Ireland's Sevens teams did not enjoy a successful weekend in Hamilton, with the men finishing in 12th spot and the women winning their final match against Scotland to secure 11th place.
A last-gasp Megan Burns try ensured Ireland Women's Sevens concluded their New Zealand weekend on a high note with a hard-fought 26-19 victory over Brazil at the FMG Stadium Waikato.
With the sides locked at 19-19 on the final hooter, 19-year-old Burns proved to be the match-winner for Ireland as she broke through the Brazilian defence to hand Stan McDowell's side two ranking points to add to their HSBC Women’s World Sevens Series tally.
Ireland concluded the pool stages with a narrow loss to Spain earlier on Sunday morning, despite enjoying periods of sustained possession, and they now head into next weekend’s fifth leg in Sydney off the back of a win, albeit it in the 11th place play-off.
Their male counterparts lost their own 11th place play-off to Scotland.
Terry Kennedy's brace and another Jordan Conroy try, the winger's 14th of the campaign, wasn’t enough for Ireland as they slipped to a 24-19 defeat, meaning Eddy’s charges finish the weekend in 12th position.
Ireland started the day harbouring ambitions of qualifying for the semi-finals from Pool C but Canada’s win over Spain, coupled with a narrow 17-7 loss to France, meant they dropped down to the ranking play-offs and the tournament ultimately ended in defeat for the Billy Dardis-led side.
The women's team sit 10th in the standings with 13 points after four rounds, with New Zealand top on 76 points - winning today on home soil, to add to tournament victories in Cape Town and Dubai.
New Zealand also top the men's standings on 63 points after three rounds, their win in Hamilton following on from a win in Cape Town and a second place finish in Dubai. Ireland are 11th on 22 points.
