Ireland learning to love rugby sevens after amazing run

Alongside Italy, in fact, Ireland is the only Tier One rugby nation not to have a spot on the Sevens World Series, where the likes of South Africa, New Zealand, England and Australia are all regulars.

The past two weeks, however, could prove to be a huge step forward for the game of sevens in Ireland.

Granted wild card entries by World Rugby at the London and Paris Sevens, the Irish men toppled some of the game's biggest names -- including England, Australia, and the USA -- to finish third and seventh respectively in their first World Series events since 2004.



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'It's been an amazing experience,' Jimmy O'Brien, who scored four tries in the two recent tournaments with Ireland, told CNN.

'We believed [in London and Paris] that we could do well. Coming into it, I don't think anyone else thought we were going to do this well. We're delighted that we got into the quarters both times.'

READ: South Africa win World Series title in dramatic finale

'First is the goal'

For all of the country's dominance in the 15-a-side game -- in a year that's seen Ireland climb the world rankings after securing a second Six Nations Grand Slam -- the feats of the sevens team could easily have slipped under the radar.

It's been a remarkable turnaround for Anthony Eddy's side after they failed to secure a place on next year's World Series circuit with a semifinal defeat to Japan in the Hong Kong Sevens Repechage tournament.

A try in the last play of the game saw Ireland go down 12-7, and hopes of making the international stage diminished.

But an invite to play in the final two tournaments of the season was warmly received and duly justified by the performances on the pitch, the highlight being a 21-19 victory over England at Twickenham to win bronze in the London Sevens.

It was a game that saw winger Jordan Conroy, who has lit up the World Series with blistering speed, bag a hat-trick and top-score for the tournament with eight tries. For Conroy, though, bronze in London wasn't enough.

'We were going for first place,' he tells CNN. 'Third is not far off. We were delighted with the result but first is the goal, we believe in ourselves that we can get there.'

READ: Southern hemisphere sides strike first blows against northern rivals

New opportunities

While the inclusion of rugby sevens at the 2016 Olympics has seen the sport grow in popularity, Ireland has been behind its rivals with investment instead going into the full-size game.

But in December 2014, Anthony Eddy was appointed as director of Irish rugby sevens and an elite program was established for both male and female teams.

Former Ireland captain Brian O'Driscoll, who played 141 times for his country, thinks the development of sevens will benefit Irish players across the game.

'It has the opportunity to give experience to the young players who maybe wouldn't get that opportunity to play on the world stage in big stadiums and in front of big crowds,' O'Driscoll tells CNN.

'It's an opportunity to build their skill set, build their engine. They're all 19 or 20-year-olds. If you can handle a sevens game, then you can sure as hell handle a 15s game. If we could get the men into the main circuit that would be terrific.'

O'Brien, aged just 21, is one such example of a young talent who's turned to sevens to benefit his wider game. He's part of the Leinster academy, the same club O'Driscoll represented throughout his storied career.

READ: When rugby stars are 'too nervous to take the field'

While O'Brien is unsure which format of the game he'll be playing in the long-term, he says the exposure he's received from sevens has been instrumental.

'The skills it develops are second-to-none,' he explains. 'Your passing, your speed, your beating players one-on-one, your tackling one-on-one.

'With me playing 15s as well, sevens has helped massively.'

Player development is one thing; away from the pitch, sevens has a culture of being one of the best fan experiences in sport, bringing its carnival atmosphere of fancy dress and all-day parties to all corners of the globe.

O'Driscoll thinks Ireland has plenty to offer in this respect, too.

'I'm sure HSBC, the tournament organizers and World Rugby as well would love to have the Irish on board because we love a party and we love to support our team,' he says.

'There's paddies all over the world. For a country of only six million people, we certainly shout for our team whenever the opportunity arises.'

Visit cnn.com/rugby for more news and videos

Ireland will be at the Sevens World Cup in San Francisco this July, and if recent form is anything to go by, there could be cause for fans to celebrate.

Sevens is a momentum game. In the short, 14-minute matches, underdogs always have a chance and upsets are common. The men in green could well prove the tournament's surprise package.



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