Correction: IRFU Announce New Sevens Interprovincial Championship
For immediate release: Wednesday 13th April 2011
Issued on behalf of The Irish Rugby Football Union
*FOC photography of Ireland international player Rob Kearney at the launch is available from Inpho photography
New Sevens Interprovincial Championship to Assist in Talent Identification
Closing Date for Entry to IRFU Club Sevens Fast Approaching
The Irish Rugby Football Union today added another layer to its Rugby Sevens structures by announcing that a new Sevens Interprovincial Championship for club players will be introduced to take place at the end of this season. The new Interprovincial Championship will complement the upcoming IRFU Club Sevens Championships that are taking place during May in each of the four provinces.
The IRFU Interprovincial Sevens Championship will take place on Saturday, June 4th in a yet to be confirmed Dublin venue. The Interprovincial Championship will be used in conjunction with the Club Sevens Championships to continue to build on the existing sevens foundations in Irish Rugby and to begin the process of talent identification for possible future participation at international level. Only players who participate in the IRFU Club Sevens Championships will be eligible for selection for the provincial teams.
IRFU Director of Rugby Eddie Wigglesworth said, “Both the Club Sevens Championships and the Interprovincial Sevens Championship are new initiatives to build on the sevens tradition that exists in the individual club tournaments already taking place in Ireland. The concept is to build up the experiences of sevens rugby for club players and through the Interprovincial Championships, bring the cream of that talent together.”
“We have a strong belief in the quality and adaptability of the Irish Rugby player and the great challenge that Irish Rugby has in terms of Sevens Rugby is creating that talent base that will make the progression from domestic competition to potential international standard. The first rung on the ladder for that talent is the Club Sevens Championships and now, with the introduction of the Interprovincial Sevens Championship, we hope that this will be a vehicle to begin the identification of that talent.”
The closing date of April 21st for entering teams into the provincial IRFU Club Sevens Championships is fast approaching and clubs can enter their team by logging onto www.irfusevens.ie. The championships are open to both men’s (Senior and Junior) and women’s teams drawn from clubs that compete in the regular fifteen-a-side provincial leagues.
The top two teams from each Provincial Club Sevens Championship will then go on to compete in the IRFU All Ireland Club Sevens Championship that will take place on May 21st in St. Mary’s College RFC. The winning team from the All Ireland Sevens Championship will go on to represent Ireland at a European ‘Ultimate 7’s’ Tournament during the summer.
The IRFU Sevens programme will be further extended in the 2011/2012 season to include a schools and youths championship.
IRFU Sevens Championships
Munster Club Sevens Championship
Date: Saturday, May 7th
Venue: Cork Institute of Technology (CIT)
Ulster Club Sevens Championship
Date: Saturday, May 7th
Venue: Belfast Harlequins RFC
Connacht Club Sevens Championship
Date: Saturday, May 14th
Venue: Galway Corinthians RFC
Leinster Club Sevens Championship
Date: Saturday, May 14th
Venue: Terenure College RFC & Terenure College grounds
All Ireland Club Sevens Championship
Date: Saturday, May 21st
Venue: St Mary’s College RFC
IRFU Interprovincial Sevens
Date: Saturday, June 4th
Venue: Dublin venue (TBC)
