Dubai: Ireland legend Brian O’Driscoll is urging the Shamrocks to take sevens as seriously as they do 15s now that the former is an Olympic sport.
The Boys in Green are the only Rugby World Cup quarter-finalists without a representative men’s sevens side playing in the HSBC World Rugby Sevens Series after the Irish Rugby Football Union (IRFU) pulled funding for the shorter format.
The IRFU quickly reversed that decision once sevens was included in the 2016 Olympics, but as a result of an earlier lack of conviction, Ireland now only face an outside chance of qualifying via a final slot repechage for next summer’s tournament.
They plan to have a team in the World Series by 2017 and thus target qualification to the 2020 Olympics as a more realistic goal.
“If I had it my way, or if I could have made that call, sevens funding would never have been cut,” said O’Driscoll, who scored 245 points in 133 games for Ireland between 1999 and 2014. “But it was about finances and player numbers. We have to be competitive and simply don’t have enough playing rugby in the country to fill four provincial teams and a very competitive sevens outfit. You are either going to diminish one or the other.
“With that regard, focus has been put on 15s because it’s more financially viable.”
Progress with the women’s side however, where they made their HSBC Women’s World Rugby Sevens Series debut in Dubai this weekend — finishing last — could prompt the men.
Ireland’s ladies also face an outside chance of qualifying to the 2016 Olympics via a final slot repechage, but thanks to their series participation, they will be better honed than the men to pull off a surprise.
“The women’s sevens team have progressed and they are back in the mix, while the men’s team is being rebuilt,” added O’Driscoll. “It will take slow steps to be in a position where we are competitive enough for events like this [Dubai].
“Young guys will be blooded through sevens to get to important levels of fitness before entering 15s and that will always be the focus in Ireland, even though sevens is a good stepping stone to get game time.
“But with the Olympic opportunity, men’s sevens will be rebuilt and the women’s have never been stronger, so this is a fantastic opportunity to push ahead for 2020.”
