Irish Colleges Team  V English Students

Date:  Friday 14th March 2008

Venue: Henley Rugby Club, Oxfordshire.  Kick-off 8pm

The defeat by England Students over the Scottish Universities, by 42 pts to nil on Friday last, will certainly be very much in the mind of  the Irish Colleges side when they take to the field for their final match in the Four Nations Students Rugby Tournament, on Friday night at Henley-on Thames-kick off 8pm.

With two wins from two games, Irish Colleges will address this final game with confidence and are determined to return home with the Gran Slam accolade.

The Irish Colleges had the perfect start to their current campaign in this inaugural "Four Nations Colleges Student Rugby Tournament", when they defeated the UK Combined Forces U23's by 40 pts to nil in London in mid February.  Colleges also defeated the Scottish Universities by 45 pts to 8 pts at the University of Ulster, Jordonstown, in their more recent game.

The English Students are recognised as the top student team in the United Kingdom in recent years, and will certainly have strength in depth, mainly due to their large playing base.

Irish Colleges have an affiliated membership of thirty nine Colleges and Universities. Colleges have always seen the importance of the domestic playing programme, and a colleges representative programme. Indeed the original committee were instrumental in getting all four nations involved, and becoming outright winners, in the first competition in 1988.

In past years Colleges have played many representative sides, students and otherwise. They have played the Japanese Universities, South African Technicons, Holland U 23's and Belgium U 21 teams, and more recently, the Canadian U23 team.

We are delighted that our team have done so well in their first two games, and we are particularly pleased that both the French students and Welsh students have shown an interest in participating in next years tournament'' comments Moss Dineen, who has a long involvement in Irish Colleges, having recently combined the dual role of President of Irish Colleges with that of President of City of Derry Rugby Club.

Squad:                                                                              

15     John Nicol          Stranmillis College, Belfast                  Ballymena
14     Philip Howard     Design Inst Art Tech Dun Laoghaire   Clontarf
13     Paddy O'Toole   Garda                                                Connemara
12     Mick O'Shea      Garda                                                Suttonians
11     David Rowan      Inst Art Design Tech Dun Laoghaire   Blackrock
10     Phil DeBarra       Institute of Technology Carlow            DLSP
  9     Brendan OBrien Blackhall Place, Dublin                       Wanderers
  1     Shane Cahill        Dun Laoghaire VEC                           Blackrock
  2     Alex O'Sullivan    Inst Art Design Tech Dun Laoghaire   Greystones
  3     Stephen Snell      National College of Ireland                 Greystones
  4     Barry Holmes     Dublin Institute of Technology             Greystones
  5     Chris Napier       Belfast Metropolitan College               Ballynahinch
  6     John Downey      Sallynoggin VEC                                Greystones
  8     Dan Kenny         Dun Laoghaire VEC                           Greystones
  7     Hugh Hogan       Griffith College Dublin                         St.Marys
               
 16    Jonathan Molloy  Institute of Technology Tallaght          St.Marys
 17    Jason Taggert      University of Ulster, Jordanstown       Ballymena
 18    Ben Reilly            Dublin City University                        Suttonians
 19    Ian Cullinan         National University Ireland Galway     Galwegians
 20    Brian Moroney    Institute of Technology Tallaght          Terenure
 21    Brian Collins        Inst. of Technology Blanchardstown   Old Belvedere
 22    Craig Morrin       Institute of Technology Tallaght          St Marys
 23    Darragh Fanning  Institute of Technology Tallaght          St.Marys
 24    Damien Carley     Institute of Technology Carlow          Co Carlow
 25    Richard O Neill    Institute of Technology Tallaght         Terenure