Irish Colleges Have It All To Play For

Irish Colleges Rugby Union V English Students Preview.

Irish Colleges Team V English Students

Date: Friday 14th March 2008

Venue: Henley Rugby Club, Oxfordshire. Kick-off 8pm

The defeat by England Students over the Scottish Universities, by 42 pts to nil on Friday last, will certainly be very much in the mind of the Irish Colleges side when they take to the field for their final match in the Four Nations Students Rugby Tournament, on Friday night at Henley-on -Thames-kick off 8pm.

With two wins from two games, Irish Colleges will address this final game with confidence and are determined to return home with the Gran Slam accolade.

The Irish Colleges had the perfect start to their current campaign in this inaugural "Four Nations Colleges Student Rugby Tournament", when they defeated the UK Combined Forces U23’s by 40 pts to nil in London in mid February. Colleges also defeated the Scottish Universities by 45 pts to 8 pts at the University of Ulster, Jordonstown, in their more recent game.

The English Students are recognised as the top student team in the United Kingdom in recent years, and will certainly have strength in depth, mainly due to their large playing base.

Irish Colleges have an affiliated membership of thirty nine Colleges and Universities. Colleges have always seen the importance of the domestic playing programme, and a college’s representative programme. Indeed the original committee were instrumental in getting all four nations involved, and becoming outright winners, in the first competition in 1988.

In past years Colleges have played many representative sides, students and otherwise. They have played the Japanese Universities, South African Technicons, Holland U 23’s and Belgium U 21 teams, and more recently, the Canadian U23 team.

"We are delighted that our team have done so well in their first two games, and we are particularly pleased that both the French students and Welsh students have shown an interest in participating in next year’s tournament” comments Moss Dineen, who has a long involvement in Irish Colleges, having recently combined the dual role of President of Irish Colleges with that of President of City of Derry Rugby Club.

Squad:

15 John Nicol Stranmillis College, Belfast Ballymena
14 Philip Howard Design Inst Art Tech Dun Laoghaire Clontarf
13 Paddy O’Toole Garda Connemara
12 Mick O’Shea Garda Suttonians
11 David Rowan Inst Art Design Tech Dun Laoghaire Blackrock
10 Phil DeBarra Institute of Technology Carlow DLSP
9 Brendan O’Brien Blackhall Place, Dublin Wanderers
1 Shane Cahill Dun Laoghaire VEC Blackrock
2 Alex O’Sullivan Inst Art Design Tech Dun Laoghaire Greystones
3 Stephen Snell National College of Ireland Greystones
4 Barry Holmes Dublin Institute of Technology Greystones
5 Chris Napier Belfast Metropolitan College Ballynahinch
6 John Downey Sallynoggin VEC Greystones
8 Dan Kenny Dun Laoghaire VEC Greystones
7 Hugh Hogan Griffith College Dublin St.Marys

16 Jonathan Molloy Institute of Technology Tallaght St.Marys
17 Jason Taggert University of Ulster, Jordanstown Ballymena
18 Ben Reilly Dublin City University Suttonians
19 Ian Cullinan National University Ireland Galway Galwegians
20 Brian Moroney Institute of Technology Tallaght Terenure
21 Brian Collins Inst. of Technology Blanchardstown Old Belvedere
22 Craig Morrin Institute of Technology Tallaght St Mary’s
23 Darragh Fanning Institute of Technology Tallaght St.Marys
24 Damien Carley Institute of Technology Carlow Co Carlow
25 Richard O Neill Institute of Technology Tallaght Terenure