Gerry Thornley: IRFU decision on Sevens reflects the cold, hard business of sport
News that the IRFU
are to cut the men's Sevens programme
at the end of this season doesn't come as a surprise given their funding had already been reduced and that they had been very much a pet product of the previous Performance Director, David Nucifora. Even so, the bottom line is that it's very sad news and even a little cold and cruel given distinguished and future Sevens careers have been stopped.
Alas, the biggest problem on David Humphreys' in-tray since succeeding Nucifora is the widening gap between Leinster and the other three provinces, and the new Performance Director has had his hands tied further by the Union's losses of €18 million over the course of the 2023-24 season.
Cutting the men's
Sevens programme
is not necessarily a huge saving, although it could be around the €400,000 mark. It is estimated that the programme costs the IRFU in the region of €1.35m in total, but this is partially offset by the estimated €350,000 they received from World Rugby for playing in the world series, and Olympic funding from Sport Ireland of €300,000 as well as around €300,000 in sponsorship from Tritonlake, as title sponsors, and Blackrock as associate sponsors.
In coming to this decision, the IRFU maintain that the Men's Sevens programme does not, in essence, provide a pathway through to the national 15-a-side team. It's true that it certainly doesn't in the same way that the women's Sevens programme is a vital lifeblood of the Ireland women's 15-a-side team in the absence of the four provinces which supply the men's 15-a-side team.
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Similarly, the men's Sevens sides are a pathway for the likes of Argentina, Samoa and Kenya but also in the absence of four professional feeder provinces ala Ireland.
Even so, while the debate will rage as to how much the Sevens programme helped or delayed the development of Hugo Keenan, Jimmy O'Brien, Nick Timoney and others, there's little doubt that, for example, Cormac Izuchukwu would not have ended up playing for Ulster and Ireland without being brought into the Sevens fold.
One wonders if this decision would have been made had Ireland won a medal at the Olympics, where they lost by four points to the back-to-back gold medallists.
It remains to be seen if this relative drop in the ocean will help to improve Connacht, Munster and Leinster bridge that gap with Leinster, although in truth all four provinces never had much love for an Ireland Sevens team that took away some of their players.
The former Ireland Sevens captain Billy Dardis has described the move as 'short-sighted' and 'hugely deflating', while the Rugby Players of Ireland CEO Simon Keogh has highlighted the bad timing of this announcement and how challenging it will be for the players to find clubs in the 15s game.
One imagines that Sport Ireland will not be enamoured or impressed by the IRFU's decision and the thought occurs that there should be, perhaps, a two-year Olympic qualifying cycle which is at least partially separate from the World Series.
The Ireland Men's Sevens team are also a victim of the world series no linger having the reach it used to have when it was televised by Sky Sports, meaning in latter years it has had to be streamed online.
True, England, Wales and Scotland only contribute to a combined Great Britain team and the Ireland Men's Sevens team always portrayed a good image and were a good reflection of Irish rugby. Having risen to number two in the world, it seems a real shame that they have been cast adrift.
Across every facet of business and life there are loss-makers which need to be supported but, ultimately, it feels like this cold, money-based decision reflects the world we live in.
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