An Cosantóir

| 23 www.military.ie THE DEFENCE FORCES MAGAZINE In June 2024, DF Rugby participated in the 2nd Military Challenge Rugby 7s tournament held in Amsterdam, The Netherlands. The DF competed with a Men's and Women's team and although the competition was slightly outside of the normal comfort zone, it proved to be a valuable event in terms of learning and of course, networking. The Men's tournament saw the DF play the USA, French Armed Forces, the Dutch Military and South Korea. Conditions favoured those more adept to 7s rugby and the DF side, captained by Lt Idris Rqibi, earned 3 losses and a draw (to The Dutch). The eventual winners of this competition were the USA. A notable mention must go to Pte Dylan Foley who put in a stellar performance throughout the competition. The Women's tournament saw the DF play the USA, French Armed Forces and The Dutch Military. The DF side, captained by Pte Chloe Farrell, earned 2 losses and a then a brilliant win against the Dutch in the bronze medal game. Their player of the tournament was Lt Saoirse O'Reilly who plays with the Ireland Women's 7s team. Her jinking runs and quick feet left the spectating crowd in awe as she crossed the try line on several occasions. More recently, the Men's side played in an historic occasion in Corinthians RFC on 13 Nov 2024. DF Rugby hosted the Dutch Military Rugby Team for the first time on Irish soil. The Dutch proved stiff opposition in the first 30 minutes with both sides' defences proving impenetrable. On the 30 minute mark, the DF began to control possession more and with the forwards putting in the hard yards, the backs were facilitated with excellent go forward ball which led to some well worked tries off the back of some well executed moves. The DF finished the game with 44-0 victory. The Player of the Match award went to Cadet Iarlaith Morrin-Laheen, who took the time out of his busy schedule to put in an impressive performance in the second-row. DF WOMEN'S RUGBY In 2003, Lt Col Johnny Molloy decided to start a DF Women's Rugby Team and he approached then Capt Jayne Lawlor to join him in this endeavour. Following a rigorous recruitment process and a number of training sessions, the team played their first match versus An Garda Síochána in 2004, winning that game. Over the next number of years the team played the AGS on an annual basis as well as playing a number of University and Club teams. A highlight for the team was when they hosted and played the Army Westpoint Women's Rugby Team in 2005 winning a very tight match in front of a very large crowd in Newbridge RFC. Perhaps the most momentous occasion was the first international Women's Rugby fixture in which a Combined Forces Team (DF and AGS) played the French Armed Forces on 08th March 2019 in Wanderers RFC, Dublin. The Combined Forces, captained by Comdt Niamh Ní Dhroma, were eventual winners after a hard fought match, with Niamh herself crossing the whitewash twice. This rivalry was resumed in 2024 in Malahide RFC, when the French Armed Forces returned and ultimately beat the Combined Forces Team, captained by Lt Meabh O'Brien, in a very tight game. The DF Women's side have several players who have or continue to represent the provinces and national side. Comdt Niamh Ní Dhroma and Capt Elaine Anthony have played with both Leinster and Ireland. Niamh has also, along with Lt Meabh O'Brien and Lt Saoirse O'Reilly, represented the Irish Women's U18 7s team. Lt O'Brien has also represented Leinster and the Irish Women's 7s team. Pte Caoimhe Molloy of the DFTC is currently on the Leinster and Irish Wolfhounds squad, with Leinster winning the Interpro's in 2024. DF Women's Rugby has grown from strength to strength. The side are currently preparing to compete in the Women's Military Rugby World Cup which is due to take place in the UK in August 2025. This article doubles as a calling notice for this event! DF Women's Rugby are seeking those who wish to either give rugby a try or want to get back into the sport! Full details of how to get in touch will be included at the end of this article. The Women's side have a packed schedule of training and matches over the next few months in preparation for this milestone event in women's rugby. DF RUGBY - THE HERE AND NOW The current President of DF Rugby is the ACOS, Brig Gen Rossa Mulcahy. He is assisted by the Director of DF Rugby, Lt Col Bernard Behan, and the Co-Chairpersons, Lt Col Damian Carroll (men's) and Col Jayne Lawlor (women's). The 2025 season with kicked off on 29 January 2025 with the annual Gordon Wood Memorial Trophy fixture for both men's and women's rugby against the AGS which was played in Templemore, Co. Tipperary this year. There are several training camps and fixtures scheduled for the rest of the season to ensure the sport builds on the momentum gathered from the previous few years. It is envisaged that an Inter- Bde competition will be held in March and the Hooker Regan 7s Tournament held in May. There are plans to develop DF Rugby in 2025 by becoming affiliated with 3rd Level Institutions to tap into Reserve Defence Forces potential. Additionally, planning is underway to develop the DFTC Sports Pavilion with office and storage space and potentially convert one of the playing pitches to a 4G pitch for use by all sport. Another exciting development is the formation of a DF Rugby Refereeing panel, headed by Comdt John Quinn. DF Rugby has already provided rugby referees to the 4th Military Rugby World Cup and the 2nd Military Challenge Rugby 7s Tournament. Any personnel interested in becoming a rugby referee or who has rugby refereeing experience should get in touch by contacting Comdt Quinn. DF Rugby welcomes all personnel of any playing or non-playing ability to join up and see what the fuss is all about! Contact details are available on the CONNECT App. DF Mens Rugby vs French Armed Forces DF Rugby at 2nd Military Challenge Rugby 7s Comp Amsterdam DF Womens Rugby vs Army West Point Womens Rugby Newbridge RFC DF Mens Rugby vs 1st Royal Irish Regt Monkstown RFC

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