SEVENS RUGBY: IRELAND SUFFERED elation and frustration yesterday on the second day of the Rugby World Cup Sevens in Dubai after finishing on equal pool points with Australia and Portugal in their group but then, because of a weaker points difference, having to settle for a disappointing fourth place.
As a result, Ireland will play in the quarter-finals of the third-tier Bowl competition today with a quarter-final tie against Arabian Gulf, but at least that holds out the prospect of tangible winnings.
Success in the pool for Ireland hinged on their final match against Portugal, rated as one of the top European teams in Sevens rugby. In the event Portugal had enough firepower to carve out a win by 17-5.
“I think our lack of experience showed against Portugal. They exploited that. But I’m proud of the way the boys played,” said Ireland Sevens coach John Skurr.
Ireland looked in contention with the teams tied at 5-5 at the interval, a try from Ulster scrumhalf Paul Marshall matching a score for Portugal by Tiago Girao.
Then in the second-half Portugal added further tries by Aderito Esteves and David Mateus and a conversion by Pedro Leal to complete their scoring.
Earlier Ireland caused the first real seeding upset of the tournament by defeating Australia 24-21 in a gripping tie.
Ireland looked winners as they built up a 17-0 lead with tries from Felix Jones, Paul Marshall and Brian Carney and one conversion from Tom Gleeson.
Then two minutes before half-time James Coughlan, who put in a power of work to supply his side with ball, collected a yellow card for an early tackle at a restart.
Australia took advantage of their extra man to engineer a try for Harry Vanderglas before adding scores after the break by Luke Morahan and Damon Murphy. All three tries were converted by Richard Kingi to give Australia a 21-17 lead.
But in an exciting finale to the tie, Ireland hit back sensationally with a try made by Coughlan and finished by replacement Gary Brown. Gleeson’s conversion gave Ireland a 24-21 win.
“Our performance against Australia set a benchmark. We came here to perform at the highest level and I think what we achieved against Australia shows their commitment,” stated Skurr.
“We beat Australia because we had four big restarts and basically denied them the ball. We were more comfortable against Australia than against Portugal.”
Coughlan was outstanding for Ireland in both ties yesterday. He contested the contact area with an aggression and skill required for the sevens game.
“James is a very influential player for us. He perhaps doesn’t have the engine to last the whole match but he is key for us,” added the Ireland coach.
“There’s no doubt that we’re on a learning curve. We have to learn how to respect the ball and keep hold of it,” said Skurr.
IRELAND: Gary Brown (Blackrock College), Kieran Campbell (Galwegians) (capt), Brian Carney (Clonakilty), James Coughlan (Dolphin), Conan Doyle (Garryowen), Tom Gleeson (Cork Con), Eoghan Grace (Shannon), Felix Jones (Old Belvedere), Paul Marshall (Belfast Harlequins), Daniel Riordan (Buccaneers), Kyle Tonetti (Blackrock College), Brian Tuohy (Cornish Pirates).
