Paris 2024: Hugo Keenan set for rugby sevens Olympic switch
Rugby star Hugo Keenan is set to miss Ireland’s two-Test series against world champions South Africa this summer and will instead join the Irish Sevens team at the Paris Olympics.
The Leinster full-back, who previously played Sevens before transitioning to 15s, is anticipated to be part of the Ireland squad for next week’s leg of the World Sevens Series in Madrid.
Before that, the 27-year-old is likely to feature for Leinster in Saturday’s Investec Champions Cup final against Toulouse in London after returning from injury to face Ulster last week.
Keenan might also join the Sevens squad for the Rugby Europe 7s Championship in Croatia in June but could return for the latter stages of the United Rugby Championship playoffs if Leinster advances that far. The Ireland Sevens squad for the matches in Madrid is expected to be announced early next week.
Before making significant progress with Leinster and the Irish XV’s team, Keenan was part of the Ireland Sevens program from 2017 to 2019. His achievements since then include earning 39 caps, establishing himself as the preferred full-back for both province and country.
“No, like, it would be very cool to do,” Keenan told Irish sports network RTE Sport in November. “I obviously loved my time with the Sevens, I did two and a half, three years with them. It’s exciting for Dupont and the lads to do it, but I’m back with Leinster. My big target this year is that European Cup, and yeah, I’m just focusing on that.”
Last year, David Nucifora, outgoing performance director of the Irish Rugby Football Union, mentioned the possibility of contracted players from each province getting the opportunity to represent the Ireland Sevens Olympic team.
Currently, there are no Ulster players in the Sevens squad, although Ulster wing Robert Baloucoune previously indicated that he had been part of an extended Sevens squad, but he did not provide further details.
Expressing his thoughts on representing Ireland at the Paris Games, Baloucoune previously stated that it would be “special.” France captain Antoine Dupont is contributing to his country’s Olympic bid, while Wallabies skipper Michael Hooper is striving to make Australia’s Sevens squad.
The Olympic Sevens men’s tournament is scheduled to take place at Stade de France in Paris from 24 until 27 July.