With the Senior 1st XV off for the weekend, it was time to focus the rest of the club. First up was the U20s who took the short trip to Terenure College RFC to play in the Inter-Varsities ‘Conroy Cup’. Trinity had won the past three ‘Conroy Cups’.

There was a bit of an anti climax, when UCD withdrew from the Conroy Cup and the Junior competition the ‘Maughan Scally’ Trophy citing health and safety due to the adverse weather conditions leading into the tournament that morning.

With Queens struggling to field a team, that left three teams in the U20s bracket. So NUIM Maynooth containing mainly Barnhall RFC players and UCC played in the 40 minute semi final game, with Trinity getting the bye. NUIM beat UCC 15-10 in a cracking tight contest.

Trinity then faced NUIM on the all weather pitch in Lakelands. This coincided with a turn in the weather. Trinity took full advantage and put on a show of breathtaking Rugby with a blend of high tempo and physical play, scoring four tries into the wind in the first half, and four more in the second half to win 46-0.

Trinity Senior 3rds/4ths lost a close semi final v Coleraine, and then beat UCC 18-0 in the 3rd place play off.

On Sunday Trinity Senior 2nds had an impressive win away to Clontarf 40-19. This was the 2nds first win in this year’s campaign after returning to the top Metro 1 league this season. It was good to see the brand of Rugby the twos played on the day. Many players put their hand up for 1st XV selection to play Buccaneers next Saturday.

Trinity Ladies lost to Wanderers in Merrion Road 40-14, This has been a steep learning curve for Trinity Ladies in their first season in Division 3 of the Leinster Senior Ladies league. But they are gaining much needed experience as they build a new team.

The Under 20s take part in the Conroy Cup on Saturday, where they will take on their University rivals in Terenure College RFC. It is a competition Trinity has had great success in in recent years, winning it in 2013, 2014 and 2015.

The 3rd XV face St. Mary’s away at 12:15pm on Saturday. The 4th XV are looking to field a team in the Maughan Scally Cup, where they will also face their University rivals in Terenure.

The Women’s Team face Wanderers away on Sunday in a Leinster League game, buoyed by their recent victory over Clontarf.

The 2nd XV face Clontarf in an away league match on Sunday which kicks off at 3pm.

Trinity 36pts – Cambridge University 10pts; October 14th 2017

Trinity hosted Cambridge University in a ‘balmy’ College Park on Saturday in what was the 140th Anniversary of games between these iconic Universities. Trinity made nine changes some enforced, and some on rotation from their impressive win in Young Munster last weekend. This was a welcome break from All Ireland league, it was good to be able to play Cambridge in College Park for the first time since 2011 after playing the last season in Cambridge.

Trinity dominated the game both possession and territory wise, but plucky Cambridge defence and some suspect decision making by the home side kept the score competitive.

Trinity attacked from the kick off, but failed to convert their pressure into points. It was the visitors who actually scored first when after some pressure in the Trinity 22 they gained a penalty under the posts that they kicked.

The hosts continued to attack, and from a scrum close in, they produced the games first try when wing Evan Dixon scored off a training ground move.

Trinity scored once more before half time when from a driving maul freshman second row Jack Dunne crashed over from a driving maul. Out half Tommy Whittle converted.

The Visitors must have been delighted to go into half time only 12-3 down given the run of play. Trinity squandered several guilt edge opportunities as they consistently made line breaks through out the period.

In the second half Cambridge had their best patch of the game and were duly rewarded when they scored a well-worked try for their only try of the game to close the score to 12-10.

Trinity came straight back and the smallest man on the field set up the tallest when scrum half Rowan Osborne offloaded to 6’7 Jack Dunne who showed a great burst of speed to score by the posts from 40M out.

Trinity followed this up with two superb tries, the first was when the team set up camp in the Cambridge 22, they orchestrated a great try from another training ground move and captain Michael Courtney put Full back Christian Byrne in for a well executed try.

The next try was set up by replacement out half James Fennelly who executed an impressive ‘out the back’ switch play to put Christian Byrne into space, Byrne then set up his captain Michael Courtney for another piece of good skill to created another try.

Trinity forwards who were dominant all game, produced another try off the driving maul this time replacement *8 Roghan McMahon dived over from close in to complete the scoring for the day.

Trinity now (weather permitting) travel to Iffley Road, to play Oxford University on Tuesday evening at 7pm. The Students return to AIL action on the 28th October in Athlone v Buccaneers RFC.

Trinity Team v Cambridge; 15 Christian Byrne, 14 Evan Dixon, 13 Michael Courtney, 12 Philip Murphy, 11 Clinton Wohoka, 10 Tommy Whittle, 9 Rowan Osborne, 1 James Bollard, 2 Patrick Finlay, 3 Darragh Higgins, 4 Jack Burke, 5 Jack Dunne, 6 Reuben Pim, 7 Dave St Ledger, 8 Niall O’Riordan.

Subs Hugh Connors, James Fennelly, Angus Lloyd, Shane Byrne, Cameron McCrum, Dan Sheehan, Roghan McMahon.

Trinity Senior 2nds had a disappointing loss in Donnybrook V Old Wesley on Friday night 36-8.

Trinity U20s Premier XV had a rare loss in Terenure on Sunday when they went down 6-0 in a game they should have won, but did not deserve to win.

Trinity Freshers XV playing U20s Premier 2 league, lost 9-7 to Naas in Santry.

Good news of the day was that the Trinity Ladies XV gained their first win of the season when they defeated Clontarf in Santry 14-10. The ladies showed a big improvement on recent performances..

There are good ships,
there are wood ships,
there are ships that sail the sea,
but the best ships are friendships,and may they always be.
(Irish Proverb)

D.U.F.C. entertained Cambridge University in College Park on Saturday and celebrated the 140th anniversary of one of the oldest friendships in world rugby and one of the oldest relationships to have been maintained between the “Ancient Universities” of Trinity College, Dublin and Cambridge University.

Cambridge were the first University to play D.U.F.C., the match taking place in early 1878 – around the same time Alexander Graham Bell was giving a first demonstration of the telephone to Queen Victoria!

Cambridge travelled with a party of c.20 alumni and we were assisted in our hosting by a similar number of the Knights of the Campanile (www.knightsofthecampanile.com ) who performed their traditional role of entertaining Cambridge and Oxford teams. It was particularly gratifying to welcome Knights of all vintages and across a range of College sports.

The picture of the respective members of the Knights of the Campanile and the Cambridge Hawks’ Cub illustrates the benefits of these interactions for both the Rugby Clubs and the Universities.

The mantle of College Park was there in all its wondrous and historic glory and one of our visiting guests was heard to opine “Just look at that brilliant sunset over the cricket square – oh my word you have something special here!”

It was a good day for Trinity College, University Sport and D.U.F.C.

A busy week of University Rugby lies ahead as various DUFC teams take part in their intervarsity competitions. Best off luck to all involved!

Don’t forget that the First XV face Cambridge in College Park on Saturday 14th October at 3pm.

140th Anniversary of first game in College Park

It is our particular pleasure to welcome Cambridge University Rugby Union Football Club back to College Park on the 140th anniversary of the first fixture between the teams in College Park.

This is a historic fixture not only in the context of these islands but also in the history of world rugby. As the oldest rugby club in the world in continuous existence, established in 1854 before the IRFU was formed, we share a similar heritage with Cambridge which was founded in 1872. Only 6 years later Cambridge was the first university to send a team to play Trinity in 1878.

University matches have always aroused great interest in rugby circles in Trinity and none more so than those between Cambridge and Oxford. This is reflected in the Trinity “Knights of the Campanile” (sometimes described as a “society of hospitable sportsmen”), established in 1926 to entertain visiting teams – especially Cambridge and Oxford. In this they played the role of the the Hawks Club in Cambridge and the Vincent’s Club in Oxford. The Knights tie reflects this connection, with bluish silver for Cambridge, dark blue for Oxford and a flash of pink for Trinity.

So, we wish our visitors welcome and look forward to celebrating with them the rich and shared heritage of a long forged friendship between the two clubs.

Young Munster 17pts – Trinity 21pts; October 7th 2017

Trinity surprised everyone in Irish Rugby, when they achieved their first win of the season in Tom Clifford Park, Limerick. This was the students’ first visit of the season to rugby mad Munster. Trinity was given very little hope by everyone on social media, but the squad have been working extremely hard in training and pulled out a magnificent result to reward their efforts.

Trinity started out fast, with a lot of intent, but handling errors really stopped them asserting pressure on the home team. “Munsters” soaked up the pressure and then scored an easy enough try to go 7-0 up. Trinity continued to attack, but the home team scored again from close in.

At 14-0 things did not look too bright for the students as the home team seemed to have the ability to score when they felt like it. But the visitors dug in, kept attacking and full back Michael Silvester swerved his way through several defenders to go deep into enemy territory. Trinity gained a penalty and out half Tommy Whittle, who was getting his first AIL start since January, slotted the score.

In the second half Trinity had the breeze at their backs and pinned the home team deep in their own half. The students’ defence visibly stiffened and when wing forward Dave St Leger was driven over from close in by his captain Michael Courtney after some impressive continuity by the entire team it was ‘game on’.

Young Munster did get back up into the Trinity half to kick a penalty but the Dublin based university struck back after more heavy pressure on the host’s line. Freshman hooker Dan Sheehan was involved twice before executing a fine ‘out the back’ off load to James Fennelly who in turn fed Jack Fitzpatrick (playing his last game before going to New York to start his job) to score in the corner for a superb try.

Young Munster came back hard to try and rescue the game, but Trinity held firm with everybody putting bodies on the line. In the final 20 minutes Irish Clubs and Leinster A hooker Patrick Finlay came on to the team for his first game after shoulder surgery. He got two trademark turnovers, which totally stymied the home team’s hopes. The hosts missed a speculative kick at goal from a Penalty wide out, before Tommy Whittle iced the game with the last kick of the game, to make it 21-17.

This was a richly deserved win for Trinity who now take a three-week break from League action. They will host annual challenge matches v. Cambridge University in College Park next Saturday at 3pm before travelling over to play Oxford University the following Tuesday at 7pm on 17th October. The next league game is away to Buccaneers in Athlone on 28th October in Dubarry Park.
15; Michael Silvester, 14 Jack Fitzpatrick, 13 Michael Courtney, 12 Kyle Dixon, 11 Billy O’Hora, 10 Tommy Whittle, 9 Angus Lloyd, 1 James Bollard, 2 Dan Sheehan, 3 Joe Byrne, 4 Jack Burke, 5 Raef Tyrrell, 6 David St Leger, 7 Richard Dunne, 8 Niall O’Riordan.
Subs all used; 16 Patrick Finlay, 17 Darragh Higgins, 18 Reuben Pim, 19 Rowan Osborne, 20 James Fennelly

The 3rd XV lost 45-14 to Old Belvedere. The 4th XV have a game on Monday evening.

Trinity’s Women’s team went down on Wednesday to a very strong NUI Galway team 39-0 in their first SSI match.

The Senior 2nds and U20s teams all had byes this weekend.

DUFC’s First XV travel on Saturday to Limerick to face the always tough Young Munster. Dan Sheehan and Joe Byrne come into the front-row while Raef Tyrell returns from a hiatus at lock. Niall O’Riordan gets his first Ulster Bank League start this season at Number 8, from where he will be hoping to do damage with his carrying. Tommy Whittle gets the nod at 10 in what is an otherwise unchanged backline. Trinity will be hoping to get their first league points of the season but this will be no easy task. All travelling support is very welcome!

Trinity 12pts – Lansdowne 52pts

Trinity were well beaten on Saturday at a sunny College Park. The Students were never really in it, as they fell behind early and never looked like getting back into the game.

After the first 20 minutes Trinity were more competitive, and created many opportunities with out finishing them off.

In the second half Trinity scored two well taken tries, when full back Michael Silvester scored a wonder try running in from 80 Metres out.

Trinity followed this when Captain Michael Courtney cutting a great line to finish a superb try minutes later.

The Visitors were far too good on the day though, and out played Trinity in all departments.

Trinity travel to Limerick next week for the first time this season, when they face Young Munster. The Students will be looking for their first win of the season against formidable opponents.

15; Michael Silvester, 14; Jack Fitzpatrick, 13; Michael Courtney, 12; Kyle Dixon, 11;Billy O’Hora, 10; James Fennelly, 9; Angus Lloyd, 1; James Bollard, 2 Joe Horan, 3 Darragh Higgins, 4 Jack Burke, Jack Dunne, 6 Sam Pim, Richard Dunne, 8 Dave St Leger;

Subs; 16 Dan Sheehan, 17 Joe Byrne, 18 Niall O’Riordan, 19 Rowan Osborne, 20 Tommy Whittle.

Trinity U20s qualified for the Top 8 of the JP Fanagan Premier league. Trinity beat Buccaneers in Athlone 48-5 in a game they totally dominated.

Trinity U20s Pennant XV won a narrow encounter in Naas to win 23-20 to qualify for JP Fanagan Premier 2. This means the U20s back up suad will be the only 2nd squad playing in the top 16 clubs in Leinster.

Trinity Senior 2nds were well beaten by Lansdowne 2nds.
The Trinity Senior 4ths lost narrowly to Parkmore 20-17

The Trinity Women’s XV travelled down to Wexford Wanderers for their second Leinster Division 3 match. Missing a few key players and decimated by injury during the match, Trinity lost 42-0. There were positive signs, however, with many freshers making their competitive rugby debut.

DUFC face a tough task in Round 3 of the Ulster Bank League Division 1A. Lansdowne, who are unbeaten in their opening two fixtures, come to College Park looking to repeat last year’s away victory. Trinity are looking to bounce back from last week’s defeat in UCD. It promises to be a physical and fast-paced match. A great game is in store and we hope to see as much support as possible!