The Rugby Sevens tournament didn’t kick off with the same intensity as former contests in the bustling Stade de France, but Ireland’s 10-5 triumph over South Africa provided a promising commencement to their Olympic journey, visibly assisting in quelling some jitters.
This win is a marked improvement; during the Tokyo Games, Ireland’s shaky start, losing their first game to South Africa, caused a stumble from which they never fully recovered. But with momentum now on their side, they look towards their forthcoming match against Japan (20:00 Irish time), the perceived underdogs in this 12-team tournament.
Ireland’s opening try came via Jordan Conroy right as the first half ended. In the final minutes, Terry Kennedy brought his experienced skills into play, while South Africa, depleted to six men after Ryan Oosthuizen was shown a yellow card for a high tackle, struggled to keep up.
Conroy confessed that the sight of the full-house stadium initially unnerved him, but once the match commenced, he slipped into his rhythm and kept his focus firmly on securing a win. The star athlete narrowly missed scoring an opening try in the sixth minute, attributing it to early-match anxiety. However, he made up for it, expressing satisfaction and relief at having scored.
According to Conroy, taking the lead after a lengthy scoreless patch was a massive relief. Despite the extensive possession they had, it was a great load off their shoulders to finally secure a score. He noted that without ball possession, a team is invariably at a disadvantage.
“Our lads deserve praise, we adhered to the game plan even when we didn’t control the ball. Our goal was to exhaust them of energy, which we successfully accomplished,” expressed the Captain of Ireland’s rugby team, Harry McNulty. He was pleased with how his team patiently held onto their strategy, despite not having a high score advantage.
McNulty commented, “Victory is a great thing, but adhering to our system and strategy is equally important. We want to maintain this in our upcoming games.” He further explained they stuck to their initial game plan even under fatigue, which affected their decision making.
Feeling satisified about Ireland’s performance, McNulty noted, “This is a critical time for Sevens rugby. We’ve shown our full potential from the onset of the game.” Once he completed the interview, he retreated to the recovery room, readying himself for the next match.
Lennox conveyed the importance of further capitalizing on this win. He mentioned that the concluding pool match against New Zealand would determine the seeding for the quarter-finals. “Securing our first win was shaky but ultimately relieving. It’s quite normal for nerves to pop up, but we persevered and secured a huge victory,” he said accordingly.
In a contest of this nature, the aim is to steadily progress throughout. With one victory under our belt, we are setting our sights on the next one tonight. We’ll promptly plunge into ice baths for rehabilitation, nourish ourselves a bit more, replenish our energy, and then we’re back at it.