Jordan Conroy: ‘We’ve kind of prided ourselves on being a podium team’

Four months to go! Like anyone already qualified for the Paris Olympics, that latest reminder on Tuesday morning brought on fresh goosebumps and butterflies, even if Jordan Conroy has been through it all before.

Truth is Conroy won’t have to wait that long, given the men’s Rugby Sevens in Paris begins on July 24th, two days before the Opening Ceremony, the medal matches in the Stade de France set for the day after, July 27th.

Which for Conroy is perfectly fine, especially given the way events unfolded before the Covid-19 delayed Tokyo Olympics in 2021. After 16 months of isolated preparation, Ireland only made it as the last qualifier three weeks before that Opening Ceremony, winning the World Rugby Repechage in Monaco when they denied France in the final.

This time around they qualified 13 months in advance, by virtue of their gold medal win at the European Games in Krakov last June, beating Great Britain in the final (and joining the Ireland women’s team, who qualified last May via the Rugby Sevens Series).

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“We just feel we have great preparation now, and you’re not waiting around anyway, all that eases the mind”, Conroy says of Ireland starting out before the Games officially begin. “And we can enjoy the full experience after, something we didn’t get in Tokyo.”

Recently turned 30, the Tullamore player is already among the team’s most experienced. Having made his debut in 2016, he’s now the leading men’s try-scorer, boasting 117 in all, four of which came when Ireland secured bronze medals at the last Rugby Sevens Series in LA at the start of this month.

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France took them out on that occasion, going on to win a Series gold for the first time in 19 years, thanks in no small part to Antoine Dupont being their new star addition, specifically in their quest to win Olympic gold in Paris.

His move from the French 15-aside has added considerable interest in the Paris competition, and Conroy believes Dupont’s Sevens game is only going improve.

“We actually shared the same dressingroom with France, in LA, and he’s a very humble lad. After the semi-final, where they beat us by two points, I was waiting for an ice bath and he came up to me and said, ‘oh my God, that was one of the toughest games’. He said he’d woken up that morning and couldn’t move. And I was like ‘well get used to it!’

“I feel he can handle the pressure, and I think he’s done well, because the physical aspect is harder to get used to, than the skill aspect. Because the Sevens fitness is such a more extreme level, it takes quite a well to get used to.

“He has to take less contact, but he has to run more. You can’t go in straight away and play a 40-minute match, because you won’t last. France are beatable anyway, we only lost by two points. But I think he brings a certain morale as well, that mindset, maybe that’s what they needed.”

With a top-five finish at each of the first five events this season, Ireland remain second in the overall Series standings, on 70 points, six clear of third-placed Fiji, 20 behind leaders Argentina. The weekend after next (April 5th-7th) they’re off to Hong Kong, before Singapore (May 3rd-5th), then a Series finale in Madrid (May 31st-June 2nd).

“We’ve kind of prided ourselves on being a podium team this year,” says Jordon, “and having managed to get two third places reflects on how hard we’ve worked, in preseason, and the last couple of months.

“It’s exciting to see what’s ahead, it just drives us on to get better, and hopefully get a gold in the future, be it in the Sevens series, or the Olympics. Consistency is something we’re priding ourselves on too.

I think the goal of qualifying was bigger than the gold medal, but having that experience now, I’m glad it happened, because we have such a good chance of getting somewhere this year

“We’ve also changed the mindset, the mentality, of what we’re trying to achieve. In the past, we’ve been one of the teams just on the circuit, but through the years we’re earned that respect, a really hard team to play.

“We came up with a mantra this year, RED, which is ruthless, energetic, decisive! Also the why, why do we want to get a gold medal? I think that solidified our mentality, what it takes to get on the podium.”

Ireland’s qualifying cushion can only improve their medal chances in Paris: “When we qualified for Tokyo, we’d put so much time and effort and energy into that once-off tournament, it literally was our Olympic gold. We’d be training 16 months before that, with no tournaments, it was such a relief.

“But then not being able to celebrate, because we were home for a week, then a week later flew off to Tokyo. I think it really took all the energy out of us, as a squad. We tried to get ourselves up again, to just go, but it was just so draining, and that probably was reflected in our result, which was disappointing (they finished 10th).

“I think the goal of qualifying was bigger than the gold medal, but having that experience now, I’m glad it happened, because we have such a good chance of getting somewhere this year.”

Less than four months to go!