Jump to main content

Menu

DCU Win Bronze At European Sevens Event

DCU Win Bronze At European Sevens Event

DCU Force, the Dublin College’s men’s Sevens side, finished in third place in the recent European Universities Rugby Sevens tournament held in Cordoba, Spain. DCU won the IRFU’s Nokia Student Sevens event in April and geared up for this tournament with an impressive showing at the Kinsale Sevens.

With over 80 staff and volunteers involved in the organisation of the tournament, the opening ceremony was a grand affair with each team walking into the stadium behind their national flag to the tune of local music and dance.

DCU Force were captained by Max Rantz-McDonald who has represented Ireland in the AIB Club International and was involved with the Ireland Sevens squad previously.


They lost their opening game to Coimbra but scored good wins over Bristol and Cordoba on day one. Day two saw them go down to Montpelier before beating Barcelona and Mainz.


On the final day they bagged a third place play-off spot after beating Lisbon. They went on to win bronze with a 42-0 victory over Bristol.


It was the eventual champions, the University of Coimbra (Portugal) who beat the always competitive Irish side in the semi-final.
The Portuguese champions included four players who played on the IRB World Sevens circuit this season and if this was not enough to contend with, the temperature soared in the midday Spanish sun.


DCU lost by three tries to nil with Coimbra showing all their experience and the benefit of a pre-tournament training camp.


The fiercely-contested final was won by the University of Coimbra who overcame the University of Montpelier (France) by seven points to nil and in the women’s final; the University of Bordeaux (France) beat the University of A Coruna (Spain) by 10-7.


Day 1 –
DCU 10 v University of Coimbra 17 (PORTUGAL)
Bristol University (UK) 19 v DCU 24
DCU 36 v University of Cordoba (SPAIN) 0


Day 2 –
University of Montpellier (FRANCE) 24 v DCU 14
University of Barcelona (SPAIN) 5 v DCU 38
DCU 41 v Mainz University (GERMANY) 7


Day 3-
New University of Lisbon (PORTUGAL) 07 v DCU 31
Semi Final – DCU 0 v University of Coimbra (Portugal) 15
3rd /4th Place – University of Bristol (UK) v 0 DCU 42


DCU Force Squad:
M Rantz-McDonald (capt), I Denham, L Kavanagh, M Geraghty, E Cremin, D Moore, D Whately, C Hogan, G Collins, A Wallace.