IRELAND WON a bronze medal at the Rugby World Cup Sevens this weekend after beating Australia 19-14 in the third-place playoff in South Africa
Harry McNulty barged over for a 13th-minute try, Sean Cribbin scored late in the first half and Terry Kennedy levelled from his own kick through, making it 14-all with three minutes remaining.
But McNulty scored the winning try after good work from Mark Roche.
“Oh my God, it is incredible! We never fail to surprise, every time our backs are against the wall," we stand up, said an elated Kennedy after the game
Ireland's lost their semi-final to New Zealand. They went on to lose to eventual winners Fiji in the final. The Seven's All Blacks lost 29-12 in Cape Town on Sunday.
“It was a tough loss earlier today against New Zealand in the semis, so to come out there and put on that performance was unbelievable," Kennedy added
“Some boys have been here (in the set-up) the whole time, for some this is their first year. It was a huge effort from our forwards, they carried us so well throughout the tournament and thankfully we got a couple of scores at the end.”
🥉 Dreamland for @IrishRugby, they take the bronze! #RWC7s #HereToSevens pic.twitter.com/2ejbL6gjxu
— Rugby World Cup 7s 2022 (@WorldRugby7s) September 11, 2022
This feat is Ireland's best at World Cup Sevens, surpassing their 1993 finish of third with no medal.
Ireland’s World Cup bronze medal comes on the back of a best ever overall World Series finish of fifth this year, the highpoint of that campaign being their silver medal success in Toulouse. They were also European Trophy champions in the summer.
IRELAND MEN’S RWC Sevens results
Friday, September 9:
Pre-Round Of 16 –
IRELAND 24 PORTUGAL 0, Cape Town Stadium
Scorers: Ireland: Tries: Terry Kennedy, Hugo Lennox, Sean Cribbin, Bryan Mollen; Cons: Mark Roche, Billy Dardis
Portugal: –
HT: Ireland 12 Portugal 0
Round Of 16 –
ENGLAND 5 IRELAND 17, Cape Town Stadium
Scorers: England: Try: Charlton Kerr
Ireland; Tries: Harry McNulty, Mark Roche, Jordan Conroy; Con: Mark Roche
HT: England 0 Ireland 7
Saturday, September 10:
Championship Quarter-Final –
IRELAND 24 SOUTH AFRICA 14, Cape Town Stadium
Scorers: Ireland: Tries: Mark Roche, Harry McNulty, Jordan Conroy 2; Cons: Mark Roche, Billy Dardis
South Africa: Tries: Muller du Plessis, Mfundo Ndhlovu; Cons: Ronald Brown, Selvyn Davids
HT: Ireland 7 South Africa 7
Sunday, September 11:
Championship Semi-Final –
IRELAND 10 NEW ZEALAND 17, Cape Town Stadium
Scorers: Ireland: Tries: Jack Kelly, Andrew Smith
New Zealand: Tries: Ngarohi McGarvey-Black 3; Con: Kurt Baker
HT: Ireland 5 New Zealand 10
Championship Bronze Final –
IRELAND 19 AUSTRALIA 14, Cape Town Stadium
Scorers: Ireland: Tries: Sean Cribbin, Terry Kennedy, Harry McNulty; Cons: Billy Dardis, Mark Roche
Australia: Tries: Nathan Lawson, Corey Toole; Cons: Stuart Dunbar 2
HT: Ireland 7 Australia 7
See More: Ireland, Rugby, Rugby Sevens
