Team Ireland Rugby Sevens Team Named for European Games
Krakow 2023 plays key role in Olympic qualification journey for Rugby Sevens
In the final team announcement from the Olympic Federation of Ireland for the European Games, thirteen Rugby Sevens players have been named. The Krakow Games play a key role in the Olympic qualification journey for the Team Ireland players, with the winner gaining automatic qualification for the Paris Olympics. Last month the women’s team secured their Olympic berth, and a strong men’s team has been named ahead of the competition which takes place on the 25 – 27 June.
Played in the Henryk Reyman Stadium in Krakow, the same venue as the Opening Ceremony, this tournament poses a good opportunity for Ireland to qualify, the nations that finish second and third will contest the repechage. The Irish team in Krakow will be boosted by the inclusion of Terry Kennedy, who was named 2022 World Rugby Men’s Sevens Player of the Year.
TEAM IRELAND RUGBY SEVENS PLAYERS:
Andrew Smith (Clontarf FC/Leinster) Men’s Rugby Sevens
Bryan Mollen (UCD RFC) Men’s Rugby Sevens
Dylan O’Grady (UCD RFC) Men’s Rugby Sevens
Gavin Mullin (UCD RFC) Men’s Rugby Sevens
Harry McNulty (UCD RFC) Men’s Rugby Sevens
Jack Kelly (Dublin University FC) Men’s Rugby Sevens
Jordan Conroy (Buccaneers RFC) Men’s Rugby Sevens
Liam McNamara (IQ Rugby) Men’s Rugby Sevens
Mark Roche (Lansdown FC) Men’s Rugby Sevens
Niall Comerford (UCD RFC/Leinster) Men’s Rugby Sevens
Terry Kennedy (St. Mary’s College RFC) Men’s Rugby Sevens
Billy Dardis (Terenure College RFC) Men’s Rugby Sevens
Zac Ward (Ballynahinch RFC) Men’s Rugby Sevens
Team Ireland Chef de Mission for Krakow 2023, Gavin Noble said,
“This Rugby team is one of our priority sports for Krakow. This is a brilliant opportunity for the team to qualify, and judging from recent performances, we know that they are in great shape to achieve that. We are delighted that the women’s team has already qualified, and with the men’s team the best of luck with their Paris qualification goals.
“This is the last of our team announcements for Krakow, with 121 athletes competing over the 12 days. Each athlete has a different objective, be it Olympic qualification, or gaining experience at their first major Games. Whatever the goal, we wish all the athletes luck in wearing the Olympic rings with pride.”
Commenting ahead of the tournament, Rugby Sevens Head Coach James Topping said,
“Coming off the back of the World Series season, we have been building towards the European Games in Krakow as we bid to follow the Ireland Women and book our place at the Paris Olympics.
“As we saw in Portugal last weekend, it will be a very competitive tournament with 12 teams all heading to Poland with one ambition in mind. We know there will be no margin for error and the group understands we will need to be at our best to give ourselves the best possible chance of success.”
This is the final sport to be announced by Team Ireland for the European Games this summer, the European Games run from the 20th of June to the 2nd of July in Krakow and will see approximately 120 Irish athletes across seventeen sports. This is the third edition of the European Games, which is a multi-sport event run by the European Olympic Committees and will see athletes compete across districts in the Krakow-Malopolska region.
