Team Ireland players, from left, Terry Kennedy, Harry McNulty, Niall Comerford, Jordan Conroy and Gavin Mullin after defeat to Fiji in the Men’s Rugby Sevens quarter-final at the 2024 Paris Olympics. Photo by Brendan Moran/Sportsfile
The fallout from the IRFU’s highly-controversial announcement to axe Ireland men’s sevens programme has been ramped up after a group of 27 parents of current and recently retired sevens players called on the union to convene an emergency meeting to reverse their decision.
Following Wednesday’s confirmation that the IRFU is to cease the men’s sevens programme on the back of what the union claim is “part of a broader strategic effort to ensure long-term financial sustainability”, the angry parents have written a strongly-worded five-page letter that outlines several grievances.