Ireland 40
Japan 5
THE IRELAND MEN’S 7s team have secured a place in the Olympic quarter-finals after hammering Japan 40-5 at Stade de France in Paris.
The six-try victory over the Japanese followed Ireland’s impressive 10-5 win over South Africa in their opening pool game earlier today.
Two wins from two means James Topping’s side will go through to the last eight of the competition, with the head coach having rotated his starting team for the second clash against Japan.
Ireland’s last group-stage clash against New Zealand at 3.30pm Irish time tomorrow will decide their finishing position in Pool A ahead of the quarter-finals tomorrow evening and it has been an encouraging first day for an Irish side who have big medal hopes.
The talismanic Terry Kennedy streaked away from inside his own 22 to open the scoring against Japan in the first minute, benefiting from an accidental block on a Japanese defender by South African referee Morné Ferreira, with Hugo Lennox converting.
Ireland then found themselves frustratingly pinned in their own 22 as a rare 7s scrum battle played out, but they survived the pressure and Kennedy broke from deep again.
He could have finished in the left corner after sprinting more than 70 metres but selflessly floated a pass infield for Chay Mullins for dot down, Lennox converting for a 14-0 lead at half time.
Captain Harry McNulty bagged the third Irish try with an intercept score soon after the break, with Lennox again adding the extras.
A turnover effort saw Niall Comerford crossing for Ireland’s fourth try, Jack Kelly and McNuly teeing him up after Mullins’ breakdown steal.
Mullins then notched his second try, converted by Mark Roche, and though Shotaro Tsuoka pulled a score back for Japan, Ireland had the final say as Ballynahinch man Zac Ward fired out a strong fend and streaked away for their sixth try, again converted by Roche.
Ireland were able to celebrate as The Cranberries’ Zombie rang out around Stade de France.
Ireland scorers:
Tries: Terry Kennedy, Chay Mullins [2], Harry McNulty, Niall Comerford, Zac Ward
Conversions: Hugo Lennox [3 from 4], Mark Roche [2 from 2]
Japan scorer:
Try: Shotaro Tsuoka
IRELAND: Chay Mullins, Gavin Mullin, Terry Kennedy, Hugo Lennox, Harry McNulty (captain), Andrew Smith, Jack Kelly.
Replacements: Jordan Conroy, Hugo Keenan, Mark Roche, Zac Ward, Niall Comerford.
JAPAN: Shotaro Tsuoka, Moeki Fukushi, Kippei Taninaka, Yoshihiro Noguchi, Kippei Ishida (captain), Josua Kerevi, Takamasa Maruo.
Replacements: Taiga Ishida, Junya Matsumoto, Kazuma Ueda, Yu Okudaira, Yoshiyuki Koga.
Referee: Morne Ferreira [South Africa].
Written by Murray Kinsella and originally published on The 42.
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