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The Irish Sun
16-05-2025
- Sport
- The Irish Sun
‘Incredibly disappointing' – Brian O'Driscoll blasts IRFU decision to axe men's rugby Sevens team
BRIAN O'Driscoll has added his voice to the chorus of dismay at the IRFU axing the Irish men's rugby Sevens team. The shock move Advertisement 3 The 46-year-old stated he understands why there's such 'anger and frustration' among the men's Sevens players 3 Sevens star Terry Kennedy has labelled the decision 'nothing short of a disgrace' 3 Legendary former fly-half David Humphreys took over as IRFU High Performance Director in June 2024 Several sevens players have expressed their outrage at their career prospects being cut from under them in such a drastic way. And now Ireland's greatest-ever Union player has come down firmly on their side. He tweeted: "Incredibly disappointing to see the Irish rugby mens 7's being discontinued. "Have loved watching them on the @SVNSSeries over the past decade or so - more than holding their own against the best of the worlds 7's teams. Advertisement Read More On Irish Sport "Understandably I'm sure there's a lot of anger and frustration within their camp." In a statement, the IRFU said the decision to cancel the programme was in part to "ensure long-term financial sustainability". It read: "The Irish Rugby Football Union (IRFU) today confirmed that following a comprehensive review of its Sevens programmes after the conclusion of the 2024 Olympic cycle, it has made the decision to cease the Men's Sevens programme following the conclusion of the 2024/25 season. "This move is part of a broader strategic effort to ensure long-term financial sustainability and focus on key initiatives outlined in the Union's strategic plan. Advertisement Most read in Rugby Union "This announcement follows the release of the IRFU's financial results last November, which showed an €18 million deficit for the 2023/24 season. "As part of its ongoing efforts to manage this deficit and secure a sustainable financial future, the IRFU has been reviewing all of its programmes to identify areas for optimisation and prioritisation. Shocking moment enormous brawl breaks out in rubgy league after 'horrendous hit' 'While the decision to end the Men's Sevens programme is a difficult one, it is necessary in order to ensure that our resources are focused on the areas that will have the greatest impact on the future of the game in Ireland. Advertisement "We are committed to making sure that this transition is handled with the utmost respect for all those who have contributed to the success of the Sevens programme.' DARDIS OUTRAGE Vice-chair of the Olympic Federation of Ireland's Athletes Commission Billy Dardis had criticised the IRFU for being "short-sighted" while breaking the news. Dardis captained the team on its Olympic debut, when it came 10th in Tokyo but missed out on selection for Paris World Rugby unveiled a new three-tier competition at the start of the month with the top tier reduced from 12 to eight teams. Ireland came 11th with the squad which came second last year decimated by retirements. Advertisement And Dardis believes the Ireland team was doomed since the departure of David Nucifora as the IRFU's performance director. He fumed: 'Sevens is probably the younger brother that they want to push away and quieten down. 'What happened in the last month, it would be like if the 'I was joking last night that we were like the Jamaican Advertisement 'By all accounts, on Monday the lads are getting told that there is no programme next year.' Dardis' intervention prompted the IRFU to bring forward its announcement planned for Monday but he said it had not come as a surprise. He said: 'Lads are going looking for jobs right now. It's a bit of a mess. It's devastating. 'It has just been infuriating watching it because ten players retired last year after Paris and not one player was replaced. So they only had 13 or 14 players across the whole squad this year. Advertisement 'They didn't bring in one so you kind of see the cracks. They weren't putting in the same amount of funding. Coaches and performance staff started to leave. 'I've come to terms with it and I think the lads as well. It's, 'OK I need to find a job for next year' and some of them have.' Dardis believes a podium finish in Paris might have saved the team but said that was not the only measure of success. WARD EXAMPLE He said: 'You look at Zac Ward kicking on now at Ulster, Andrew Smith at Munster, you could go right across the provinces. Advertisement 'Hugo Keenan is now playing for the Lions, so lots of good things have come out of it. It's short-sighted by both World Rugby and Irish Rugby. 'It was driven by David Nucifora. It was just after Ireland got hammered by Argentina in that 2015 "He saw the crossover and parallels, and he pushed it. It was his baby.. 'We didn't quite realise it at the time, he was the one driving it. With David Humphreys coming in, I thought he was going to be a big supporter of it. Advertisement 'But leading into Paris, there were a few cracks. There wasn't a Sevens academy being built over a few years, so you are thinking, 'what's going to happen here?''
Irish Examiner
14-05-2025
- Sport
- Irish Examiner
IRFU call time on men's 7s programme as financial realities bite
The Ireland men's sevens squad programme is being terminated by the IRFU, just nine months after falling short of an Olympic medal in Paris, with players in the current squad already searching for new jobs. Billy Dardis, who played for a decade with the national team, and wore the captain's armband, revealed as much on Wednesday afternoon. The union has since confirmed as much in a statement brought forward from next week. It's a seismic, if not unexpected, move by the IRFU. Dardis, who only retired a handful of months ago, described the team's and the programme's spiralling fortunes as 'deflating', 'disappointing' and 'infuriating', and insisted it should not have come to this. 'Well, lads are going looking for jobs right now,' he explained on Wednesday afternoon. 'It's a bit of a mess. It's devastating. They get told on Monday, I think. I just have a bit of insight. So lads are looking for jobs, trying to sort out things. 'It's also the World Rugby thing. You could be in World Sevens, be professional one year, then drop the next year and be professional the next year. It's an absolute mess. There is big uproar across all the player associations.' Dardis captained the men's side when they first made the Olympics in Tokyo in 2021 but missed out on selection, after injury issues, for Paris last year. He was one of up to ten senior players to call time on his commitment since the 2024 Olympics. Key players like Harry McNulty and Terry Kennedy also moved on and Dardis explained how the IRFU failed to replace them with a single new face. That left the team dependent on 13 or 14 players in the recent World Series. Other cracks were apparent in the squeezing of the funding tap and the departures of coaches and members of the performance staff. That spilled onto the field as both the men and women finished bottom of their respective tables. Not a good look in any season. Even worse in 2025 with World Rugby, hit by a reported €24m loss in the sevens game in 2024, belatedly declaring that relegation would be a factor in the top tier in order to cut costs and losses. 'There's probably a bigger issue around sevens than even the IRFU,' Dardis explained. 'There's a whole World Rugby issue and rugby is at breaking point at the moment. Sevens is probably the younger brother that they want to push away and quieten down. 'World Rugby need to make decisions and they're throwing a lot of new things around. What happened in the last month, it would be like if the Six Nations announced the week before the last game there is a Division 2 and if you're not in the top three you're down.' If World Rugby's concerns with the short-form game were well signposted then the IRFU's were under the same spotlight given David Nucifora, the man who championed it as performance director, was replaced last year by David Humphreys. Humphreys actually attended some sevens tournaments and spoke with some of the players around that period. Dardis felt he would be a 'big supporter' of the game, but there were cracks even before their medal hopes in the Paris Games came up short. The failure to start a sevens academy was chief among them. Dardis understands the financial realities but points to players like Hugo Keenan, Zac Ward and Andrew Smith who have graduated through the system to the 15s game. And, while the IRFU recorded an €18m loss in 2024, that wasn't unexpected given the dip in incomes that come in World Cup years. The union also has millions of euro held in reserves and Dardis feels strongly that the programme didn't need to end now, and like this. 'No. It shouldn't. Yeah, it's disappointing and because Irish rugby is such a stronghold in world rugby, and it is such a medal opportunity for the Olympics. We were brought to Paris last year as big medal contenders in Team Ireland with rowing, boxing, athletics.' Mere hours later and the IRFU responded with their statement that following a 'comprehensive review' of its sevens programmes, 'it has made the decision to cease the Men's Sevens programme following the conclusion of the 2024/25 season'. It continued that this is part of a broader strategic effort to ensure 'long-term financial sustainability and focus on key initiatives outlines in the Union's strategic plan' and it made mention of that €18m loss in the last financial year. 'The Union's assessment concluded that the Men's Sevens programme does not contribute as a development pathway for the 15s game, with current academy structures in place within the provinces offering greater development opportunities for men's rugby,' it read. The women's programme will continue as a 'critical part' of the strategy for the development of the women's game, according to Humphreys who described the decision to terminate the men's programme as a 'difficult' one. 'The financial situation we face is challenging, and it's crucial that we take decisive action to secure the long-term success of Irish Rugby,' he explained.
The Irish Sun
14-05-2025
- Sport
- The Irish Sun
‘It's a mess' – Billy Dardis accuses IRFU of wanting to ‘push away and quieten down' rugby 7s after DROPPING programme
BILLY DARDIS has spoken of his dismay at the cancelling of the Men's Sevens programme - likening it to the Jamaican bobsleigh team. In his role as vice-chair of the Olympic Federation of Ireland's Athletes Commission, Dardis is trying to get to grips with a whole host of sports with which he is not familiar. 2 The IRFU has dropped the men's rugby 7s programme Credit: Harry Murphy/Sportsfile 2 Billy Dardis has slammed the decision Credit: Ben McShane/Sportsfile But it is his own sport enveloped in the biggest crisis with the IRFU dropping its male Sevens programme. Dardis captained the team on its Olympic debut, when it came 10th in Tokyo but missed out on selection for World And Dardis believes the Ireland team was doomed since the departure of David Nucifora as the IRFU's performance director. Read More on Olympics And Dardis said: 'Sevens is probably the younger brother that they want to push away and quieten down. 'What happened in the last month, it would be like if the 'So it is a bit of a mess. 'I was joking last night that we were like the Jamaican the flash in the pan, came on the scene for four or five years and then it's gone. Most read in Rugby Union 'By all accounts, on Monday the lads are getting told that there is no programme next year.' As it happens, that four-man team - immortalised in the movie Cool Runnings - qualified for four successive Olympics but that will not be on the cards for the Men's Sevens, although the Women's programme will be retained because of its more integral role in the 15-a-side game. Ronan O'Gara bizarrely ends press conference after 23 SECONDS amid La Rochelle's continued poor form Dardis' intervention prompted the IRFU to bring forward its announcement planned for Monday but he said it had not come as a surprise. He said: 'Lads are going looking for jobs right now. It's a bit of a mess. It's devastating. 'It has just been infuriating watching it because ten players retired last year after Paris and not one player was replaced. So they only had 13 or 14 players across the whole squad this year. 'They didn't bring in one so you kind of see the cracks. They weren't putting in the same amount of funding. Coaches and performance staff started to leave. 'I've come to terms with it and I think the lads as well. It's, 'OK I need to find a job for next year' and some of them have.' Dardis believes a podium finish in Paris might have saved the team but said that was not the only measure of success. 'SHORT-SIGHTED' He said: 'You look at Zac Ward kicking on now at Ulster, Andrew Smith at Munster, you could go right across the provinces. 'Hugo Keenan is now playing for the Lions, so lots of good things have come out of it. It's short-sighted by both World Rugby and Irish Rugby. 'It was driven by David Nucifora. It was just after Ireland got hammered by 'We didn't quite realise it at the time, he was the one 'With David Humphreys coming in, I thought he was going to be a big supporter of it. 'But leading into Paris, there were a few cracks. There wasn't a Sevens academy being built over a few years, so you are thinking, 'what's going to happen here?'' IRFU STATEMENT In a statement, the IRFU said the decision to cancel the programme was in part to "ensure long-term financial sustainability ". It read: "The Irish Rugby Football Union (IRFU) today confirmed that following a comprehensive review of its Sevens programmes after the conclusion of the 2024 Olympic cycle, it has made the decision to cease the Men's Sevens programme following the conclusion of the 2024/25 season. "This move is part of a broader strategic effort to ensure long-term financial sustainability and focus on key initiatives outlined in the Union's strategic plan. "This announcement follows the release of the IRFU's financial results last November, which showed an €18 million deficit for the 2023/24 season. "As part of its ongoing efforts to manage this deficit and secure a sustainable financial future , the IRFU has been reviewing all of its programmes to identify areas for optimisation and prioritisation. IRFU High Performance Director, David Humphreys said: 'The financial situation we face is challenging, and it's crucial that we take decisive action to secure the long-term success of Irish Rugby. 'While the decision to end the Men's Sevens programme is a difficult one, it is necessary in order to ensure that our resources are focused on the areas that will have the greatest impact on the future of the game in Ireland. "We are committed to making sure that this transition is handled with the utmost respect for all those who have contributed to the success of the Sevens programme.'
RTÉ News
14-05-2025
- Sport
- RTÉ News
Cost-cutting IRFU axes men's Sevens programme
Former Ireland sevens captain Billy Dardis has described as "short-sighted" the decision to end the men's programme just 10 months after sending a team to the Olympics with medal aspirations. With question marks still floating around the financial viability of the programme, speculation had grown that a drastic measure could be taken. The Los Angeles tournament earlier this month proved to be the final swansong for the men on the World SVNS Series, with both teams finishing 11th and suffering consequential relegation. Today the IRFU confirmed the decision to end the programme at the end of the 2024/25 season, insisting the move is part of "a broader strategic effort to ensure long-term financial sustainability and focus on key initiatives outlined in the union's strategic plan". The women's programme is remaining in place, which runs alongside the XVs and enjoys more of a crossover. The IRFU announced a €18million deficit for the 2023/24 season and IRFU high performance director David Humphreys insisted the decision to axe the men's programme was a difficult one. "The financial situation we face is challenging, and it's crucial that we take decisive action to secure the long-term success of Irish rugby," he said. Former Ireland captain Dardis, who was left out of the Irish squad for Paris last year after a strong Sevens career before retiring shortly after, has lamented the call to end the programme. "It's disappointing because Irish rugby is such a stronghold in world rugby," he said, speaking in his new role as vice-chair of the Athletes Commission within Olympic Federation Ireland. "It's such a medal opportunity for the Olympics. We went over second in the world at the time and we were hoping to get a medal. Within Team Ireland, we were the big ones, like rowing, boxing and athletics." A four-point defeat to Fiji ended Irish interest at the quarter-final stage, with a raft of players retiring post-Paris. Dardis believes there were warning signs in the lead-up. There was no progress with an academy to blood new players, while the 10 players that retired post-Paris, stalwarts such as Harry McNulty, Terry Kennedy, Gavin Mullin, Jack Kelly and Dardis himself, were not replaced, with a barebones squad of 13 or 14 competing on the World Series, most of whom were taken from provincial academies and the club game. Funding slowed, staff departed and by time players pushed for answers earlier in the year, there was a sense that the horse had already bolted. "It's unbelievably deflating. It's devastating," Dardis says. "Rugby is at breaking point at the moment. "Sevens is probably the younger brother that they want to push away and quieten down. "What happened in the last month [structural change], it would be like if the Six Nations announced the week before the last game that there is a Division 2 and if you're not in the top three you're down, so it is a bit of a mess. "You could be in World Sevens, be professional one year, then drop the next year and be professional the next year. It's an absolute mess. Lads are going looking for jobs right now. "It's short-sighted by both World Rugby and Irish Rugby." Dardis believes that David Nucifora's energy to push the programme – "he was the one driving it, it was his baby" - was behind the improving structures put in place, but his departure immediately threatened the future of the programme. His successor as IRFU high performance director, David Humphries, attended Sevens tournaments and spoke to players involved, but the discipline is going in a different direction. "I thought he was going to be a big supporter of it," Dardis added. "With question marks around how financially viable sevens is, the question marks from World Rugby, I think he has just questioned it." A review conducted by the IRFU concluded, that in contrast to the women's game, the men's Sevens programme does not contribute as a development pathway for the 15s game, with current academy structures in place within the provinces offering greater development opportunities in the men's game. "It's important to note that the Women's Sevens programme remains a critical part of our development strategy for Women's 15s rugby," added Humphreys.
