News

Ireland dominate in Sopot

May 26 2008

The Ireland Sevens team breezed to a faultless FIRA-AER tournament victory in Sopot - improving their chances of IRB World Cup qualification in Dubai next March.

In stage two of the European Sevens series, the Shamrock VII produced five dominant displays before comfortably outclassing their Polish hosts 24-0 in the weekend's final.

After going down in extra-time to fellow qualification hopefuls Wales in Odense two weeks ago, this was a vital tournament win for the side in green and they did not disappoint.

The Irish overhauled all four of their Pool rivals, recording an unblemished record - beating Denmark 47-0, racking up 40 unanswered points against Hungary and Lithuania before beating Sweden 21-0 to ensure top spot.

Next up was a semi-final date with the Netherlands, who finished second in Pool Two behind the hosts. However, the game was a similar procession as the favourites ran out 32-0 winners to book their final place.

The tournament showpiece pitted the Irish against home side Poland as the two unbeaten outfits battled it out for Sopot glory.

Yet there was to be no upset as a serious Ireland team cruised to a 24-0 victory - setting them up for the final trip to Hanover on the weekend of July 12 to 13 where the top five teams will gain Dubai spots.