They joined their female counterparts, along with IRFU President Tony O'Beirne and Lorna Danaher, Energia's Sponsorship & Events Manager, to usher in what promises to be an electrifying new league campaign.
It all gets underway on Saturday afternoon when the five Men's Divisions, including the newly-restructured Divisions 2BN (North) and 2BS (South), kick off across the four provinces.
Can St. Mary's College defend their Division 1A title? How will Old Wesley fare on their return to the top flight after a 29-year absence? Are MU Barnhall set to build on their historic promotion to Division 1B?
There is also plenty of intrigue surrounding the lower divisions, not least with Enniskillen making their long-awaited All-Ireland League debut. You can watch their first game against Rainey live on IrishRugby+.
Make sure to get down to their local club this weekend and give your support to the grassroots game. You can find all first round matches here. The full 2026/27 fixtures are here.
IRFU President Tony O'Beirne holds the Energia All-Ireland League trophy as he is joined by players from across the five Men's Divisions
Excitement is building ahead of the opening fixtures in the Men's Divisions this Saturday afternoon, before the start of the Women's campaign on Saturday, October 10
Centre James Ferguson is set to have the honour of captaining the Enniskillen Men's team for their first ever Energia All-Ireland League fixture this weekend
James Ferguson and his Enniskillen team-mates make Mullaghmeen a fortress at junior level, and they will hope to do so now as a senior club in Division 2BN
Aindriu Oates is a promising young prop at Division 2S club Buccaneers, and was their Under-20 Men's Player of the Year for 2025/26
Neal Moylett said it was a 'huge honour' for him to be appointed as captain of Division 2A club Shannon, who will be pressing for promotion again
Jack Truesdale recently made his senior debut for Instonians, who finished a very impressive third in their first season in Division 1B
Influential forward Dan Murphy was virtually ever-present for MU Barnhall last season as they topped the Division 2A table with 16 wins in 18 matches
Dan Murphy and his MU Barnhall team-mates will make the trip to Stradbrook on Saturday to take on Blackrock College in their first ever Division 1B match
Billy Corrigan, who recently finished up his time in the Leinster Academy, has been appointed as Old Wesley's captain on their return to top-flight rugby
Billy Corrigan is pictured at Energia Park where Old Wesley will play their first home game in Division 1B against Cork Constitution on Saturday week
Winger Seán Condon is entering his second All-Ireland League season with Cork Constitution, following a strong showing last term
Cork Con warmed up for the All-Ireland League by qualifying for December's Munster Senior Challenge Cup final, with Seán Condon one of the try scorers in their 38-19 semi-final win over UL Bohemian
Out-half Conor Kelly, a prolific points scorer during his career at Clontarf, was recently revealed as the north Dubliners' captain for the 2026/27 season
Portlaoise man Conor Kelly said it is 'really special' to take the captaincy reins at Clontarf, who are hoping to mark their 150th season with their third Division 1A title in six years
Lynchpin prop Adam Tuite has been chosen as Terenure College's new captain, with Paul Barr in his first full season as their head coach
Terenure College start the new All-Ireland League season with games against Munster sides Cork Constitution and Young Munster, before tackling Division 1A newcomers Old Wesley
Dan Goggin, the Division 1A Player of the Year for 2024/25, represented defending champions St. Mary's College at the season launch
Dan Goggin, who has converted from centre to the back row, was one of Mary's best players as they lifted the Division 1A trophy for the first time since 2012
The Energia All-Ireland League will be back with a bang this weekend, as title holders Mary's clash with Lansdowne on the Aviva Stadium's back pitch
