News

Highlights: October 2024

On the Rise

Mandatory Credit ©INPHO/Travis Prior

Ireland finished their WXV campaign on a remarkable high with a comeback win against the USA sealing second place in WXV1. It was a remarkable tournament for the group in what was their maiden appearance in tier 1, following their WXV3 success last year.

On the opening day of the competition, the side claimed a sensational triumph over the Black Ferns, causing a massive stir across the rugby world. While they were unable to follow up their victory over the World Champions with a win against Canada, the performance nevertheless indicated that Ireland were very much in the mix. They have since risen in World Rugby’s rankings from 11th to 6th. Entering the Women’s Rugby World Cup draw in the second pot, they will contest group Pool C with New Zealand, Japan and Spain next year. 

It was a particularly memorable tournament for several players, most notably Aoife Wafer and Erin King. The reigning Players’ Player of the Year, Wafer cemented her place at the top of the crop of backrow forwards currently operating in the game, while King was an abrasive presence throughout, making a massive impact at significant moments. The duo both won player-of-the-match awards and shared five tries between them.

Mandatory Credit ©INPHO/Travis Prior

Unfortunately, injury curtailed Edel McMahon‘s participation and so Rugby Players Ireland Executive Board member, Enya Breen assumed captaincy duties for the first time. West Cork’s Andrea Stock also returned home with her first Irish Rugby cap. 

Incidentally, the Irish squad named by Andy Farrell ahead of the Autumn Nations Series includes four Rugby Players Ireland Executive Board members in Dave Heffernan, Iain Henderson, Peter O’Mahony (Chair) and Garry Ringrose. 

Emerging

Mandatory Credit ©INPHO/Steve Haag Sports/Darren Stewart

The Emerging Ireland squad enjoyed clean sweep of victories in their tour to South Africa. A win over the Toyota Cheetahs followed triumphs at the expense of Airlink Pumas and Western Force and helped them to the Toyota Challenge crown the side previously accrued in 2022. 

Emerged

Mandatory Credit ©INPHO/Dan Sheridan

Our congratulations to Caelan Doris on being appointed Irish captain ahead of the Autumn Nations Series. Uncapped duo Sam Prendergast and Cormac Izuchukwu are included in the squad with Shayne Bolton, Jack Boyle, Tom Clarkson, Alex Kendellen and Gus McCarthy named as training panellists. 

Congratulations also to Alan O’Connor (200), Andy Warwick (200) and Nick Timoney (150) on reaching significant cap milestones for Ulster Rugby. Charlie Irvine made his debut for the province. 

Gavin Thornbury made his debut for Northampton Saints before his New Year move to Utah Warriors in Major League Rugby was announced. 

Stephen Smith and Hugh Cooney made their senior bows for Leinster Rugby. 

Tadhg McElroy‘s time at Ulster Rugby has come to an end. Having signed on a short term deal, McElroy has now secured a deal with Sale Sharks. Bryan O’Connor has signed a deal with the province.  The tight head had been with English Championship side Bedford since last year. He joined the club in the summer of 2023 in search of game time after two-and-a-half years with Gloucester who had snapped him off after a run of good form for UCC in the AIL. 

Bryan Fitzgerald‘s successful early-season stint with Munster Rugby has been rewarded with a three month contract extension. 

Beyond the Game

In October, Rugby Players Ireland announced the expansion of its support services for retired rugby players with the launch of Beyond the Game. This new initiative, supported by the Global Rugby Players Foundation (GRPF), aims to provide proactive, tailored assistance for players transitioning into life after professional or international rugby.

Led by Dr Deirdre Lyons who will act as a dedicated resource for former players, the programme is responsible for the strategy and development of GRPF initiatives in Ireland. Beyond the Game focuses on four key pillars: Change, Care Connection and Community, ensuring that former players receive comprehensive support in all aspects of their post-rugby lives through tailored transition support, career mentoring, and resources that promote mental, physical, social and financial wellbeing.

See a video about the initiative here. 

Heineken Rugby Players Ireland Hall of Fame

Our congratulations to Lynne Cantwell, Marcus Horan and Donncha O’Callaghan who will all be inducted into the Heineken Rugby Players Ireland Hall of Fame before family, friends and teammates at a special event on November 15th in the InterContinental Hotel Dublin. 

Landmark Lions Agreement

Simon Keogh and Rugby Players Ireland were to the fore of discussions with the British & Irish Lions that has resulted in players selected for the Tour benefit from a profit share model for the first time. In addition to the new financial model, the agreement will also result in increased collaboration between The British & Irish Lions and the players particularly around scheduling and preparation. Working together, they will create the optimum schedule to give the players the best chance to prepare for a successful Tour.

Speaking about the announcement, Rugby Players Ireland Chairperson Peter O’Mahony said: “This agreement recognises the role players play across the Lions Tour, both on and off the field. It’s great to see a commitment to ensuring everyone benefits from the success of each Tour.”

Tackle Your Feelings

Mandatory Credit ©INPHO/Dan Sheridan

Rugby Players Ireland teamed up with Zac Ward and Béibhinn Parsons to launch the new school season of the Tackle Your Feelings Schools online teaching platform. As part of the launch, TYF are encouraging teachers and schools nationwide to sign up to the free classroom-based programme to help equip students across Ireland with practical tools for building resilience, emotional intelligence, and positive mental health.

Out & About

As part of our work with the Global Rugby Players Foundation, we are always keeping our past player network to the fore of our minds. This month, a number of opportunities came through our database including: 

Several past players were in attendance at the Data Center Austin Conference (DCAC) which was held in House on Leeson Street. A conference dedicated to the data industry, the event brought together industry leaders and served as a terrific networking opportunity. Both Simon Keogh and Fergus McFadden (Director of Partnerships, EMEA at Yondr) also spoke at the event. 

Simon was also joined at the Irish Management Institute’s Leadership Conference by Kevin McLaughlin.

Meanwhile, members of Rugby Players Ireland’s staff attended the Technology and Innovation Summit hosted by Sport Ireland, the launch of the IRFU’s publication ‘Together Standing Tall’ by John Scally to commemorate 150 years of Irish Rugby, and the European Athletes and Players Association’s General Assembly in Alicante. 

Finally, Dr Deirdre Lyons presented on the importance of past players services at the World Rugby Science Network conference is Lisbon, highlighting the establishment of Beyond the Game with the support of World Rugby. Deirdre was also joined by Dan Leavy for a panel discussion on engaging stakeholders in the science and research. Dr Kathryn Dane  also presented on the State of Play for Contact Training and Coaching in Women’s Rugby. Meanwhile, Will Connors published his first paper as part of his PhD. Entitled ‘Frisbees and Dogs: Domain Adaptation for Object Detection with Limited LAbels in Rugby Data’ was presented at the 27th European Conference on Artificial Intelligence (ECAI). 

Welcome Aboard

Mandatory Credit ©INPHO/Laszlo Geczo

Rugby Players Ireland and Connacht Rugby were delighted to announce the appointment of Ronan Loughney as Player Development Manager for Connacht Rugby this month. 

Loughney needs no introduction to supporters of Connacht. A native of Galway City, Ronan played 191 times for the province across a 12-year career, and was a member of the squad who won the 2016 Guinness PRO12 Championship. A hugely respected member of the club both on and off the pitch, Ronan will be able to provide invaluable knowledge and experience in helping players in their personal development.

In his role as Player Development Manager, Ronan will help to foster the personal growth and development of players while they are still playing and ultimately prepare them for life after rugby. 

Clubhouse

Mandatory Credit ©INPHO/Dan Sheridan

Former Leinster and Ireland winger Dave Kearney has retired from rugby after spending a year playing in America with Chicago Hounds. Kearney leaves the game as Leinster’s fifth highest try-scorer of all time, with 56 tries. He was a Heineken Cup winner in 2012 and played every minute of Ireland’s 2014 Six Nations win. He won 19 caps for Ireland. 

A teammate of Kearney at both Leinster and Chicago, Nick McCarthy has also decided to take his leave of the game. A USA Rugby international, McCarthy also represented Munster Rugby between 2019 and 2021. Much respected across the rugby world, he has returned to Ireland and has taken on the role of Sports Business Consultant at SportsKey, an  online sports facility management and scheduling software.

Wishing former Munster Rugby player Colm Hogan all the best as he joins the ESG Reporting and Regulatory Compliance team at Goodbody Clearstream. His former teammate Conor Phillips has also embarked on a new journey. Phillips spoke with Rugby Players Ireland recently about his new business venture, CPZ Fitness. 

You can read the interview here.

Johnny Sexton‘s autobiography ‘Obsessed’ has been nominated for the An Post Sports Book of the Year Award.

Lynne Cantwell has been appointed Head of Women’s Strategy at the IRFU. In the plan for Rugby in Ireland, the IRFU set out its determination to accelerate the development of the Women’s game and Cantwell’s appointment is a key milestone in the delivery of that commitment. Lynne will also be inducted into the Rugby Players Ireland Hall of Fame in the coming weeks. 

Finally, our sincerest congratulations to Sene Naoupu who has become the chief executive of North Otago Rugby Football Union in New Zealand. Born in New Zealand of Samoan heritage, Sene becomes the first Pasifika female CEO of a provincial union in the country. Pasifika is a term used to describe residents of New Zealand who are descendants of the Pacific Islands. Sene made her debut for Ireland in 2015 and won 48 caps before retiring in 2022.