The three changes to the squad for this weekend are injury-enforced, with Gavin Mullin, Ed Kelly and Mark Roche, unfortunately, picking up injuries in Vancouver.

All three have been ruled out this week and have returned to Dublin while Olympians Billy Dardis and Jordan Conroy, and Aaron O’Sullivan return to action for the national side.

A new-look Ireland squad impressed last weekend in Vancouver as the HSBC World Rugby Sevens Series returned after 18 months, and the side – led by Bryan Mollen – will be hoping to build further on those performances at the Commonwealth Stadium in Edmonton.

A fourth-place finish in Vancouver was Ireland’s best placing as a World Series core team, and the exposure of nine debutants to international action across the weekend was a real positive at the start of a new Olympic cycle.

Commenting ahead of the Edmonton tournament, IRFU Director of Sevens Rugby Anthony Eddy says this weekend will provide the squad with another exciting opportunity to build experience and cohesion building towards the 2022 season.

“It was great to see to team perform so well in Vancouver and they have taken a lot of learnings from that tournament that should put them in a better position this weekend,” Eddy said.

“What is really exciting is to see some of the young men that have no experience of this level of competition perform so well and they will continue to develop and become very important players for the team during the 2021/2022 World Series.”

Ireland will open their campaign against Germany on Saturday, September 25 (9:44 am local time/4:44 pm Irish time), before further Pool C clashes against Jamaica (12:55 pm local time/7:55 pm Irish time) and Great Britain (4:28 pm local time/11:28 pm Irish time) later in the day.

Play-off matches will be played on Sunday, September 26 – all games will be available to watch on the World Rugby Sevens Series social media channels.

Ireland Squad – Edmonton 7s

Niall Comerford (UCD RFC/Leinster)
Jordan Conroy (Buccaneers)
Chris Cosgrave (UCD RFC/Leinster)
Seán Cribbin (Suttonians)
Billy Dardis (Terenure College)
Shane Jennings (Buccaneers RFC/Connacht)
Sean Kearns (Irish Sevens)
Steven Kilgallen (UCD RFC)
Bryan Mollen (Blackrock College)(Captain)
Ben Moxham (Ballymena/Ulster)
Aaron O’Sullivan (Blackrock College/Leinster)
Conor Phillips (Young Munster/Munster)
Liam Turner (Dublin University/Leinster)

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The sides will play in the tournament from July 26th to July 28th – the pool stage will take place from July 26th to July 27th.

The men’s competition will be held before the Women’s Olympic Sevens tournament gets underway in a reverse to the schedule from the Rio Olympic games in 2016.

The men’s draw split the 12 teams into three pools of four.

POOLS ANNOUNCEMENT

Mouthwatering match-ups in the early stages of the men's competition

The countdown to #Tokyo2020 is #HowWeSevens pic.twitter.com/BNsWcJGMi9

— World Rugby Sevens (@WorldRugby7s) June 28, 2021

Pool A involves bookies’ favourite New Zealand, Australia, Argentina and South Korea.

The former pair will renew their historic rivalry at the Olympics, making it the perfect opportunity for current Rugby World Cup Sevens and World Series champions New Zealand to make a statement in the pool stages.

Argentina will want to improve on their respectable sixth-placed finish at Rio 2016 with an impressive outing in Tokyo.

South Korea round off Pool A and will take part in Olympic Sevens for the first time in its history after winning the Asian qualification tournament with an extra-time ‘golden-point’ try to overcome Hong Kong.

Pool B includes Fiji, Great Britain, Japan and Canada.

Reigning Olympic champions Fiji will want to assert themselves early but face a tough task to do so in Pool B.

Great Britain will want revenge for their 43-7 defeat in the 2016 Olympic Sevens final at the hands of the champions and the draw has given them an opportunity to do that early.

The pair are joined by hosts Japan who will want to get a medal on home soil after their fourth-placed finish in Rio saw them miss out on one.

Another Olympic debutant Canada is the fourth team in this tough group and will have a lot to prove as a result.

The final pool – Pool C – includes Ireland, the USA, South Africa and Kenya.

Ireland are the last of the three Olympic debutants in Tokyo and face some tough challenges in the United States, South Africa and Kenya.

Anthony Eddy’s side beat 2016 quarter-finalists France to reach Tokyo.

The United States come in as third-favourites to win the Men’s Olympic Sevens tournament this summer and will be tough for opponents to handle.

Rio 2016 Bronze medalists South Africa will want to go at least one game further in the competition this summer.

Kenya failed to get out of their group in 2016 but have grown in the five years since and will pose a threat to the other three teams in the pool.

The draw makes for an exciting tournament in late July.

You can read the Irish Rugby announcement here.

The post 7s: Full Olympic Draw appeared first on SportsNewsIreland.

The Men’s competition will take place from June 26th – June 28th.

Team Ireland will have a lot of competition for medals as the other 11 sides are strong.

We break down who Ireland’s toughest competition for Olympic glory will be.

Great Britain

First up is some familiar foes under a different – England, Wales and Scotland.

The side got to the Olympics after Simon Amor’s England side won the 2019 Rugby Europe Sevens Olympic Qualifying Tournament in Colomiers.

England veteran Dan Norton will be a danger on the flanks as he will look to extend his all-time try-scoring record.

The active Sevens legend is one of four survivors from the 2016 squad who won a silver medal in Rio – Dan Bibby, Tom Mitchell and Ollie Lindsay-Hague also represent Great Britain for the second successive Olympic games.

England star Tom Bowen is available in reserve.

They will be one of the favourites for the top prize this summer.

GB men: Dan Bibby, Alec Coombes, Alex Davis, Robbie Fergusson, Harry Glover, Ben Harris, Ollie Lindsay-Hague, Ross McCann, Max McFarland, Tom Mitchell, Dan Norton, Ethan Waddleton.

Men’s reserve: Tom Bowen.

Odds: 12/1

United States

The United States Men’s Sevens side have underachieved at times throughout their lifespan.

They failed to deliver at the Olympics in 2016 but will want to put on an improved showing this year.

If they can build on their qualification promise, the national team could go far at the Olympics.

Speedster Carlin Isles is as fast as ever and will be a threat to every opponent he faces.

Perry Baker, Stephen Tomasin and Madison Hughes will also be ones to look out for as the side attempt to bring home an Olympic medal.

The United States Men’s Sevens Olympics squad has not been announced yet.

Odds: 7/1

Fiji

The 2016 Olympic champions are tipped by many to repeat that feat.

World Rugby’s Men’s Sevens Player of the Decade Jerry Tuwai is expected to lead the side to their second Olympic games with the hopes of defending their crown.

The side’s Oceania 7s squad gives fans an idea of what to expect for the Olympics.

2016 Olympic Gold Medal winner Kitione Taluga is set to take part in his second Olympic games as well.

Head Coach Gareth Baber can win a 12th tournament with his Fiji side, compared to nine tournament wins under 2016 Olympic Head Coach Ben Ryan.

The Pacific Islanders will have their eyes on the prize once again and if their 2018-19 World Rugby Sevens performance is anything to go by, they may retain it.

The Fiji Men’s Sevens Olympics squad has not been announced yet.

Odds: 11/4

New Zealand

The bookies’ favourite New Zealand will want to avenge their quarter-final loss to Fiji at the 2016 Olympics with a medal in Tokyo.

Clark Laidlaw’s world-class side will have the extra boost of 15’s star Caleb Clarke being available for the Olympics.

The Blues winger will line up alongside Sevens legends Scott Curry and and Tim Mikkelson at the Oceania 7s and is set to do so again at the Olympics next month.

Before cancellation, the All Blacks were leading the 2019-20 World Rugby Sevens Series and have the quality to carry that form over to this year’s Olympic tournament.

The New Zealand Men’s Sevens rugby team have not announced their Olympic squad yet.

Odds: 2/1

To view the full list of Irish athletes heading to the Olympic games this summer, click here.

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