UCC Rugby Football Club

The 2026/27 AIL Energia fixtures were announced recently and it promises to be another enthralling season ahead. Looking forward to welcoming everyone back to the Mardyke in the coming months and getting behind all at UCC RFC

As the 2026-27 season begins to take shape, UCC Rugby Football Club are delighted to announce our coaching set-up for both our Senior teams and our U21 side. A fascinating combination of former UCC captains, AIL and representative players from the highest levels and highly decorated Munster Rugby Schools coaches. It promises to be a very exciting season for all sides in the club

Our Senior Teams will be expertly guided by Ger Burke, with assistance from Luke Cahill, Niall Kenneally and Ciaran O'Regan

Ger Burke has masterminded PBC's dominance in the Munster Schools Senior Cup in recent years, winning 3 of the last 4 finals - as well as securing a unique double this season following their outstanding victory in the NextGen Global Schools Challenge Premier Rugby Series

Niall Kenneally is a former Cork Con and Irish clubs captain, with extensive experience as an AIL 1 A winner who is now transition into coaching

Luke Cahill is another experienced AIL 1 player and has been part of the senior coaching ticket with UCC RFC for a number of years and now continues on as forwards coach

Ciaran O’Regan heads up S&C for UCC rugby. Ciaran has extensive experience with both Pres Rugby and a number of Cork GAA clubs

Our U21s will be led by Ryan Murphy ACMA, CGMA and assisted by David Pomeroy, Wayne Falvey and Brendan Monahan

Ryan Murphy
Playing Career:
Ex Munster Academy.
Played Ireland Schools/19s/20s/Universities/Club15
Former UCC RFC Captain, as well as lining out for Dolphin and Highfield before recently transitioning into coaching with UCC RFC and Pres rugby

David Pomeroy
As a player represented
Hamilton Old Boys (NZ)
Dolphin RFC Senior team
Coaching:
Dolphin RFC Senor Team. Forwards coach 1A 2015/16 season
UCC RFC - U21 coach 2023, 2024, and 2025 seasons. Assistant forwards coach

Wayne Falvey
Playing Experience
4 years playing with the UCC RFC seniors followed on with seasons at Highfield and Clonakilty
Represented Munster Underage, Irish Colleges & Irish Universities.

Coaching Experience
Current: Assistant Coach - UCC U20's & Munster Schools U17's

Brendan Monahan spent a number of years playing with UCC RFC, Old Wesley and in the U.S

We have the following roles available to anyone interested in getting involved with UCC RFC. If you are interested in working with our high performance teams in a dynamic and rewarding environment, please reach out to Tamsin to discuss further
Roles available
Team Manager - covering Men's Senior Team, Juniors and U21s
Kitman - Men's Senior and Junior Teams

Contact
Tamsin Gleeson - UCC Rugby Support
[email protected] | 0894335261

The good news stories continue this week, with the announcement from Irish Rugby Football Union (IRFU) that Christoper, Charlie and James will start in the opening U20 World Junior Championship fixture against England in Tbilisi on Saturday. And with 4 x Munster Rugby starters in the backline and 7 x players in total in the Match-day 23, hopefully it's a sign of things to come. Best of luck to all 23 Match-day players, extended squad and management. The game will be shown live on Premier Sports and RugbyPass TV, with kick-off at 12.30pm Irish time.

We are delighted to announce that, following some outstanding displays this season in the Red & Black of College and the Green of Irish Rugby 3 of our players have been awarded Academy Contracts with Munster Rugby Rugby. Huge congratulations to Christopher Barrett, Charlie O'Shea and James O'Leary. A fantastic achievement for you and your families. Everyone at UCC RFC is incredibly proud of you.

UCC Womens' Rugby can look back on a hugely positive season of progress this year marked by strong performances and growth from an ambitious young squad. With over 60 registered players this season, UCC Women's Rugby is going from strength-to-strength
In Semester 1, the team finished runners-up in the SSI Division 2 League, narrowly missing out in a highly competitive final against University of Galway.

February saw the squad travel to Belfast to compete in the prestigious Kay Bowen Cup. Representing the club superbly in the 15-a-side competition, the team delivered consistent performances across the day to finish runners-up to UCD.

The cup campaign was a standout element of the season, demonstrating the squad’s resilience, growth, and drive with some serious results:
An impressive 29–10 victory away to University of Galway.
A dominant 45–15 win over Dublin City University at the Mardyke with great support from the home crowd.
An outstanding 41–7 semi-final win away to University of Limerick, arguably the performance of the season.
These strong performances saw UCC reach the SSI Tier 1 Cup Final, the highest level attainable in university rugby, before agonisingly losing out to a strong and experienced UCD side

Reaching both a League Final and a Tier 1 Cup Final highlights the significant progress and reflects the continued upward trajectory of women’s rugby in the club. Competing consistently at the top level is a testament to the players’ hard work, commitment, and the strong team culture that has been developed over the last number of years.
Special mentions must go to Tamsin Gleeson, Leah Lyons and Ellen O'Keeffe for their contributions to the team’s success, as well as to Jack Casey for his constant and unwavering support for the squad.
The team was proud to include six UCC Sports Scholarship recipients and one Quercus Scholar this season: Fia Whelan, Ellie Cournane, Miriam Murphy, Aoibheann McGrath, Niamh Crotty, Niamh McCarthy, and Lyndsey Clarke.

Representative success was a major highlight this season. Lyndsey Clarke featured with Munster in the Interprovincial Series and with the Clovers in the Celtic Cup, as well as earning selection to the

As the dust begins to settle on another unforgettable season, UCC RFC would like to give a special 'Shout-out' to everyone involved with our historic Bulldogs side over the past 10 months.
Winning 6 of their first 7 matches, set the Bulldogs up for an unforgettable season. Not allowing a few disappointments near the turn of the year to derail momentum (notably bitter losses to UG and Kinsale), the lads kicked on to again win 6 of their next 7 domestic matches, setting up a winner-take-all match against Dolphin in the Mardyke. In front of a huge crown on a memorable Friday night, the Bulldogs saved their best for last - delivering a scintillating performance to take the win and thus securing the league title - UCC RFC's 1st South Munster J2 League victory since 1986

In between they also toured Barcelona and were graciously hosted by U.E. Santboiana. It was a huge success and further bonded the team on their journey.

Last match of the season was the Final of the South Munster J2 Cup against Highfield - a fitting finale in our quest for our first ever South Munster J2 League and Cup double in our illustrious history. Thankfully there was still enough bite left in the 'Dogs as they ran out 44-22 winners against an extremely strong Highfield side.

An unforgettable season was topped off by a well deserved end of season tour to Lahinch in May

1st South Munster J2 League victory since 1986
1st South Munster J2 Cup win since 2006
1st South Munster League & Cup Double ever

Special mentions must go out to Ronan Nangle, Conor Shalloe, Tim Murphy, Philip Nathan and Rory Morrison - who expertly guided these young men into record breakers

Finally, we couldn't let this season pass without a special shout out to Bulldogs former captain and biggest supporter Dr. Joe Dillon (pictured celebrating the Cup victory on the pitch in Musgrave Park) and then also separately to Bulldogs legend Mr. Dave Murray who sadly passed away suddenly during the season. Thanks to the tireless efforts of these two College heroes, the Bulldogs and UCC RFC continue to embody everything great about the game of rugby

Thank you Shannon RFC from your friends at UCC Rugby. You have ensured that our sport RUGBY is the big winner today.