Fresher Success For NUI Maynooth
NUI Maynooth won their first ever Colleges Fresher rugby title (O’Boyle Cup) under the floodlights at Monkstown FC last week and in the process stopped an IT Carlow clean sweep of Colleges rugby titles this season. NUIM also offers elite rugby scholarships and a chance to play Ulster Bank League rugby.
The two sides, NUI Maynooth and IT Carlow, were clearly the top two in the O’Boyle Cup competition having both come through the group stages unbeaten.
NUIM had previously accounted for DIT, DCU, Athlone IT, UU Coleraine and UU Jordansown before beating Waterford IT at the semi-final stage.
IT Carlow came through the southern section with relative ease after comprehensive victories over Cork IT, WIT, University of Limerick, LIT and they then beat DCU in the semi-final.
The final saw many old school friends and former team-mates reacquainted, with Belvedere and Blackrock College being particularly prominent.
The game itself was competitive throughout and was a great advertisement for Irish Colleges rugby. IT Carlow were going for a three in-a-row at this level but a more motivated NUIM put in their performance of the season to take it on a scoreline of 29-12.
Captain Lee Mitchell led from the front for NUIM, hooker Micheál Bannon and back rowers Conor Quinn and Shane Brennan also impressed, while behind the scrum half-backs Emmet Quinn and David Carey made the space for centre Michael Brown who finished the game with a brace of tries.
The O’Boyle Cup was presented by Fr. Paul O’Boyle, son of Charlie O’Boyle, a former lecturer at Carlow RTC, who died following a road accident in 1973 on his way to Athlone for a meeting to organise sports competitions between various third level colleges at that time.
From the NUIM team Conor Quinn, David Carey, Michael Brown and Farrell McManus have benefited from the experience of playing in the Ulster Bank League this season which is an achievement in itself for such young players.
NUIM have made great strides with rugby in recent seasons with the 2010/11 season seeing the inaugural season of NUIM Barnhall RFC.
The official amalgamation is paying dividends sooner than expected with the club already in contention for promotion from Ulster Bank League Division 2B this season.
The NUIM Barnhall Elite Rugby Scholarship gives players the opportunity to study at one of Ireland’s most respected universities while offering a high standard coaching, strength and conditioning and medical support and an opportunity to play for a progressive rugby club in the Ulster Bank League.
For further information, please contact NUIM Rugby Development Officer Dennis Bowes on tel: (01) 7086065 or by emailing: dennis.bowes@nuim.ie.
You can also find more details by clicking here.