Ireland has announced their men’s sevens squad for the upcoming Paris Olympics, with full-back Hugo Keenan being one of the standout names. Keenan, who plays for Leinster, will be joining French rugby superstar Antoine Dupont in representing Ireland in the tournament.
In addition to Keenan, Connacht wing Andrew Smith has also been selected to be part of the 12-player squad. Both Keenan and Smith have previous experience in the sevens programme and were recently reintegrated into the squad under coach James Topping.
Harry McNulty will lead the Ireland Men’s team as captain, making him one of seven players who will become double Olympians, having also competed in the Tokyo Games. On the other hand, Lucy Rock will captain the Ireland Women’s team, as they prepare for their first appearance at the Olympics in Paris.
The men’s squad is coming off a successful World Series season, finishing second overall in the standings. The Rugby Sevens events will be held at the Stade de France, with the men’s competition scheduled from 24-27 July and the women’s tournament from 28-30 July.
This will be the first time that both the men’s and women’s teams from Ireland have qualified for the Olympics. The men’s team secured their spot at the European Games in Krakow last summer, while the women’s team had a long journey to qualification after narrowly missing out on Rio and Tokyo editions.
The women’s squad includes players like Amee-Leigh Murphy Crowe, Stacey Flood, and BÊibhinn Parsons who played crucial roles in securing qualification for Paris. Notable additions to the squad include Ashleigh Orchard, who makes a return to the team just a year after giving birth, and teenager Alanna Fitzpatrick, who made her senior debut last summer.
Unfortunately, former Meath Gaelic footballer Vikki Wall, who switched to rugby from AFLW in September 2023, did not make the final squad. However, players like Claire Boles and Amy Larn have been named as travelling reserves for the team.
The pool draws for the rugby sevens tournament are set to take place on 23 June, where the teams will get to know their opponents for the competition. Overall, both the men’s and women’s squads are gearing up for an exciting Olympic campaign in Paris, representing Ireland on the international stage.