0 75% 95 48 +47
 Spain 15 10 1 4 66.67% 320 166 +154
 Sweden 5 5 0 0 100% 201 15 +186
  Switzerland 2 2 0 0 100% 73 14 +59
 Chinese Taipei 2 2 0 0 100% 36 24 +12
 Thailand 1 1 0 0 100% 56 0 +56
 Tonga 4 4 0 0 100% 112 31 +81
 Tunisia 1 0 0 1 0% 5 17 –12
 Turkey 2 2 0 0 100% 84 5 +79
 Ukraine 4 4 0 0 100% 143 24 +119
 United States 10 6 0 4 60% 227 141 +86
 Uruguay 3 2 1 0 66.67% 74 31 +43
 Wales 12 7 1 4 58.33% 270 183 +87
 Zimbabwe 4 3 0 1 75% 107 44 +63
Total 331 218 10 103 65.86% 8292 4632 +3660

Results are inclusive of all international competitions.
Updated as of 19 September 2021[65][54]

Honours[]

1973 International Seven-a-side Tournament

  • Runner-up: 1973

Rugby World Cup Sevens

London Sevens

World Series qualifier

  • Winners: 2019

Rugby Europe Sevens

Rugby Europe Sevens Trophy

Rugby Europe Sevens Division B

Rugby Europe Sevens Division C

Elche Invitational

  • Runner-up: 2017, 2019
  • Third-place: 2015

International Rugby 7s

  • Winners: 2021

Notable players[]

British & Irish Lions British and Irish Lions
 Ireland internationals
Ireland IRFU referees
  • John Lacey
  • Alain Rolland

Source:[66][67][68]

Player records[]

The tables above show players career statistics from the World Rugby Sevens Series main tournament up to 19 September 2021.[69]

The Irish record holders in the World Series for the era preceding the Olympics and professional era of rugby sevens are:

Head coaches[]

Coach Tenure Best Series Best Series
Tournament		 Olympics World Cup
Wales Ray Southam[39] 1997 Not Held Not held Not held 1997: 19th
Ireland Denis McBride[70][71] 1999–2002 17th (2000–01) 9th (2000 London) Not held 2001: 19th
Australia Ryan Constable[72] 2004–2005 – (2004–05) 14th (2004 Dubai) Not held 2005: 13th
Ireland Jon Skurr[73] 2008–2009 Did not appear Did not appear Not held 2009: 18th
Australia Anthony Eddy 2015–present 10th (2019–20) 3rd (2018 London) 2016: DNQ
2020: 10th		 2018: 9th

Notes[]

  1. ^ Caps are only inclusive of those earned on the World Rugby Sevens Series main event
  2. ^ Points are only inclusive of those scored on the Sevens Series main event
  3. ^ Tries are only inclusive of those scored on the Sevens Series main event

References[]

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