THE IRELAND MEN finished in ninth place at the Hong Kong Sevens thanks to three play-off wins on the final day.
Ireland had been denied a pace in the quarter-finals after finishing behind New Zealand and South Africa in Pool D.
James Topping’s side beat Canada (17-0) and Uruguay (31-7) before a 19-17 defeat of Samoa secured a ninth place finish.
Having picked up eight World Series points this weekend, eighth-placed Ireland (91 points) have closed the gap on Samoa (96) and Australia (99) in the overall standings.
Fifth-placed South Africa (101 points) remain the team to catch in the race for Olympic qualification. With France (fourth) guaranteed their place at the 2024 Olympics as the host nation, South Africa occupy the last qualifying place.
The series heads to Singapore next, before Toulouse and the finale in London in May.
New Zealand toppled Fiji in the Hong Kong Sevens final to seal a remarkable double gold with their women’s team and extend their lead atop the men’s series standings.
The All Blacks scored the game’s first three tries and held the Pacific islanders at bay from there to finish 24-17 winners, claim their third gold of the 11-stop tour, and extend their lead over second-placed Argentina.
Cody Vai, Sione Molia, Leroy Carter and Ngarohi McGarvey-Black were the New Zealanders who went over the whitewash, less than an hour after their women’s team secured their own gold medal by beating Australia.
Local favourites Fiji had made the final via a bruising and pulsating semi-final against Great Britain, with Terio Tamani’s try sealing a 19-14 win in extra time.
Sevens tournaments hold a series of finals on the last day, as a chance for sides knocked out early doors to lift some silverware.
In the lesser finals Sunday, the bronze medal went to France, who beat Great Britain 19-17, while Argentina claimed fifth place, Ireland sealing ninth, and hosts Hong Kong finished 13th.
In the women’s final, New Zealand beat Australia 26-17 to get one hand on the overall series trophy with one round to go.
The Ireland women – who missed out on the semi-finals following a 24-5 quarter-final defeat to Australia on Saturday – finished eighth following defeats to France and the USA.
Ireland are now fifth in the series standings, 14 points behind fourth-placed France, with the race for Olympic qualification heating up behind them. Fiji (sixth) are now just two points behind Ireland, with Great Britain trailing by four.
The Black Ferns had cruised their way through the weekend, swatting away early opponents and looking mostly untroubled by Fiji in the semi-final, which they won 31-5.
But in Australia, they found their most credible opposition, and both southern-hemisphere giants were in the game for most of it.
Stacey Waaka’s second try of the match, in the fourteenth minute, made sure of the win, as well as making her the weekend’s second-top scorer, after Aussie star Charlotte Caslick.
“We know it’s always going to be close” against Australia, Waaka said.
“The best team on the day wins because of those little moments, and it’s who can last the 14 minutes and we were fortunate to be on that side of the win.”
The 27-year-old, who has 25 tries in the series so far, added that she hoped her country’s win -– at the first-ever stop for the women’s series in Hong Kong –- would resonate with younger women players.
“We’re talking about paving a path for future generations,” she said. “Hopefully there’s many more years to come and hopefully the girls watching at home in New Zealand can be here one day.”
New Zealand are 16 points clear of Australia in the series standing, and almost certain to secure the title.
They took gold at the previous four tournaments, in Cape Town, Hamilton, Sydney and Vancouver. They took home silver in the Dubai season opener, losing the final to Australia –- their sole defeat all season.
The bronze medal in Hong Kong went to Great Britain, France claimed fifth place and the USA finished seventh. Hosts Hong Kong lost the 11th-place playoff to Brazil a day earlier.
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