LAST UPDATE | 14 Jul 2019
THE IRELAND MEN’S 7s team will get another chance to qualify for next summer’s Olympic Games in Tokyo after securing a third place play-off victory over Portugal in France.
With both the men’s and women’s sides competing at the Kazan and Colomiers 7s respectively this weekend, a place at Tokyo 2020 was on offer to the tournament winners, while the second and third placed teams would go on to next year’s World Repechage where two additional Olympic spots would be up for grabs.
The hopes of Ireland’s men hung by a thread following defeat France in the semi-final earlier this afternoon. They were beaten 19-12 by the tournament hosts.
Anthony Eddy’s side came into their play-off game against the Portuguese knowing it would be do or die for their Olympic hopes.
They produced probably their best performance of the tournament to score a 26-10 win over their rivals and book their place in next summer’s repechage.
Defeat in this morning’s quarter-final ended Ireland’s women’s hopes of competing at next summer’s showpiece.
Despite pool stage victories over Romania and the Czech Republic, defeat to Spain halted their progress and handed them the tougher draw this morning – England progressing as Pool B winners, while Ireland joining them as pool runners-up.
Stan McDowell’s side led 7-5 at the break, but couldn’t hold on as England ran in two unanswered tries in the second half.
Among Ireland’s stars this weekend were Lucy Mulhall, Louise Galvin and the free-scoring Amee-Leigh Murphy Crowe.
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