Come join us on Saturday 25th April, where Greystones RFC will host the Bank of Ireland Leinster Women’s Cup and Plate Finals.
Bank of Ireland Paul Cusack Plate – KO 12noon
Tallaght v Wanderers
Bank of Ireland Paul Flood Plate – KO 12:15
Kilkenny v Edenderry
Bank od Ireland Paul Cusack Cup – KO 13:45
Balbriggan v Gorey
Bank of Ireland Paul Flood Cup – KO 14:00
Mullingar v Tullow
Entry is €;5 for adults and U18 goes FREE so bring along the family and shout for our ladies teams.
What you need to know about your teams!
Edenderry and Mullingar are the two teams who have been on top of the Women’s Division 1 League table. Both teams disputed a brilliant match last March in a memorable day of Women’s Rugby at Donnybrook, with a 20 point victory (23-3) for Mullingar over Midlands rivals Edenderry in the Bank of Ireland Leinster Women’s Division 1 Final.
Tullow and Clondalkin remained also in the top four on the table with 40 and 37 points respectively, followed by Canterbury Warriors, Wexford Wanderers and Navan. This made a total of seven teams in the Division 1 group. The Tullow Ladies drew 0-0 with Edenderry in the Paul Flood Cup last week so a re-play was scheduled for Saturday 18th in Newbridge.
After Edenderry conceded, Tullow played Barnhall in the semi-final of the the Paul Flood Cup, with a 13-0 final result for Tullow. Mullingar played CYM, and with a clear victory 23-3 they will be facing Tullow for the Paul Flood Cup in Greystones RFC. Last year Tullow won the Leinter league title by penalty shootout, who will win this weekend?
Division 3 saw development teams from Garda Westmanstown, Suttonians, Old Belvedere, Athy, Blackrock, St. Mary’s and Tallaght, competing for the league title. Fine performances throughout the season made this an exciting division as the teams honed their skills and gained match-level experience.
The season front runners were Garda and Suttonians, and so it remained over the 12 matches between October and March. By the end of the season, only one point separated Old Belvedere J1 and Athy with Blackrock J1, St. Mary’s and Tallaght closely following, but it was Garda and Suttonians who took to the field for the league final in March. In a typically hard fought encounter in Donnybrook, the sides were evenly balanced from the start but Garda piled on the pressure as half time approached, scoring an unconverted try by Kaylee Cogan.
Suttonians came back in the second half with a fine try from Catherine Martin, which was converted by Shauna Ennis, but a brilliant cross-field run and try by Garda’s Sara Lawlor was the difference in the end as Garda took the title 10-7. Balbriggan and Old Belvedere played out a well contested match in the Paul Cusack Cup with Balbriggan emerging victorious while Tallaght and Athy met in the Paul Cusack Plate. Both teams demonstrated the potential shown over the season with Tallaght taking the honours on the day. The potential shown by all these development teams is yet another indication of the strength of women’s rugby.
Seven teams entered the Division 4 arena, ready to battle it out for Development League silverware. University College Dublin and Greystones RFC got off to winning ways with their previous years’ experience on display, with newbies Balbriggan RFC the early eye-catching team in the league. Four other teams joined the Leinster League family this season including Clontarf RFC, Del La Salle Palmerstown RFC, Malahide RFC and varsity team Royal College of Surgeon’s RFC.
The introduction of these teams reinforcing the growing popularity of rugby among women in Ireland. League fatigue set-in mid-season with three teams falling by the wayside, leaving a hotly contested fight for the top of the table play-off places. Seven teams entered, but only one team could exit victorious, and on a sunny Saturday in March, Balbriggan dug deep and carved out an 8 v 3 victory over Greystones, taking the trophy and securing a promotion to Division 3 for the upcoming season.
Balbriggan’s successful season forges forward as they take on Gorey RFC in this year’s Paul Cusack Cup. Although they didn’t take a place in the 2014/15 league, new kids in town, Dublin based Wanderers RFC are already making a name for themselves, securing a place in the Paul Cusack Plate after defeating Greystones RFC on their home soil. Get out and support these Division 4 underdogs, kick-off 12 noon.
