Ireland’s first shot at an Olympic medal at Paris 2024 has come and gone with the men’s sevens team beaten at the quarter-final stage by a Fijian side still on course to capture its third gold medal in a row.
Fiji’s men have not lost a single game of Olympic rugby since its introduction in Rio in 2016. Their record stands at played 16, won 16 after this and they will face Australia in the semi-finals now on Saturday.
This could well have been their first loss.
“Massively disappointing,” said Chay Mullins, who scored two tries for Ireland in a game where they enjoyed so much possession against the game’s bluebloods. “They’re the only two words I can really think of. Speechless.
“We obviously wanted to make it through the quarter-final and we felt like we were there, that we had them, and for the majority of the game we were the better team. Again, just decision-making and just slight drop offs.” It couldn’t have started any worse for James Toppings’ men with Iosefo Baleiwairiki breaking through Gavin Mullin and Niall Comerford far too easily for a try. The successful conversion made it 7-0 after less than 90 seconds.
The response was methodical, in Ireland’s style this week, but just as effective with Mullins touching down for an unconverted score. He had another off the back of a scrum just seconds before the interval to leave Ireland 10-7 in front at the turn.
It got even better from there, Zac Ward scurrying over on the blindside from a ruck close to the try line and putting the cap on a wonderful move that had started back in the Irish 22. Another missed conversion left it 15-7 with five minutes to play.
Still anyone’s game. Boy, was it still anyone’s game.
Joji Nasova had the gap back to just three with another try from the ends of the earth. Then disaster struck from the restart with Ireland knocking the dropping ball loose and straight into the path of Waisea Nacuqu who had a clear path to the posts.
Suddenly it was 19-15 to Fiji with 90 seconds to go and, try as they might, Ireland were unable to make up the deficit in the little time that remained. There was talk later of a Fijian knock-on for their second try but Ireland know they had this one in hand.
“Like I said, it was just moments where we switched off and that happens,” said Mullins. “Just about righting those wrongs. It’s the Olympics at the end of the day and those are the consequences and we just have to go into the next two games with a positive mindset.” It wasn’t the first time here that they had let a strong position slip. Losing their last Group A Game earlier on Thursday to New Zealand, having led 12-0 at the half-time break, paired them with Fiji here when a win would have scheduled a tie with South Africa.
If that appeared to be the easier route then the Blitzboks’ defeat of the Kiwis in the first quarter-final on Thursday night showed again just how fine the margins can be in this form of rugby, but Ireland will still harbour deep regrets about this day.
Their Olympics aren’t over yet with two repechage games still to be accorded due attention and respect. The highest they can finish now is fifth. That would be a lot better than the tenth recorded in Tokyo when they didn’t exit the group but nearly what they had in mind.
This one will hurt.
“Yeah mainly because you don’t have an Olympics every day and it is a tough one to take but Harry [McNulty, the captain] just said it there that we need to finish on a high a
Ireland: H McNulty, M Roche, Z Ward, J Conroy, T Kennedy, G Mullin, Niall Comerford. Replacements: Jack Kelly, A Smith, C Mullins, H Keenan, H Lennox.
Fiji: J Talacolo, I Baleiwairiki, J Tuwai ©, I Teba, K Rasaku, S Ravutaumada, R Josaia, Replacements: J Nasova, J Matana, T Veilawa, F Nacuqu, F Sauturaga
Referee: N Hogan (NZL)