Rugby

Ireland secure back-to-back medal wins for first time with Hong Kong Sevens bronze

Scrumhalf Hugo Lennox scores two tries in third-place playoff against Australia

Ireland's Hugo Lennox scores a try during the third-place playoff against Australia at the Hong Kong Sevens. Photograph: Martin Seras Lima/Inpho

Sun Apr 7 2024 - 19:02

Captain Harry McNulty praised Hugo Lennox for “a little big of magic” as his two tries ensured the Ireland men’s team finished as bronze medallists at the Hong Kong Sevens.

Knocked out of Cup contention by a 26-10 defeat to France, James Topping’s side rallied impressively to beat Australia 14-5 in the third-place playoff at Hong Kong Stadium.

Scrumhalf Lennox scored both tries in the first half, including a solo effort from his own kick through, as Ireland followed up on their podium finish behind France in Los Angeles to win back-to-back HSBC SVNS Series medals for the first time.

Their consistency on the circuit this season has seen them win bronzes in Perth, LA and now Hong Kong, while they have had top four finishes at the last five tournaments.

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Ireland’s highest ever finish in Hong Kong saw them pick up 16 points as the second-placed team (86 points) in the overall standings. They have closed the gap on series leaders Argentina to eight points, ahead of next month’s Singapore Sevens and the inaugural Grand Final in Madrid.

Speaking in the aftermath of the victory over Australia, McNulty said: “We’ve played against Australia so many times, they’ve always been close games. I think we just did really well to score nicely, and quickly, in the first half.

“A little bit of magic from Hugo, those are the bounce of the balls that you kind of need sometimes, especially in games like this where it’s going to be really tight.

“I’m just really proud of the boys for bouncing back from a lacklustre semi-final from our point of view. I think this weekend has been really special. We’ve got a new cap in Zac McConnell who went really well.

“I think this is the first time we’ve done back-to-back medals as well, so that’s quite important for us as a team, the consistency. Five years ago to the day, we qualified for the World Series here.

Along with McConnell’s debut, the individual highlights from the weekend included Terry Kennedy’s hat-trick in the quarter-final triumph over the USA – he scored five tries across the three days – and forward Zac Ward continued his brilliant form with four tries.

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