James Topping: Hugo Keenan can make a big difference for Ireland Sevens

Ireland men's Sevens coach James Topping admits he has taken a risk by including Hugo Keenan and Andrew Smith in his squad for the upcoming Olympic Games, but he believes the pair will give his medal chasing side an 'extra impetus' in Paris this summer.

Leinster full-back Keenan and Connacht wing Smith were both included in Topping's 12-man squad for the games next month, having recently returned to the Sevens programme from their provinces.

Keenan was a particularly high-profile inclusion, with the full-back missing Leinster's BKT URC play-off run in recent weeks while he played for the Ireland Sevens team in their World Series event in Madrid, as well as the Rugby Europe Championship in Croatia.

The 28-year-old is also set to miss out on Ireland's summer tour of South Africa while he prepares for the Olympic Games later in July.

The recent addition of two contracted provincial players presented a selection headache to Topping, but the Ireland coach says he's been impressed with the reaction of his players to the two late additions.

"Probably my biggest worry was would it disrupt the team dynamic?" Topping (below) admitted. "Would there be a bit of pushback from players?

"I had no doubt around the attitude and the competence of those two players [Keenan and Smith] in playing Sevens, but my concern was there had been guys going well this year, we'd made every quarter-final in the World Series and got lots of medals this year, [though] no golds, unfortunately.

"So, there was that thought of, 'Will there be push back from a lot of players?' There wasn't.

"And then there is the thought that, if an international player like Hugo Keenan comes up to you and says, 'I'll give this a go,' it's very hard for me to say 'No, I don't want to