Both the Irish men's and women's teams got off to excellent starts as the Rugby Sevens World Cup began on Friday.
The men's side were the first Irish team in action and they began their tournament with a 24-0 victory over Portugal. Terry Kennedy, Hugo Lennox and Sean Cribbin all scored tries, while Mark Roche kept things ticking over with the boot.
James Topping's side, who are ninth seeds in the men's side of the tournament had a quick turn-around and had to face England just a few hours after the Portugal win. However, there was no sign of fatigue as scores from Roche, Jordan Conroy and a stunning solo effort from Harry McNulty propelled Ireland to a 17-5 victory.
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Not to be outdone, the women's side held up their end of the bargain and romped to a 24-12 win over Brazil in Cape Town to ensure a flawless start to the tournament for the Irish. Tries from Lucy Mulhall, Beibhinn Parsons and a double from Amee-Leigh Murphy Crowe secured Aiden McNulty's charges a place in the last eight.
Both sides have their quarter-finals on Saturday. The women's team face a daunting task as they take on number two seeds New Zealand at 7:05 pm Irish time, while the men's side face off against top seeds South Africa at 9:33 pm Irish time.
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