Thomond Crowned Munster Sevens Champions
Thomond RFC were named the proud winners of the third annual Meteor Munster Sevens Senior Cup last Saturday, while Youghal brought home the Junior Cup and UL Bohemians secured the Women’s Senior title.
This was the second year of women’s teams participating and UL Bohemians overcame local side Ballincollig to take home the silverware in the Senior final.
But it was not all bad news for Cork on the day with Youghal beating Waterpark in a superbly entertaining Junior Cup final, and Clonakilty taking home the Senior Bowl.
Without question the team on the day and the eventual Meteor Munster Sevens champions were Thomond who beat another excellent Limerick side in Bruff.
These two AIB League Division 2 sides overcame top flight opposition in Garryowen and Shannon respectively in their semi-finals.
The crowd was treated to more than 70 games this year, taking place in Highfield RFC and Presentation Brothers College Cork training grounds for what was the biggest Meteor Munster Sevens competition to date.
Every county in Munster was represented with 13 of Munster’s top clubs, including AIB League Division 1 champions Shannon and defending Meteor Munster Sevens champions Garryowen, 16 junior squads and seven women’s club teams taking to the pitches in their respective divisions.
In addition to the action-packed match schedule, off pitch there was a host of family entertainment, including a bouncy castle and a sizzling BBQ all accompanied by a live DJ.
Commenting on the results of the day, John Lacey, the event co-ordinator, said: “This year’s Meteor Munster Sevens tournament has been a huge success and we are delighted with such a fantastic turnout.
“There has been great interest from all the clubs, and club coaches in particular, who are using the event to kick off the season.”
The event also supported the ‘Headsup’ text referral service from Rehab Care, which aims to help young adults in difficulty by offering support group information for a range of issues via text on 50424.
2009 Meteor Munster Rugby Sevens Winners:
Senior Cup – Thomond
Junior Cup – Youghal
Women’s Cup – UL Bohemians
Senior Bowl – Clonakilty
Senior Plate – UL Bohemians
Junior Bowl – Cobh
Junior Plate – Cashel
Women’s Plate – Highfield