IRELAND WOMEN HAVE clinched qualification for the 2024 Paris Olympics with a nerve-wracking 10-5 win over Fiji at the Toulouse Sevens.

Two first-half tries from Amee-Leigh Murphy-Crowe stamped Ireland’s ticket and ensured the final automatic qualification place for next summer’s tournament.

It was a landmark moment for this side, who missed out on qualification for both Rio and Tokyo since Rugby Sevens was introduced to the Olympic programme two cycles ago.

“It’s been a journey for us,” elated captain Lucy Mulhall said immediately afterwards. “I’m just so grateful to have a team like that around us: players, family, staff.

“It’s been an amazing year. Our goal is just to grow Sevens in Ireland. There are some young kids here this weekend wearing an Ireland Sevens jersey.

“We do it for our families. Rugby has become a family, and then all of our families have joined it so they’ve all got to know each other and have a great weekend. I’m just so glad we could make them happy again.”

Allan Temple-Jones’s side arrived in Toulouse this week vying with Fiji and Great Britain for qualification.

After all three sides lost in Saturday’s quarter-finals, Ireland knew that victory over the Tokyo Olympic bronze medallists this morning would be enough to send them to Paris.

Those high stakes were reflected in a tense opening but Ireland struck first in the second minute when Stacey Flood put Murphy-Crowe in the clear, and she skipped away down the wing to score.

A determined Ireland tried to press home their early advantage by forcing Fiji into a mistake deep in their own territory.

But they were undone by a slick wraparound move which allowed Ilisapeci Delaiwau to get away from Eve Higgins and race the length of the pitch to touch down under the posts.

Ireland then benefitted from a huge let-off as Fiji’s seemingly straightforward conversion came back off the upright, leaving it level at 5-5 as half time approached.

There was time for one more piece of Murphy-Crowe magic before the siren. Ireland did well to recover from an untidy scrum on their own put-in, and Murphy-Crowe had the power to hold off Ana Maria Naimasi and make it 10-5.

Both sides had their chances as the tension rose in the second half, and as the clock ticked into the red, Younis Bese launched one final Fijian attack as she kicked from inside her own half and gave chase.

Bese was quick, but Flood was quicker, winning clean possession and the penalty which sparked joyous Irish celebrations.

Their qualification now secure, Ireland will look to finish the Sevens Series on a high when they take on Japan in the fifth-place final at 1.47pm this afternoon.

Written by The 42 Team and posted on the42.ie