An Cosantóir

www.military An Cosantóir January / February 2025 www.military.ie/magazine DEFENCE FORCES RUGBY Rugby has been embedded in the Defence Forces since the formation of the organisation. Several notable events, personnel and matches have been covered in previous editions of this publication. I would encourage readers to delve into the An Cosantóir archives to read about these memorable events such as the 4 Western Bde participation in the Akatiri 10s Competition in Cyprus or the Naval Service's 10-day tour to America to play the Washington Irish and the US Naval Academy. DF Rugby has expanded significantly on an international scale especially since the 1980's. Driving this expansion was the result of the hard work of several personnel but a mention must go to Col (Retd) JJ O'Reilly of Bective RFC, one of the many stalwarts of DF Rugby, who was a player, manager, coach and then chairperson and director of DF Rugby through the 1970's and 1980's. The first match against the French Armed Forces was in 1986 and the rivalry has continued to this day. The DF, captained by former Capt Liam Toland, beat the French for the first time (on home soil) in 2008, keeping the opposition scoreless in Cill Dara RFC. Most notably, the DF played UK opposition for the first time in 2003, against the Royal Navy. Since then, DF Rugby has established regular fixtures against UK opposition. They played the RAF for the first time in 2011 in the Sportsground in Galway and the UK Armed Forces for the first time in 2024 away in Aldershot, UK. Another milestone was the 2015 fixture against the 1st Royal Irish Regiment, played in Monkstown RFC, the first fixture against a UK unit based on the island. The key annual fixtures in the DF Rugby calendar are The Gordon Wood Memorial Trophy (vs An Garda Síochána), the Hooker Regan 7s Tournament and the representative fixtures against the French Armed Forces, UK Armed Forces, Royal Navy and RAF. DF Rugby's intent in 2025 is to re-ignite the fire of the once fiercely competitive Inter-Bde tournament. This article will highlight some notable personnel of the sport, recent events and an outline of 2025. A WELL REPRESENTED ORGANISATION DF Rugby has a rich history of contributing notable players to Irish rugby both nationally and at provincial level. Possibly the most well- known or notable person is former Army Capt Ciaran Fitzgerald, the former Ireland Captain who played 25 times for his country and also captained the British & Irish Lions on their 1983 tour to South Africa. Another well-known personality is former Army Captain, Liam Toland, who played in the back row for Munster, Leinster and was capped by Ireland A. Of course, it would not be a DF Rugby article without mentioning the great Captain Neville Furlong, who was capped twice for Ireland and who famously (confirmed by Wikipedia!) scored the last four-point try in an international match, and against New Zealand of all teams! On the women's side, Comdt Sue Ramsbottom, the legendary Laois footballer, earned 3 caps for the Irish Women's side and was involved in the 1998 Women's World Cup competition held in Amsterdam, The Netherlands. Another notable player is Col Jayne Lawlor who played with Ireland and Leinster. RECENT EVENTS The 4th Military Rugby World Cup, held in France in September 2023, was the second Military Rugby World Cup that DF Rugby have participated in. The Irish side were grouped with the French Armed Forces, Romania and UK Armed Forces and ultimately won a bronze medal in the tournament. A full article of the 4th Military Rugby World Cup tournament was covered extensively by Comdt Rory McCann, former Director and stalwart of DF Rugby, in the An Cosantóir Sep/Oct 2023 edition. The DF were pitted against New Zealand, Uzbekistan, Fiji, Australia and Tonga. The Irish side beat Tonga to secure a place in the Trophy Competition. This most recent competition has given the sport a much needed boost as the Men's side now shift their focus to preparing for competing in the 5th Military Rugby World Cup which is due to be held in Australia in 2027. ARTICLE BY COMDT NIALL WILCOX PHOTOS PROVIDED BY COMDT NIALL WILCOX 22 | Ciaran Fitzgerald and Neville Furlong former DF Rugby Players Combined Forces Team vs French Armed Forces DF Mens Rugby vs Dutch Military Rugby Team 13 Nov 24 Corinthians RFC

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