Student Sport Ireland/IRFU Rugby Cup Launch and Draws take place in Aviva Stadium

The launch and draws for the 2026 Student Sport Ireland/Irish Rugby Football Union Men’s and Women’s 3rd level senior rugby cup competitions were held yesterday afternoon in Aviva Stadium.

This year 43 college and university rugby teams will participate in six cup competitions coordinated by Student Sport Ireland and the IRFU. Players, coaches, and representatives of third level colleges and the IRFU attended the launch.

In his address, Mr. Morgan Buckley, SSI Chairperson, expressed his delight and excitement ahead of another season of 3rd level rugby competitions, and praised the partnership between SSI and the IRFU in organising and developing the game in the sector.

This is the 10th year of the SSI IRFU Men’s Cup competitions and the 8th year of the SSI IRFU Women’s Cup, which will culminate with the finals in South East Technological University Carlow on March 25th.

Ms. Grainne Carroll, Chairperson IRFU 3rdLevel Committee, thanked everyone involved in the 3rd level sector for their contributions to developing the sport. She said that “3rd level sport plays a crucial role in supporting students in their rugby careers” and expressed that students will never forget the days in their college or university shirts.

Mr. David Deniffee, Senior Vice President and Operations Officer in SETU Carlow, spoke of his delight to see the finals coming back to Carlow once again, in his address Mr. Deniffee emphasised the importance South East Technological University puts on the development of sport, and giving students the chance to train and play, he also wished all the team best of luck in the competition.

In the Brendan Johnston Cup, the premier Men’s Competition, the opening round has three very tasty ties as follows – Garda College v University College Cork, SETU Carlow host TU Dublin in a Leinster derby, with the 2026 champions Dublin City University opening their title defence with home tie against Technological University Shannon Midlands. University of Limerick received a bye in round 1 and they will travel SETU Carlow or TU Dublin in Round 2.

The Women’s Tier 1 Cup, the 7-team competition is split into two groups as follows:

Group A – Dublin City University, University College Dublin, University College Cork and University of Galway.
Group B – University of Limerick, Queens University Belfast, SETU Carlow

Action gets underway on February 11th and will culminate in South-East Technological University Carlow on March 25th.