Ireland face Fiji quarter-final after New Zealand loss

Zac Ward's superb solo try opened the scoring for Ireland

Ireland will face Fiji in the quarter-finals of the Paris Olympics after being edged out by New Zealand 14-12 in a thrilling final Pool A match.

Zac Ward opened the scoring for Ireland after a blistering run out wide before Jordan Conroy touched down for a 12-0 lead at half-time.

Leroy Carter responded for New Zealand before Ngarohi McGarvey-Black's converted score on the buzzer gave New Zealand the win.

The sides were locked together heading into the Pool A decider at the Stade de France, but Ireland almost made the perfect start but 15s star Hugo Keenan dropped the ball with the try line gaping.

Ward's stunning solo score was followed by another impressive try by Conroy, who was injured in the process of touching down.

Carter immediately hit back at the start of the second half, but although Ireland controlled possession they could not find a score to see the game out.

However, New Zealand grabbed their final chance when McGarvey-Black dotted down and Andrew Knewstubb landed the excellent conversion.

"We came strong and put in a first-half performance that we were looking for. We just didn’t back it up," said Ireland's Hugo Keenan.

"If it wasn’t for a few mistakes and us not taking a few crucial chances, we could have to put it to bed.

"You just can’t make silly mistakes against the top teams. There were probably too many of them. I put my hand up for one or two of them."

Ireland's last-eight match with Fiji will take place at 21:00 BST.

"We know what they are capable of," added Keenan.

"They have the experience, but we know we can compete with anyone. There is a lot of belief within the group. We just know that we will have to put in a proper full-on performance to do it.

"We are exactly where we want to be - in a quarterfinal, competing for a medal. It’s a huge opportunity."