A record-breaking win sent the Ireland Men (sponsored by TritonLake) through to the Cup quarter-finals at the HSBC France Sevens in Toulouse.
They racked up 10 tries to beat Japan 66-0 in their final Pool D fixture, setting a new Irish record for the highest score and biggest winning margin in a HSBC World Rugby Sevens Series match.
The Ireland Men's previous largest victories on the World Series circuit were 59-7 against China and 56-0 against Thailand, both at the 2000 Hong Kong Sevens when current head coach James Topping was part of the squad.
Zac Ward, captain Harry McNulty and Andrew Smith contributed two tries each in the Japan game, as Ireland advanced as pool runners-up to face New Zealand in today's quarter-finals (kick-off 6pm local time/5pm Irish time).
Shock 12-7 winners over Ireland in Singapore last month, relegation-threatened Japan fell behind in the second minute when Jordan Conroy pirouetted out of a tackle and romped clear from halfway for the opening try, converted by Billy Dardis.
The former skipper brought his kicking boots to Stade Ernest Wallon, arrowing all eight of his conversions between the posts to finish with a 16-point haul.
Ward tapped down the restart kick to Niall Comerford and then picked from the ruck, his jinking run from 40 metres out taking him over the whitewash. Dardis' inviting restarts continued to be hoovered up by Ireland.
Following turnover ball won from a scrum and some side-to-side phases, McNulty's arcing run took him in behind the posts. Ward gobbled up another restart, swatted away two defenders and sent Sean Cribbin in to make it 28-0 at the break.
The excellent Ward showed his power again inside the second half's opening minute, using a big hand-off and taking two more defenders over the line to complete his brace.
McNulty forced a turnover and Cribbin fed the newly-introduced Smith for a 30-metre run-in, Dardis adding the extras for a 42-0 lead. It was a quick-fire double for Smith thanks to a one-handed carry and a slick sidestep.
The Connacht-bound player's clever footwork unlocked the Japanese defence for fellow replacement Jack Kelly to score. Before being replaced, Dardis converted from straight in front to complete his 100% kicking return.
There was still time for two more tries, replacement Liam McNamara using a loose Japan pass to get on the scoresheet before Smith hunted down Mark Roche's restart and fed McNulty to take his team's try tally into double figures.
You can watch all the action on the World Rugby Sevens Series website and app, while there will be live updates throughout the weekend on the Irish Rugby Twitter and Instagram pages.
Shock 12-7 winners over Ireland in Singapore last month, relegation-threatened Japan fell behind in the second minute when Jordan Conroy pirouetted out of a tackle and romped clear from halfway for the opening try, converted by Billy Dardis.
The former skipper brought his kicking boots to Stade Ernest Wallon, arrowing all eight of his conversions between the posts to finish with a 16-point haul.
Ward tapped down the restart kick to Niall Comerford and then picked from the ruck, his jinking run from 40 metres out taking him over the whitewash. Dardis' inviting restarts continued to be hoovered up by Ireland.
Following turnover ball won from a scrum and some side-to-side phases, McNulty's arcing run took him in behind the posts. Ward gobbled up another restart, swatted away two defenders and sent Sean Cribbin in to make it 28-0 at the break.
The excellent Ward showed his power again inside the second half's opening minute, using a big hand-off and taking two more defenders over the line to complete his brace.
McNulty forced a turnover and Cribbin fed the newly-introduced Smith for a 30-metre run-in, Dardis adding the extras for a 42-0 lead. It was a quick-fire double for Smith thanks to a one-handed carry and a slick sidestep.
The Connacht-bound player's clever footwork unlocked the Japanese defence for fellow replacement Jack Kelly to score. Before being replaced, Dardis converted from straight in front to complete his 100% kicking return.
There was still time for two more tries, replacement Liam McNamara using a loose Japan pass to get on the scoresheet before Smith hunted down Mark Roche's restart and fed McNulty to take his team's try tally into double figures.
You can watch all the action on the World Rugby Sevens Series website and app, while there will be live updates throughout the weekend on the Irish Rugby Twitter and Instagram pages.