England won the Exeter Sevens on Sunday, but Ireland's third-place finish was enough to keep them top of the overall standings.
Simon Amor's side played some of the opening day with six men to alleviate wear and tear on players ahead of the Rugby World Cup Sevens in San Francisco in two weeks' time, and the gamble paid off on the second day as England beat Ireland in the semi-finals, then Russia in the tournament showpiece at Sandy Park.
Ireland's loss in the semi-final was their first defeat throughout all of the first three tournaments. They won the first two tournaments, first in Moscow then Marcoussis, which means Sunday's victory over Portugal in the Bronze final sees them stay in top spot overall with one tournament to go.
At the end of the four-leg series, the top three non-core nations will advance to the 2019 Hong Kong Sevens qualification tournament, with a chance to become a core team in the World Sevens Series. Currently Ireland, Russia and Germany occupy those place.