Ireland Men’s Sevens Team Progress As Pool Winners In Zenica

Newly-announced captain Tom Daly led by example in the opening pool clash with Turkey, scoring two tries and kicking four conversions as Ireland powered to a 43-5 victory.

The Irish side notched seven tries in all, with Adam Byrne, Harry McNulty, Gearoid Lyons, Mark Roche and Aaron Cairns also crossing the whitewash.

Belarus were well beaten in the second round as Ireland, who fielded the same starting line-up throughout the first day, tallied up ten tries in a thumping 60-0 triumph. Lansdowne clubman Daly grabbed a hat-trick as did his Leinster colleague Byrne, while Cian Aherne, Roche, Diarmaid McCarthy and David McGuigan shared out the other scores.

The men in green ran in nine tries in their final pool game – a 59-5 defeat of Montenegro (the players are pictured together below). Young Munster centre Lyons bagged a brace, while Byrne, Cairns, Daly, Shane Layden, McCarthy, Roche and Alex Wootton put their names to the other scores.

That took Ireland’s tournament haul to 26 tries with just two conceded. Hosts Bosnia & Herzegovina and Serbia also emerged with unblemished three-from-three records from their pools.

This tournament is the first step along the road to qualifying for the Sevens World Series and Olympics. The top four teams from this tournament will be promoted to Division B and compete in Croatia over the weekend of June 20-21.

The highest ranked eligible team from Division B qualifies to participate in the Rugby Europe Olympic Repechage tournament which will take place in Lisbon on July 18-19.

The winners of the Lisbon tournament will then have the opportunity to compete in the World Olympic Repechage in 2016 to secure the last spot for Rio 2016.

Rugby Europe Men’s Sevens Division C – Fixtures/Results/Pool Tables

Visit www.irishrugby.ie/sevens for all Ireland Sevens news.

IRELAND MEN’S SEVENS Squad (Rugby Europe Men’s Sevens Division C, Stadion Kamberovica polje, Zenica, Bosnia, June 6-7):

1. Shane Layden (Buccaneers/Connacht)
2. Gearoid Lyons (Young Munster/Munster)
3. Diarmaid McCarthy (Young Munster/Munster)
4. Adam Byrne (UCD/Leinster)
5. Aaron Cairns (Ballynahinch/Ulster)
6. Tom Daly (Lansdowne/Leinster) (capt)
7. David McGuigan (Ballynahinch/Ulster)
8. Harry McNulty (UCD/Leinster)
9. Cian Aherne (Lansdowne/Leinster)
10. Mark Roche (Lansdowne/Leinster)
11. Alex Wootton (Garryowen/Munster)
12. Michael Lawton (Exiles)

Ireland Men’s Sevens Management

Anthony Eddy – Head Coach
Stan McDowell – Assistant Coach
Sinead Bennett – Team Manager
Marian Earls – Strength & Conditioning
James Allen – Physio

2015 Rugby Europe Men’s Sevens Division C – Ireland Results:

Pool B –

Turkey 5 Ireland 43
Scorers: Ireland: Tries: Tom Daly 2, Adam Byrne, Harry McNulty, Gearoid Lyons, Mark Roche, Aaron Cairns; Cons: Tom Daly 4

Team: Adam Byrne, Aaron Cairns, Tom Daly (capt), Shane Layden, Gearoid Lyons, David McGuigan, Harry McNulty.

Subs: Cian Aherne, Michael Lawton, Diarmaid McCarthy, Mark Roche, Alex Wootton.

Belarus 0 Ireland 60
Scorers: Ireland: Tries: Cian Aherne, Mark Roche, Diarmaid McCarthy, David McGuigan, Tom Daly 3, Adam Byrne 3; Cons: Adam Byrne, Tom Daly, Diarmaid McCarthy, David McGuigan, Mark Roche

Team: Adam Byrne, Aaron Cairns, Tom Daly (capt), Shane Layden, Gearoid Lyons, David McGuigan, Harry McNulty.

Subs: Cian Aherne, Michael Lawton, Diarmaid McCarthy, Mark Roche, Alex Wootton.

Montenegro 5 Ireland 59
Scorers: Ireland: Tries: Adam Byrne, Aaron Cairns, Tom Daly, Shane Layden, Gearoid Lyons 2, Diarmaid McCarthy, Mark Roche, Alex Wootton; Cons: Tom Daly 4, Shane Layden, Gearoid Lyons, Alex Wootton

Team: Adam Byrne, Aaron Cairns, Tom Daly (capt), Shane Layden, Gearoid Lyons, David McGuigan, Harry McNulty.

Subs: Cian Aherne, Michael Lawton, Diarmaid McCarthy, Mark Roche, Alex Wootton.

Sunday, June 7:

Cup Quarter-Finals –

Ireland v Austria, 10am local time/9am Irish time
Serbia v San Marino, 10.22am
Bosnia & Herzegovina v Malta, 10.44am
Estonia v Turkey, 11.06am