Blackrock College Rugby season 2016 2017 by Rooney Media

Season 2016 / 2017

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Message from the President On behalf of Blackrock College R.F.C. I am pleased to welcome all our visiting teams, players, supporters, referees and guests. I am sure you will find us a most friendly and sociable club. As a visitor you will notice the developments that have taken place in Stradbrook - a new gym, floodlights, a terrific playing surface and the current construction of new medical facilities, ice baths and changing rooms. All of this has been achieved as a result of many hours of hard work by the Executive Commitee and Declan Carroll. These new facilities have greatly enhanced the enjoyment for players and members alike. May I take this opportunity to congratulate and give our best wishes to four illustrious players of the club. Ian Madigan, a member of the Ireland World Cup squad and now leaving Leinster to join Bordeaux. Luke Fitzgerald, a hugely exciting player for Leinster, Ireland and the Lions who, unfortunately, has had to retire due to injury. AJ McGinty, who starred for the U.S.A., won the PRO12 with an outstanding Connacht side and is now with Sale in the English Premiership. We also mark the retirement of Shannon Houston, a stalwart of the club since 2004 winning 32 Ireland XV caps, 14 Ireland 7’s caps and Captain of Ireland 7’s for the 2013/14 season in the World Series. Fortunately Shannon is continuing her involvement with the club in an advisory role and as an S&C coach. I wish to thank them for their contribution to the club and to the sport of Rugby. Go n-éirí líbh. The club is justly proud that former player and captain, Leo Cullen, is head coach of Leinster. We wish him all the best for the season. Whilst the disappointment of relegation to 2A was a blow to the Club I feel confident that we can bounce back judging by the enthusiasm and commitment shown in the pre-season. We did indeed have success on the pitch last season with three pieces of silverware: the Women’s team won the Leinster Cup, the J1’s won their league and the Div 8 team won the Gerry Maher Cup. Congratulations to all concerned. To our Head Coach Billy Ngawini, all our other coaches, team captains, managers and players from Minis to 1st XV I extend the club’s gratitude for your dedication and commitment. I wish you all a safe and successful season. We are in the second year of a successful ground sharing agreement with Cabinteely F.C.

and I have thoroughly enjoyed watching Friday night soccer in Stradbrook. I would like to extend our best wishes to the Bridge Club and its president Sarann Doyle for the coming year. Congratulations to Brian O’Neill, a former member of the Club Executive, who has taken up the role of President of the Blackrock College Past Pupils Union. The club is always mindful of and grateful for the support of the College community, the Union and the College principal Alan McGinty. Club Rugby would not survive without the goodwill and unstinting work of volunteers and of course the support of Sponsors. To our main sponsors Sherry Fitzgerald, Sika and all our other Sponsors I extend my sincere thanks for your continuing support. May I offer the Clubs heartfelt sympathies and appreciation to the family of former Secretary and President Barry O’Keeffe who sadly past away at the end of last season. To former President Austin McMahon who lost his wife Sally, who was steeped in Blackrock Rugby, being a sister of two former Presidents, John Cranﬁeld and the late Pat Cranﬁeld. Ar Dheis Dé go raibh a n-anamacha dhílís. In the forthcoming season our primary aim is to achieve promotion to Division 1B with the 1st XV and to emulate or better our three cups of last season. We will continue to improve our facilities in order to provide an attractive environment for all players from Minis to 1st XV. Our Mini boys and girls continue to thrive. Last year we established a Youths section as a valuable addition to the Club’s rugby structures and we wish all the many coaches, managers and parents every success this coming season. Finally I wish to sincerely thank members for honouring me with the Presidency of this great Club and I assure you that I will do my utmost to live up to its proud traditions. Looking forward to meeting all of you at Stradbrook during the season. David Boyd.

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Message from the Club Player/ Coach It is a privilege to be involved with Blackrock College RFC, a club and area that has a long and rich history of success with Rugby. With a lot of key players returning and new players adding depth to the squad, this season is shaping to be a positive one in the step to returning to Div.1B. Our preseason has seen the introduction to the clubs first ever Sevens team with only a handful of trainings on board still resulting in semifinal qualifications. As well as this the club has also added touch rugby to its program competing in the IRFU organized competition held at Donnybrook. The newly developed pitches will add a bonus to home games to allow for the exciting running rugby the club has been focusing on implementing in the off season. I would like to wish everyone from the minis to the seniors the best of luck for this season and to extend the warmest of welcomes to all new members and supporters to the club, including players and supporters from all visiting teams this season. Kia Ora, Billy Ngawini

Message to Blackrock College RFC from Stephen Hilditch, President, IRFU Many congratulations to David Boyd on his election as club President for the 2016-’17 season. I am delighted to extend my best wishes to him and all members and players of Blackrock College RFC. Across all the team grades, I hope you derive every enjoyment and success throughout your busy season. Following your relegation to Division 2A, I have no doubt about the ambitions of your senior team in the 27th staging of the Ulster Bank League, for which the IRFU advise clubs of some new initiatives, having considered feedback from senior clubs and responses to a player survey. Following its successful introduction last season, the remodeled structure of ﬁve divisions of 10 teams, playing home and away, culminating in promotional and relegation play-offs; will remain in place until at least the end of the 2017-‘18 season. Furthermore, so as to enhance the intensity of games in Division 1A and 1B, the number of fully contracted players in the match day panel may increase to a maximum of four, of which two can be forwards, and there will continue to be no restrictions on Development and Academy player participation.. These decisions are introduced in line with the Union’s desire to further develop the status and attractiveness of Ireland’s premier interclub championship. Bear in mind that it is our collective determination that our club game endures as the bedrock of Irish rugby. Naturally, the professional game is the shop window, but your Union Committee is steadfast in its resolve that the grassroots will always be the spine. To that end the IRFU has allocated a further €1.2 million Euros to the domestic game for the 2016-’17 season. This brings the total investment 4

in grassroots rugby to over €10 million Euros, representing a 23% increase in the domestic game budget since 2015. In a further boost for clubs, the Union is delighted that again this season it will put in place the popular Your Club Your Country Grand Draw, in association with Ulster Bank. Last season the programme raised €580,000 for the 137 clubs who participated, bringing to over €3 million Euros the amount raised by clubs across the Island. On behalf of the IRFU, I also warmly acknowledge Ulster Bank for their greatly appreciated partnership in the IRFU’s Community rugby programme. Its wide and popular activities, of which the Ulster Bank League is a key element, also includes sponsorship of the Ulster Bank Bateman Cup; the Irish Club international team; the Ulster Bank League Awards, plus the Ulster Bank RugbyForce initiative, the Community volunteer project which helps rugby clubs to improve their facilities. Meantime, best wishes to all at Stradbrook. Stephen Hilditch. President – IRFU 2016/2017.

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Message from the Leinster Branch President As President of Leinster Rugby, I am delighted to contribute a few words for your Club’s programme. May I start by congratulating your President David Boyd on his election to ofﬁce this season, I hope he has a very enjoyable year. I know that last season did not end happily for the club with relegation in the Ulster Bank All Ireland League, however I am sure that your coach Billy Ngwaini and your committee will be targeting a swift return to Division 1B. As Leinster’s sole representative in Division 2A this season, I wish you every success in achieving this goal. Winning Division 2 of the Metro League and gaining promotion and also winning Division 8 of the Meto League were both notable achievements for the club and bode well for your future. And I would like to congratulate your womens team on their success in their Cup. Your club has a vibrant youth and mini section and this is a great achievement on your behalf and bodes well for your future as these young men and women start coming through your system and onto the adult teams. Of course none of this is possible without all the volunteers who give of their time so freely. I thank you for this and hope you will stay involved for many years to come. I know all rugby supporters are looking forward to Irelands international ﬁxtures this season, especially the two matches with New Zealand, and I know that we all will wish the Irish team the best of luck in their campaign. For Leinster Rugby this season brings new challenges as we hope for a successful campaign in both the Guinness PRO12 and the European Rugby Champions Cup. The addition of Sir Graham Henry to the coaching ticket in a short term advisory capacity has increased the buzz around the team. Leo Cullen and his coaching team have worked hard during the off season and so hopefully we will all see the 6

fruits of their labour on the pitch this season. The ‘Boys in Blue’ will need all our support this season, so please lend your support to the team. They really appreciate the support they receive and I know that you will all wish Leo, who is one of your own, and the team every success this season. I would like to take this opportunity to thank Ben Underwood, your previous Leinster Branch Representative and Chairman of the Professional Game Board, for all his efforts and the contribution he has made to Leinster Rugby. I would like to welcome your new Branch Representative, Declan Gardner and I look forward to working with him in the coming year. Enjoy your rugby. Frank Doherty President Leinster Rugby

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Message from Ulster Bank The 2015/2016 Ulster Bank League was yet another nail-biting season, full of exciting and enthralling matches with the Division 1A final being played at the Aviva Stadium again this year, a fitting celebration of the club game in Ireland. Now it’s the time of the year when thoughts turn to new beginnings as teams across the country prepare for a new season ahead. Ulster Bank are delighted to be celebrating our seventh season as Official Community Rugby Partner to the IRFU, which includes the title sponsorship of the All-Ireland Club League and the Irish Club International team. As many of you know, local rugby clubs and club players are the lifeblood of the grassroots game and without it Irish rugby wouldn’t be the standard it is today. Each week players, coaches and volunteers dedicate their time and efforts to ensure that rugby continues to thrive across all levels and each year we continue to be impressed and inspired by the passion we see. Over the past seven years we have supported grassroots rugby delivering meaningful help to clubs in our community with our Ulster Bank RugbyForce initiative and, more recently, the Ulster Bank ‘Drop Kick for your Club’ which took place at the Division 1A final in May. Make sure to follow us on our Facebook page www.facebook.com/ulsterbankrugby and on Twitter @UlsterBankRugby to keep up to date with all our initiatives and see how your club can get involved. The Ulster Bank League Awards continue to grow each year and we are delighted to say that they will be returning for a 5th year. The awards recognise the commitment shown by players, coaches and teams, across all Ulster Bank League divisions and we look forward to celebrating their achievements again next year. Ulster Bank is dedicated to the future of Irish rugby and we are looking forward to another outstanding period in club rugby, which no doubt will lead to a fantastic final next May. As clubs around the country get ready to kick off the new season, on behalf of everyone at Ulster Bank, I want to say good luck to all involved.

Maeve McMahon Director of Customer Experience and Products Ulster Bank

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J2 League Success and Promotion The past season marked a massive achievement Blackrock College 2nd XV that, despite commitment from a core group of players and management the season before, struggled to put a team on the park for many fixtures. The foundations were laid in the League Cup, beating Old Belvedere and Barnhall setting a good base for the rest of the season culminating in winning the Metro Division 2 final. Despite some late season injuries to senior players – obviously disappointing for those affected – the team, with support of family, friends and many of the wider senior squad, sealed a great win. The final, won against Naas with an 18-16 score line in front of one of the biggest crowds of the season, ended a drought at that level of competition dating back for many years and also confirmed promotion to Division 1 for the coming season.

The team management concentrated on creating a team environment focused on the senior squad values on Unity, Discipline and Relentlessness, and also one where the players enjoyed just playing rugby for their mates, which translated onto some great results on the pitch. The great attitude of the players could not be summed up better than after the ﬁnal, when Luke Hickey gave his winners medal to team captain Gav Bolger who was not able to take part in the ﬁnal due to being injured late in the season. The season ahead will be a big step up in competition, with the team competing with some of the best 2nd XV’s in the country (Terenure, UCD, Lansdowne, Old Belvedere, St Mary’s, Old Wesley and Clontarf) but by building on the levels set in the previous season the players will ensure the team is successful.

Back Row: Rory McEvoy, Ritchie Marsh, Luke Hickey, Job Langbroek, Darren Westman, David Godfrey, Billy Glynn Middle Row: Clinton Arblaster (Manager), Keith Lumsden, Ryan Fisher, Paul Huntly, David Walsh, Petey McCague, Hugh Evans, Chris Sastre, Chris Stack Marko Fallon (Bag Man) Front Row: Taram Davis (Coach), Dave Kilgallen, Joe Scott-Lennon (VC), Gav Bolger (C), Daniel Barnett (VC), Brain Colclough, Steve Harbott (Coach) Absent: Danny O’Sullivan, Jan Simon-Byrne, Kelvin Leahy, Tristan Bradley, Alex Walsh, Hugo Harbinson, James Tate, Cian McGinley, Mark Gribben, Paddy Carrol, Tom Cooke, Daryl Charmant Dunne, Jack Kelly

AIL Fixtures 2016/2017 Men’s AIL Fixtures - Division 2A 2016

2017

Saturday 17th September v. Galway Corinthians RFC

Home

Saturday 24th September v. Sundays Well

Away

Saturday 1st October v. Banbridge

Away

Saturday 8th October v. Belfast Harlequins

Home

Saturday 29th October v. Cashel RFC

Away

Saturday 5th November v. Highﬁeld

Home at 2pm

Saturday 12th November v. Queens University

Away

Saturday 26th November v. Malone

Home

Saturday 3rd December v. Nenagh Ormond

Away

Saturday 21st January v. Nenagh Ormond

Home

Saturday 28th January v. Malone

Away

Saturday 11th February v. Queens University

Home

Saturday 18th February v. Highﬁeld

Away

Saturday 4th March v. Cashel RFC

Home

Saturday 11th March v. Belfast Harlequins

Away

Saturday 25th March v. Banbridge

Home

Saturday 8th April v. Sundays Well

Home

Saturday 15th April v. Galway Corinthians RFC

Away

All Saturday Kick-offs at 2.30pm except Saturday 5th November v. Highﬁeld @ 2pm

Womens AIL Fixtures - Division 1 2016

2017

Sunday 11th September v. Old Belvedere

Away

Sunday 18th September v. St. Marys College

Home

Sunday 25th September v. Cooke

Away

Sunday 9th October v. Railway Union

Home

Sunday 16th October v. Galwegians

Away

Sunday 23rd October v. UL Bohemians

Away

Saturday 5th November v. Highﬁeld

Home at 4pm

Sunday 20th November v. Highﬁeld

Away

Sunday 15th January v. UL Bohemians

Home

Sunday 22nd January v. Galwegians

Home

Sunday 12th February v. Railway Union

Away

Sunday 19th February v. Cooke

Home

Sunday 5th March v. St. Marys College

Away

Sunday 26th March v. Old Belvedere

Home

All Sunday Kick-offs at 1pm except Saturday 5th November v. Highﬁeld at 4pm

Women’s Season Cup Success Old Belvedere and long away trips to Belfast and Highfield to mention just a few. Shortly before the Christmas break, Boh’s traveled from Limerick to beat the Blackrock women at home in Stradbrook and end their unbeaten streak. This meant that ‘Rock would face Old Belvedere in the semi-final having finished second in the table to Old Belvedere’s third. Belvo beat Blackrock in a semi that went right down to the wire and set up the AIL final between Old Belvedere and UL Bohemian’s. Old Belvedere emerged victorious.

Blackrock Women’s Season Report 2015/2106 After an intense pre-season under new head coach Ian Smith and captain Karla Dunne, Blackrock women’s ﬁrst team began their season and All Ireland League campaign in earnest with a seven-game unbeaten streak. These included a 1-point victory in poor weather conditions over eventual champions

It was also the eventual champions, this time Galweigans, who knocked Blackrock out of the All-Ireland Cup competition at the semi-final stage, but not before ‘Rock became Leinster Cup Champion beating old rivals Railway Union in a gruelling final. The J1’s had their best season so far, reaching the semi finals of the league and the plate. The many new players slotted effortlessly into the

team. The heart and dedication players put in, week in week out, was seen in the many hard fought victories throughout the year. The season was punctuated with highs and lows. Highs included Jaemie Deacon lining out for her ﬁrst international 15s cap in the Ireland women’s ﬁrst Autumn international. Katie Norris was also involved in the Ireland

Unfortunately, a leg injury forced Debbie O’ Connor into retirement in November, and a jaw injury sustained in January ruled Tania Rosser out of the rest of the season. Both of their presences on the pitch were sorely missed.

15s set up while Jaemie Deacon, Shannon Hueston, Katie Fitzhenry and Aoife Tyrell were all involved in the Irish women’s 7s. Several of the girls played for Leinster this season in a campaign that was, again, just sort of success. These were Karla Dunne, Mairéad Holohan and Jeamie Deacon. Amy O’ Neill has made an unbelievable recovery from her Ill health to play for Ulster and Blackrock and powerlift for her country all within a few short months. Congratulations all! The Blackrock 7s programme has continued to thrive under the leadership of Aoife Tyrell. The team won Athlone 7s in the City and were runners up at Kinsale 7s.

After a successful season here’s to a 2016/ 2017 where we may welcome more new players, continue our winning ways, and win even more silverware. 15

Womens Tour to Ibiza players. It was an amazing opportunity but tough lesson learned to play against such a team. To round up the day the Hippies were up again next where the ladies found redemption and were able to showcase their skills with a few scores which the crowd duly appreciated!! (24-0) the team had finally got the hang of the structure, pace and physicality of the game! The last day of the tournament started earlier in the Ibiza heat with the Signals up first on the main pitch at 4pm. The team had coped well with the heat thus far and today was no different, the ladies started really strong. The win over Signals (20-0) set up a final versus the Moody Cows on the main pitch later in the evening. To close out the season the Blackrock Ladies participated in the Rugby Spy Ibiza 10’s competition. This is an elite three day competition held at the Estadio Cas Misses, Ibiza.

The team understood the task at hand given that our only loss of the tournament was against the Moody Cows. Unfortunately it wasn’t to be, with the Cows running out winners of Ibiza 10s 2016.

This is the first time that the ladies took part in a 10s competition and was a step away from the usual 7s tours. The team adapted slowly to the revised set up, clinching 2 wins on the first day against the Tilburg Hippies(12-10), a Dutch team and the Royal Corps of Signals (32-0), the combat support arm of the British Army. On Day 2 first up was the Moody Cows, a team compiling of Current and ex International However runners up in the Elite section of Ibiza 10’s is something the team is very proud of. The team would like to thank Amy O’Neill for all the work that she put into organising the tournament for the team and of course the amazing tour kit she designed herself. And also our home away from home Shenanigans pub, Ibiza! Here’s to next year!! 17

Women Stars for Ireland 7’s Irish 7s Stars Hail From Stradbrook The Ireland Women’s 7s high performance squad which is now based between the Aviva Stadium, Lansdowne RFC and DCU is supported by the Irish Sports Council to identify players with Olympic potential. Since 2013, the programme has been building towards the development of a team that would help in its bid to represent Ireland at the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro. Unfortunately, the Irish women’s Road to Rio has come to an end after the final spot for qualification to the Olympics was claimed by Spain at the World Rugby Olympic Sevens Repechage at UCD on June 25th & 26th. Knocked out in the semi-final by Russia but finishing third overall, the Ireland Women went from the disappointment of missing out on Olympic qualification to the joy of securing their World Series status for next season, which is vital to the continued development of this team. Two of Blackrock’s very own, Shannon Houston and Katie Fitzhenry, have represented the Irish Women’s 7s side on the World Rugby Women’s Sevens Series circuit, competing in warmer climates across the globe such as Sao Paulo, Amsterdam, Dubai and Sydney. They have been stalwarts of the development of Irish women’s 7s and we’d like to congratulate them on all they have achieved on their journey – we’re all tremendously proud here at Stradbrook. Shannon Houston Born and raised in Victoria, British Columbia, Shannon Houston made the move from Canada to Ireland in 2004 to study and pursue a career in medicine. Shannon joined the women’s side in Blackrock in 2005/2006 and has added so much value to the team – from an outstanding player and pitch-side medical 18

assistance, to positive supporter and inspiring coach when needed! Impressing as a strong running centre, Shannon earned her first cap with Ireland XVs at the World Cup against France in 2006 and collected an impressive 32 caps, before she made the switch to the Sevens programme in 2013. With quite a few girls coming from hockey, GAA or athletics backgrounds, Shannon proved her wealth of experience, game sense and knowledge in captaining the Irish 7s side at numerous tournaments. She will always be known as an outstanding player possessing exceptional leadership qualities and an ultimate commitment to the sport. Follow Shannon on Twitter and continue to show her your support @houstonshan1 Katie Fitzhenry Katie Fitzhenry has also played with Ireland in both Sevens and the 15-a-side game. A Wexford native, Katie first picked up a rugby ball in secondary school and has been a champion of the game ever since. Katie was one of the founding members of the women’s team in Wexford Wanderers before joining the women’s side here in Blackrock College RFC in 2012. Katie first experienced representative success when she was selected to line out for Leinster in 2012. In 2013, Katie made her debut on the Ireland women’s sevens side and has become a wellestablished player on the high performance squad squad of 22 players. During the 2015 Six Nations Campaign, Katie got the call up to win her first Irish XVs cap in the Ireland V France home test playing in the centre position.

At present, Katie continues to invest tremendous time and effort in training 5 days per week with the Irish 7s setup, where her regular position here is as hooker. She continues to grow as a player, both physically and mentally, and we know she has everything in her to achieve great things in the green jersey.

Earning her ﬁrst cap with the Ireland XVs in 2015’s Autumn test against old rivals England and getting a call up to train with the 7s squad, we hope to see more of Jeamie in the Irish jersey next season when competing in the IRB World Series. Follow Jeamie on Twitter and show your support @jeamiedeacon

Follow Katie on Twitter and show her your support @katieﬁtz234 Jeamie Deacon Jeamie Deacon is one of Blackrock’s and Ireland’s newest recruits. Crossing over to rugby from hockey and joining Blackrock in 2014/2015, Jeamie is progressing through the ranks at a considerable rate.

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Chairman’s Statement for BCRFC Programme for Season 2016/17 Thanks again to everyone for their support and hard work last season. Players, coaches, physios, members, Conor Cleary and his team, John Mackay in the bar, the Executive and, of course, our sponsors all helped to keep us moving forward. It is great to see silverware back in the cabinet. Many teams and particularly the Ladies did extremely well.Well done and thanks. The 1sts came so close to staying up and their never say die attitude was magniﬁcent. We will focus efforts and resources on promotion this season. We will have to travel for more matches and so we ask for as much support as possible at the away matches. Your support could make all the difference! We say goodbye to Emmet Farrell and wish him well. We wish our new senior coach Billy Ngwaini and the new Chair of senior rugby, Larry Macken and their team all the best for the new season. Our excellent relationship with Cabinteely FC continues and you will see that we have a truly ﬁrst class playing surface on the main pitch after the soccer during our off season. We continue to invest in facilities and equipment and Conor Cleary has sent out details of the new machinery purchased. An upgrade of the Changing Rooms and Showers is also planned to complete the Gym area project to the highest standards Integration with the minis and youths continues and the next phase is to work on a strategic plan for the next 5 years for the club and a group under the chairmanship of Carole Ann Clarke is due to present a draft plan shortly to the Executive. We are operating in an ever changing rugby world and the relationship of the amateur game to the professional game is not yet fully settled and is an ongoing issue and no doubt will be a continuing challenge for the club. Your Executive is looking forward to continuing to build on improving governance and to have as many players as possible enjoy the wonderful game of rugby in a vibrant, united and enjoyable club. We need more members. Please recruit just one member each and we will double our membership! Best of luck to all for the season and thanks again to all of you for your support. Frank O’ Riordan Chairman

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AJ McGintys Incredible Rugby Season My last match with the club was a memorable win against Old Belvo at home in 2012, and also the first time I would play with my cousin Gonzo (David Gannon)! As much as I enjoyed that day, I felt quite sad as I bid farewell to my club, teammates and coaches to embark on an adventure in the US. I’ve always been a bit of a dreamer but I could never have imagined the year just passed. It is true when people say “anything is possible”. From May 2015 to June 2016 has been the most incredible experience of my life. What a journey it has been not only figuratively but also in terms of distance travelled with games in Uruguay, Argentina, California, Toronto, Vancouver, Ontario, Philadelphia, Chicago, England, Ireland, Scotland, Wales, France, Italy and even the coldest professional rugby game of all time at temperatures of -20 in Siberia. I went in to my first camp in February 2015 with the USA Domestic Team and fortunately the highs kept coming. I made my international debut in San Jose against Samoa last July,

then two wins over the USA’s biggest rivals Canada, playing Australia in the Chicago Bears football stadium and playing in a World Cup are lifetime experiences alone. To then sign my first professional contract with Connacht, beat Munster in Thomond, back to back sell out wins over Glasgow in the Sportsground and then being part of the first Connacht team to win the Pro 12 in Murrayfield. It brings a massive smile to my face as I’m writing this!

My next challenge lies in the premiership with Sale Sharks next season and I am really excited for this opportunity. I’ve had a taste of success and I want more. I want to wish the club all the best this season and as always I will be keeping an eye on results. The best part of my college years were spent down there; playing with the 20’s under the guidance of Mick Hearty, Greg Mc, Deccy Smith (my advisor/abuser!!), Claffo who we won the McCorry Cup with in 2010, Freddy Connolly, Uncle Mungo, Mark Fallon, Freddy Corr, O’Leary and my little brother Mark!! A long list of funny memories. Finally I want to thank all the members for the support over the past 12 months and also my time playing in the club. Alan McGinty 23

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Chairman Rugby (Senior) Committee It is a pleasure to welcome you here this afternoon to Stradbrook. We in Blackrock College RFC are very proud of our club facilities which now include state of the art gymnasium, ﬂoodlights on the top pitch and three of the ﬁnest grass pitches in the country. We now share our top pitch with Cabinteely FC during the summer months and Cabinteely do a tremendous job in keeping it in pristine condition. We will shortly be opening our new shower block facility complete with new showers, ice baths, medical/physiotherapy room and new changing rooms. Our thanks yet again to Declan Carroll for undertaking this massive project.

On the rugby front our First xv ﬁnd themselves again in 2a AIL which came down to the ﬁnal kick in the last game of the season. Tough to take but we regroup and move on. The Second XV gained promotion to Metro Division 1 after a very successful and enjoyable season. My thanks to Steve, Taram and Clinton for overseeing this group and for agreeing to continue in their respective roles for this season. The First XV will again be managed by Undy and Jacko continues on as Director of Rugby. Jacko as always will make sure that the season will not be boring.!!! I would like to take this opportunity to welcome to our club, Billy Ngawini, our new head player coach and wish him and his back up coaches every success for the year. Billy will be supported by Shane Cahill who will look after strength and conditioning while also coaching the forwards. Mark Fallon continues as kit manager. Our mission for this season is to get promoted to Division 1b again and for the Second XV to maintain Division 1 status. My thanks to all our committed club members, volunteers and club sponsors without whose help we would not be able to function. I would encourage all club members to support club sponsors where possible. I wish our new club President, David Boyd, every possible success for the season ahead and I hope he has as much fun in his year as President as I did in mine. I hope you have a great day in Stradbrook and have the time to enjoy our facilities both on and off the pitch. Larry Macken

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Executive Committee 2016/2017

01. Frank Oâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;Riordan Chairman 02. David Boyd President 03. Alan McLean Treasurer

Photos courtesy of Rock Photography

04. Robert Dobbyn Secretary 05. James Scott-Lennon Vice President 06. Shay Taaffe House & Grounds

07. Kristi Kurg Rep. Mini/Youth Rugby / Membership 08. John Quirke Rep. Mini Rugby

Best Wishes to Blackrock College RFC! and Continuing Success to the Ladies and Mens Teams!

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Mini & Youth Season 2015 / 2016

Once again a phenomenally busy season was had around our increasingly busier Mini & Youth Rugby sections. This season was one we should all be very proud of in my humble opinion. I spoke at the beginning of the season about the burgeoning growth of our Youth Rugby section and I have to open by saying how proud the whole club should be of the immense effort, hard work, talent and most importantly team and club spirit developed by our entire Youth section!!

At U13’s we brought the largest group the club has ever seen to graduate through from Mini Rugby to Youth Rugby. Our U13’s consistently fielded two squads all year, represented the club brilliantly in a really tough league with the boys first time being introduced to league competitive structures, a 15 man game and a whole new focus on positional awareness and position specific development in essentially a brand new game. 32

I couldn’t possibly overstate how challenging and potentially daunting a prospect it is (albeit exciting) for a young 11 or 12 year old to step out of Mini Rugby and into the realms of a full 15 man game over the course of one summer break and hats off to both squads for how well they did in developing, learning, adapting and competing in their fixtures and most especially for the phenomenal display of rugby they put on during their end of season tour to Biarritz against the French in their own back yard to beat them so convincingly! We look forward to welcoming all back to continue their development through Youth rugby for Season 2016/17. Our boys at U14/15 once again kept the candle lit for youth rugby development at the club and ensured their squad remained competitive, involved, learning and developing, which is a phenomenal achievement at such a challenging age level for player retention for all sorts of reasons. Congratulations to all and again, we hope that all continue in growth and development with the club through the Youth section in Season 2016/17. The breakthrough of getting up to 40 different boys involved at U17 and U18 and not just putting two squads through the Leinster Schools leagues, but finishing within the top two in both and competing admirably in what seemed an infinite number of cups and other knock out competitions is a huge testament to the organisers at that particular age group. It’s been an amazing success story

and once again competed brilliantly with each other and for each other against some hugely difﬁcult opponents in what is a true ﬂagship Mini’s tournament around Europe.

and one we are delighted to see being repeated this year with a huge number of boys coming back to the club and some joining the club fresh at U17 once again for Season 2016/17. Our Mini season was as ever a massively busy year. We held a fantastic tournament at U11 and U12 in the annual tradition of commemorating one of our club boys who died tragically at a very young age, Eric O’Connor. The annual Eric O’Connor tournament once again was a huge success with over 24 teams playing being hosted between the two age groups. Our U10, U11 and U12 groups went on tour this year. Our U10’s had a wonderful trip to Wilmslow. I had the pleasure of going along as a spectator and the stand out match of the year across the club for me was watching one of our U10 teams put together an extraordinary display of skill, effort, heart and technical ability way beyond their years in the opening game of the tournament. They went on to do fantastically well and all the three squads represented the club so well, playing every game with heart, effort and most importantly of all brilliant sportsmanship and with a great team attitude, helping each other out through every game and every play regardless of the results. Our U11’s reported a season topping performance by their sides at the London Irish tournament also

Our U12’s extended tour by all accounts sounded like a very difﬁcult task for the parents involved who had to travel all the way to the balmy heat of Biarritz and go surﬁng, climbing, zip wiring and apparently the kids got to have some fun whilst there also! The U12 boys also it seems saved their best till last in terms of the season and played brilliantly whilst at Biarritz and we do hope we see as many of those boys as possible back again to develop into the 15 man Youth structure with Blackrock College RFC for Season 2016/17.

As ever, none of the above is possible without an amazing effort by so many who give of their time to volunteer. Alas, my time “at the helm” as Chairman is over and I would like to thank so many for all the support provided during my time involved both at the club, on the Executive and whilst taking over as Chair. I wish this new season’s Executive the very best of luck and absolutely give my support in any way I can. I am looking forward to seeing new faces and fresh perspective and directions come in to build on the compound progress this great club section makes year on year thanks to the efforts and contributions of all who volunteer in any capacity. As ever, there are never enough volunteers, so please do put your hand up to support in any way you can for this new season ahead. Aidan Finn, Chairman Minis & Youths. 33

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Message from President PPU Cabinteely FC. The club’s ladies teams are amongst the strongest in the country producing numerous internationals in recent years while the mini section with over 500 players is one of the biggest in the country. The recent growth of the youth section offer boys and girls at all levels from both local rugby and non rugby playing schools the opportunity to play both fun and competitive rugby. In summary the club offer something to a wide cross section of active sport people in addition to local spectators.

As President of the Blackrock College Union, which engages with the 13,500 living past pupils of Blackrock Colleges, it gives me great please to write this message of support to Blackrock College RFC for 2016/17. As an active member of Blackrock College RFC and a former committee member, I have been delighted to witness the significant development of the club across a number of areas in recent years. The infrastructure of the club has been significantly developed including the new flood lights, the gym and the forthcoming new dressing rooms. Playing number have increased greatly in recent years and while the Blackrock College RFC remains a core part of the Blackrock College community, it has now developed into a truly community based sport club featuring mini boys and girls players from the ages of 6 all the way up to 40+ tag rugby players plus a developing relationship with

The relegation of Blackrock College RFC First XV to division 2A last season was a disappointment after just one season back in 1b, but I am optimistic that with most of the squad remaining from last season, supplemented by some new recruits and younger players promoted from the U20’s, the First XV will be competitive this season and can push for promotion. From a Blackrock College Union perspective it encouraging to see more immediate past pupils joining the club in recent years in response to the improved facilities and coaching and enjoying their rugby in the club both on and off the pitch. The link between the Union and the rugby club is stronger than ever with many Past Presidents of the Union involved with the Rugby Club Executive Committee and I look forward to watching a number of league and underage matches this season. Getting sponsorship for any rugby club remains challenging and it is very encouraging to see Sherry Fitzgerald remaining as the lead sponsors of Blackrock RFC sponsors and this relationship plus the support of other sponsors will assist the club in remaining proﬁtable in the coming years. In conclusion, I would like to wish President David Boyd his hard working committee, and all the playing and non playing members of the club all the best for the coming season and hope that we will see continued success across all of the club teams and age grades this season. Regards, Brian O’Neill 35

Blackrock College Bridge Club 50 Years Young Message from the President of the Bridge Club Blackrock College Bridge Club is now in it’s 50th year. The late Paddy Gateley was the main link between the Bridge and Rugby Clubs. Paddy was President of the Rugby Club in 1972-73 and one of the founders of the Bridge Club. We play every Monday and Thursday in Stradbrook Rugby Club throughout the year. Our major bridge competitions are played from September to April.

be keenly contested again this year. Our 3 day away bridge trip will take place in March. These are only some of the activities arranged for this year.

Social Events The Bridge Club runs many social activities through out the year. The annual holiday to Italy happens in September and is organized by Kate O’Shaughnessy. We have a Golf outing to Foxrock Golf Club in October and our Annual Dinner Gala will take place in January.

This is a very special time in the Club, and it is a great honour for me to be President as we celebrate our 50th year. Since the founding of the club it has gone from strength to strength. For the past three years membership has been full. I would, on behalf of the bridge club, like to wish you every success in the year ahead.

Two bridge interclub matches against Foxrock Church Club and Elm Park Golf Club Bridge will

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The Thirds: Season Report The 2015/2016 was a season of ups and downs for the thirds. We had more than a few good laughs along the way but by the time March rolled around I think we were all looking back on what might have been! The coaching ticket is made up of myself (Faygo) (head coach), John McCallion (Manager) and Marko (kit man, physio, manager, coach and supporter) holding it all together. Our season took a dip after our blistering start out in Skerries. We suffered defeats away to Landsdowne and Wesley in our two following games, largely down to hair straightening issues from our number 10. The team soon began to gel and we really progressed over the next few games but we still suffered narrow defeats to Malahide and Dundalk (with 13 players and a hurricane) making it a one in 5 start! We ﬁnally got back to winning ways by beating St. Marys and Rathdrum in our next two games. The results were inconsistent from then until the end of the league and we ended up ﬁnishing mid table with a respectable 30 points. There was an air of disappointment around the squad as we headed into the cup as we all felt that we should have been competing for the league title.

Suttonians were our first challengers in the Moran Cup and we took the game by the scruff of the neck in a hard fought game! We feel like the defining moment of our season came with a double header league match and Moran cup quarter final tie in a Friday Night Lights game at home to Malahide in early March. We were narrowly defeated by 30 points to 28 in a pulsating encounter. A disallowed try in the corner (a penalty for an accidental trip on one of the Malahide players) for us in the last play of the game ended our season. It was probably the best game we played all year and with a few more calls going our way I could be telling you a different story about another cup winning Rock team in 2016. We would like to sincerely thank all who were involved this year and all that came down to support us or join us for a drink after the games. Although it wasn’t the most successful season, it shows improvement on our showings over the last two years and the team is growing in skill and stature. We hope to see everyone down again for next season and we would welcome anyone new who wants to come down for a rigorous pre-season trial period……or once a week training and a bit of a laugh! Faygo

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League Cup Silverware for J4’s

There is no better feeling as a coach at the end of game or a season when you know your team has given you their best. But at J4/D8 it’s different. After finishing 3rd in the previous season Lumbo’s Army were hopeful of making the League Final. A narrow defeat in the opener at home to Nure 21-19, was followed with a win in Parkmore and loss away in Malahide left us 5th in league. With only top 2 going to final. We went on a run of 4 wins before Christmas and 5 wins after to leave us in 2nd place. Away final in Nure. We started slowly in the final. After a goal line stance for the opening 10 minutes. We came away only 3 points down. We struck back with our first real break out. A chip and chase finished by Mark Godfrey. Soon after a 50 meter sprint was touched down in the corner by Conor Drury. This left the halftime score 13-3. We 40

scored another try through Rex Ingram and their penalty meant full time score 18-6. We had the League Cup. The following week we were in the same venue. As 8 of our players were at the trinity ball the night before we struggled. We were beaten 19-13. A great season for Div 8 with a trophy, promotion and a cup semi ﬁnal. Huge thanks go out to Captain Tom Taafe and All The Superstars. It was great to be in charge of a team that really worked for each other. Good Luck in Div 7

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Obituary Barry O’Keeffe It is with deep regret that we learned of the death of Barry O’Keeffe. He embodied in himself a sure philosophy of education which inculcates that, for educational purposes, young people must be regarded in their intrinsic unity of soul, intellect, will, memory and bodily facilities. This he has worked towards all his teaching life, which began in St Patrick’s Training College, Drumcondra. He was first appointed to the Callan National School, Co Kilkenny and later moved to Newbridge and Maynooth. Having studied for his B.A. and H. Dip. Ed, he switched codes and went to teach in Plás Mhuire CBS in Dublin. In 1963 he applied for a post teaching Irish and History in Blackrock College and was appointed to a permanent position by the then Dean of Studies, Fr Joseph Corless CSSp. In keeping with his principles, he soon involved himself in College life and was a very successful basketball coach for a number of years. Later he moved to coaching rugby – his “All Stars”, as he called them in his light-hearted way. In athletics he soon had a fine group of young men competing in the High Jump at provincial, national and international level. When subject departments were set up in the College he was appointed the first Head of the History Department. Exhibitions were organised, audio-visual aids were explored widely as teaching aids, as well as overhead projectors and wall charts. Barry’s own ‘spidergrams’ are a treasured memory for many ’Rockmen. Many too remember with affection his well-organised History Tours to France, Italy, Germany and Holland. Special mention has to be made of the earthquake in Valkenberg 42

(0.6 on the Richter Scale) where his first concern was for the safety of the students. In the 1980s lay staff became more and more involved in the day-to-day running of the College as lay Deans were appointed. Barry was one of the first to be appointed and was, in succession, Dean of Fifth Year, Dean of Second Year and, in latter years, Dean of Sixth Year. He brought to these posts the same sense of purpose, dedication and humanity that characterised his teaching. After official retirement he acted for a number of years as a counsellor. In the wider world outside the College Barry was a great family man sharing with his wife, Madeleine, the care and upbringing of their six children, all now well on their way in life. His love of sport is further reflected in his support of Blackrock College Rugby Football Club, of which he was President for the year 1993-94. Before that Barry was Club Secretary from 1977 to 1983 and he served a second term from 1987 to 1993, a total of 14 Rugby Seasons. Barry was also an Honorary Life Member of the Club. Barry traveled the length and breadth of the Country in support of the 1st xv and he was also a regular attendee at Stradbrook for all the Club Teams, both Men and Women. He enjoyed a game of golf too, but the abiding joy in his life was supporting the ‘black and amber’ of Kilkenny where he had deep roots: a paternal grandfather was Mayor of the city. Many past pupils have had their lives enriched by meeting Barry, as teacher, coach and dean. His colleagues too will remember him with great affection. We extend our deepest sympathy to Madeleine and the whole family.

Obituary Dave Glynn David, or (Glynner) as he was known to his Friends, was the eldest of 5 and attended Blackrock College. Whilst there he excelled in many sports, he was particularly gifted at Rugby, Table Tennis and Swimming. In fact, he won the Leinster under15 Freestyle Championships. His mother Aileen had the wisdom to provide season tickets for Blackrock Baths for all the Glynn Family. This meant that mornings and evenings were spent in the Baths, unfortunately no longer there. Many Rock men assisted in the swimming and diving coaching among them Irish International Rugby Players, Ronnie and Paddy Kavanagh, Val Demery and Billy Morrison.

On leaving school David completed his articles with the Accountancy Firm of J.K. Woods. He later moved to Kilkenny where he met his beloved wife Eilish and had 3 children. Whilst practicing accountancy there he still had time to retain his sporting interests as a prominent member of the local Tennis, Golf And Rugby Clubs. This was around the late 60s when Kilkenny men, Willie Duggan and Ned Byrne joined Blackrock College RFC and became Irish Internationals and played on the ﬁelds where David had once graced. David’s comment at the time was “I think it was a fair swap.” “Another leaf has fallen from the tree”. Beannacht De ar a Anam. Joe Kenny

Dave Glynn (left) with a scoring pass to Odran Rochford. Stradbrook Circa 1968.

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Under 20’s - Building for the Future Another very credible season for the U20s got off to a great start with a big win over Barnhall and qualiﬁcation for League Division 1. This proved to be a tough 8 team League, but wins against Belvo home and away and Buccaneers showed a real desire and great skills from a really talented squad. We pushed every other team in the League close, without getting that elusive win the team deserved. In March a thrilling McCorry Cup match against Belvo was won in extra time, which set up a semi-ﬁnal against Lansdowne. We were beaten in a great match, by a side who went on to win the Cup. Steve Lambe and Simon Rogan did a great job with the coaching and a strong backroom staff of Disco, Kipper and Conor moulded a great group of players – no easy task! Congratulations to Hugo Godson Tracey and Eoin Fanning who made their debut with the 1sts during the season. A strong core of players are coming through to the senior ranks, many more of whom will make the 1st squad.

Conor Coghlan has taken the gold watch and has passed his notes to the new 20s manager Dermot Laide. Conor will be a hard act to follow! After sterling service with the 20s Disco is jumping ship to the Ladies, explaining his decision as “it’s my last season and I want to go out with a bang”! He will be sorely missed, but we are lucky to have Kipper to fill his boots. We look forward to the forthcoming season with a keen sense of anticipation and welcome all our new recruits to the Club. We have a top class gym, floodlights and pitches and we are looking forward to a successful year. With Lamber at the helm and Niall (Woody) Morris coaching the backs, we can build on the solid foundations of the past two seasons and make the top 4 of the League and win the McCorry. Remember “success is not final, failure is not fatal, it is the courage to continue that counts”.

Under 17’s/18’s Season 2015/16

Blackrock U17s squad photo at the ﬁrst Cup Final (8th March 2016 in Suttonians)

Season 2015-16 saw Rock Youths field both an under 17 and under 18 side in league and cup competitions. The under 18s side consisted of last years under 17s who were not SCT-bound with their schools and our under 17s squad. The under 17s side was drawn mainly from Blackrock College Colts, who were in transition year. Both squads played and won their pre-Christmas leagues with ease. After Christmas Premiere Leagues were drawn up from the previous sections, we came in runners up in both leagues – the under 18s to Barnhall and the Under 17s to Clontarf. Our cup campaigns took on very different routes – our under 18s squad exiting two cup quarter finals to inferior opposition as a result of late-night parties the night before, while our under 17s reached the cup final against a very strong Clontarf side. We played Clontarf in Suttonians in early March with our regular squad- it was a fantastic battle with Clontarf owning the first half and Blackrock owning the second. With the match level with minutes to go Rock were camped on the Clontarf line, and despite going over the line on several occasions no try was awarded for their efforts. Obviously we reckoned we had grounded the ball on several occasions, and felt we had not had the rub of the green. 46

The replay was set for two weeks later in Old Belvedere. Unfortunately our squad had suffered from several injuries on school service, and several players away on foreign exchange or school trips to China, India, and Kenya. We sent out a patched-up squad who fell behind badly in the ﬁrst half. The same group of players came out in the second half and played an absolute stormer, again in the dying seconds of the game we got over the Clontarf line and fell foul to the worst ref’ing decision of the season. There was an adjudged forward pass, and no try was awarded – victory was again denied to us.

Mixed Blackrock U17s & Clontarf U17s squad photo at the ﬁrst Cup Final (8th March 2016 in Suttonians)

We would like to thank the many supporters who turned up throughout the season, and specially in the two cup ﬁnals against Clontarf. A special mention of thanks to Pappy Burke who kindly sponsored our kit. We would also like to thank all the Parents, many of whom played a pivotal role in encouraging the players and getting them to the various venues, especially after late-night revelries! We will be back in season 2016-17 with an Under 17s squad (and possibly Under 18s squad) and look forward to another successful season. On behalf of the coaches – Mike Conn, Stephen Costello, Kieran Kelly, and Sean Coughlan

Best Wishes to Blackrock College RFC P.D. Gardiner & Co. Solicitors 77 Sir John Rogersonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Quay, Dublin 2 Tel: +353-1-6766 350 Fax: +353-1-6767 827 Email: dg@pdgsolicitors.com

Rugby Action

First XV Photos courtesy of Ailbhe Coughlan

Wishes Blackrock College R.F.C. every success

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Cabinteely F.C. First Year in League of Ireland

Our successful application to join the League of Ireland completes the player pathway in the club and gives kids from the area a target to aspire towards. Last year was a historic year for the club, with our ďŹ rst season at this elite level. We took points from every team in the league,

which shows that we can be very competitive in our ďŹ rst few years. We are in the middle of an exciting 2016 season. We continue to work on improving the overall Cabinteely F.C. experience for the people of the area and our strong relationship with our friends in Blackrock R.F.C.

has seen Stradbrook become a favourite venue for away fans. Facilities are continually improving and the work by both clubs is a shining example of how sport should be. The manager and the Board have huge ambitions for Cabinteely F.C. and we are only at the start of this journey. The strategic plan for the ďŹ rst number of years is to make the project sustainable and to get systems and processes in place behind the scenes. Committees are being put together to work on all aspects of the project and this will naturally take time. Support is key to this project and we offer an open invite to our friends in Blackrock to come down and have some fun supporting their local League of Ireland football team.

We wish

Blackrock College RFC every success for the Coming Season 78-80 Upper Drumcondra Road, Dublin 9. Tel: (01) 836 0621 (10 lines) Fax: (01) 837 5195

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Player Awards Season 2015 / 2016 1st Team Player of the Year 2015/16 Sam Cooke

J1 Team Player of the Year 2015/16 Joe Scott-Lennon

J2 Team Player of the Year 2015/16 Jack Curtain

J3 Team Player

of the Year 2015/16 Michelle Claffey

Womens 2nd Team Player of the Year 2015/16 Sharon Poullain

Manager of the Year 2015/16 Clinton Arblaster

of the Year 2015/16

Coach

James Roberts

of the Year 2015/16

U20’s Player

Martin Lynch

of the Year 2015/16

Alickadoo

Connor Murray

Rossa Kelly Young Player of the Year 2015/16 Ben Mahon

Player of the Year 2015/16 Chris Stack

Womens 1st Team Player

of the Year 2015/16 Jim Drew

Merit Awards for 2015/16 Conor Coghlan Jan Simon-Byrne Jack O’Carroll

Players Awards

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Times past

Fergus Slattery Letter from the Leinster Branch IRFU c.1970 conﬁrming Fergus’ selection for Leinster to play Connacht in the Interprovincial Championship in Galway Note: Average attendance at Interpro. matches in the Amateur Rugby days was about 50, including Parents of Players and 2 dogs.

Dear Sir, Connacht v. Leinster - Galway Saturday 31st October I have pleasure in intimating you have been selected to play for Leinster in above match. Jerseys will be supplied. Have your white knicks and see your boots and laces are in good order. THE EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE HAVE DIRECTED THAT PLAYERS MUST TRAVEL AS A PARTY BY THE TRAIN (Except where a Player may be in Galway area on business). Kindly OHW PH KDYH \RXU FRQºUPDWLRQ E\ UHWXUQ post so that Train reservations can be FRQºUPHG Yours faithfully J.C.Conroy Hon. secretary Training Sessions Sunday next(25th) at College Park - 4pm Thursday 29th at Palmerston Ground, Clonskea - 7pm

Fergus Slattery, Blackrock College Leinster Ireland and the Lions.

Itinerary Friday 30th October 6.15pm Party meet Westland Row Station 6.45pm Train departs 9.45pm Arrive Galway Headquarters Ryan’s Hotel Saturday 31st October 3.15pm Match Dinner as Guests of Connacht Branch 8.35pm Depart Galway by Train 1.25am Arrive Westland Row. 61

Times past Dan “Decco” Browne was born in 1895 in Newmarket, Co. Cork from Farming stock.

He attended Rockwell College and was on the SCT Team that won the Munster Schools Cup in 1914. This was the fourth time Rockwell College won the Cup since its inauguration in 1909 after previous victories in 1910,1911 and 1912. The ﬁnal was played on 26th March 1914 against Christian Brothers College, Cork at the Mardyke and ended in a 0-0 draw.The replay was held on 7th April in the Markets Field, Limerick with the Tipperary students winning 3-0. At the Annual Rockwell College Sports Day on 14th June Decco Browne won the weight throwing event. From there he went to Blackrock College and was a student there from 1915 to 1917. Decco Browne joined Blackrock College RFC after leaving School and played for Leinster. He was capped once for Ireland, in the last match of the 5 Nations Championship in 1920. Played on Saturday 3rd April at Lansdowne Road the Irish side was beaten by France 15-7 with Decco Browne playing as Hooker. In one of his Club matches for Blackrock College in 1923 against Clontarf at Castle Avenue,only 5 players turned up for Blackrock by the time the match started. The 5 were Walter Finn (later Fr. Walter Finn), Mike Cogan, Ambrose Kelly(later to become a Bishop), Micky Ross and Decco Browne.Two more Rock men arrived later to make it seven players and they played with 4 backs and 3 forwards. Rock eventually ﬁnished with 11 Players and unbelievably won the match 13-3. The 3 forwards Walter Finn, Mick Cogan and Decco Browne were the try scorers and Ambrose Kelly kicked 2 conversions.

Decco Browne served in the Garda Siochana from its foundation in 1923 to 1956. Along with Decco 3 other members of the Garda Siochana have played Rugby for Ireland: Paddy Lawlor (12 caps 1951-1956), Mick Leahy (1 cap 1964) and Niamh Briggs (current Irish Ladies Captain). Decco Browne died at home in 1970 aged 74 and is interred in St. Maelruain Cemetry, Tallaght.” Article courtesy of Mark Fallon.

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Dates For Your Diary Club Start of Season Barbeque Sunday 18th September Stradbrook Eric O’Connor Mini Blitz Sunday 9th October Stradbrook Mass for Deceased Members Sunday 13th November 11a.m. Blackrock College Barbarians/New Zealands ‘72 Dinner Friday 18th November The Ballsbridge Hotel Club Race Day Thursday 29th December, Leopardstown Race Course.

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Bookings: Aurthur FitzPatrick: 087 2434156 Pat Finn: 087 2565935 Mini and Youths Christmas Party Saturday 17th December Stradbrook POETS Lunch Friday 27th January Killiney Castle Hotel

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Rugby Action

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New Appointments at Stradbrook Director of Rugby: Chairman Senior Rugby Committee: Representive to Leinster Branch:

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Programme Advertisers Blackrock College Rugby Football Club are very appreciative of the many friends and supporters who have taken advertising space in their annual programme, many of whom, along with other sponsors have also taken pitchside boards on our main pitch. We would urge all our members and supporters to actively support all advertisers throughout the rugby season and beyond.

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