Monthly Archives: May 2019

This weekend sees the Rugby League Dacia Magic weekend take place at Anfield, the home of course of Liverpool FC. It’s a real festival of rugby for league fans in which an entire round of Super League matches is played over a weekend at a single stadium to promote rugby league. Since it was introduced used the Magic weekend has done what it says on the tin and been a magic weekend of thrills and spills for supporters and players.

With a reputation for entertainment averaging out at 50 points scored per game, the package of six top flight games in one venue is a real winner. And O’Neills are proud to be there as kit supplier to four of the twelve teams the Catalans Dragons fresh from their Camp Nou success, Warrington Wolves, Huddersfield Giants and St Helens.

This year the top four teams from the 2018 season

Kenilworth RFC completed a tremendous treble-winning season lifting the RFU Intermediate Cup at Twickenham, having already won the Midlands Two West South title and Midlands Intermediate Cup on their way to the national final. The Twickenham result was a dream come true, a momentous day for the men in the Kenilworth jersey and the latest success in a treble winning season.

Kenilworth lifted the RFU Intermediate Cup following their 32-26 victory against a gallant Matson team. They led 22-5 at one stage but credit to Matson they battled the scoreboard back to a single point but Kenilworth showed composure and experience to push on. Overall it was end to end stuff for the full eighty minutes with nine tries scored.

Kenilworth captain Bobby Thompson told the Coventry Telegraph: "It was just unbelievable and I am just immensely proud of everyone involved at the club. It's been a real club and squad effort to achieve what we have this season and

Honiton RFC are the pride of Devon - indeed the pride of West Country rugby after they bagged a thrilling 29-27 win over North Allerton in the final of the RFU Senior Vase played at Twickenham. It surely is every young Honiton rugby player’s dream now to pull on that Honiton jersey and run out at Twickenham!

Speaking ahead of the game, long standing Club President Dave Todd could only speak of his pride in the small club.  “Pride. Pride for Honiton, for them, for the town. That's my dominant feeling, just complete pride. We're on a crest of a wave. That's going to be the pinnacle, the culmination of rugby life for Honiton. That's the biggest thing that Honiton has seen I think.”

Like all good clubs the focus in Honiton is on development and growing the grassroots and building from the bottom up.

“We want to keep our junior side going because they're the ones that feed the seniors. They're the

Going into the final day of the National One rugby season, Ampthill & District RFC only needed a single point to secure their promotion slot to Division 1. Having set a ferocious pace in the drive for promotion, the first XV pulled on the famous Ampthill & District RFC jersey and delivered in fine style, securing an historic promotion to the Championship with a comprehensive win over Loughborough Students.

The victory was all but sealed thanks to a blistering first half showing with tries by Maama Molitika, Matt Collins, Aleki Lutui and Joe Berics. Four more tries followed after the break to seal an epic win.

Ampthill & District have played four seasons in National One and now coaches Mark Lavery & Paul Turner will relish the prospect of testing their mettle against the

This weekend the Legendary Nou Camp in Barcelona will host rugby league for the first time in its history, when the Catalans Dragons play Super League champions Wigan.

The Dragons, the reigning Challenge Cup champions, will step out onto the spiritual home of Catalan sport wearing a specially designed O’Neills jersey in the traditional Barca Blaugrana colours. And ahead of the game, the O’Neills one off Catalans Dragons shirt is featured heavily on the Barca FC webpage and

In many ways the newly minted Joe McDonagh Cup is the hidden jewel in the crown of hurling. Last year demonstrated that the hurling at this level is fiercely  competitive and fiercely skillful.

For Antrim, Kerry, Laois, Offaly and Westmeath  the competition is tantalisingly close to the Liam McCarthy with a preliminary All Ireland quarter final at stake for the finalists and promotion for the winners guaranteed if a Leinster county or Antrim.

The teams compete for a place in the final in Croke Park in late June and the ultimate goal of 2020 promotion to the Liam McCarthy Cup. The final precedes the 2020 Leinster Final.

To promote the lower tier competitions the GPA have taken to a roadshow to add their visibility to the McDonagh, Ring, Rackard and Meagher Cups. The standard in each is rising but it is the Joe McDonagh that provides the hope and desire for the second tier teams. With an intense series

The GAA launched the 2019 McDonagh, Ring, Rackard and Meagher Cups at Croke Park in the company of players from all 25 counties competing in these senior hurling competitions yesterday.

At the launch John Horan, The GAA President said “These competitions honour the memory and legacy of hurling heroes who were icons of the great game.” Paul Flynn CEO of the GPA echoed these sentiments saying: “We’re delighted to be working with the GAA on this launch. We’re delighted to see such a great turnout from our members today to kick off the Joe McDonagh, Christy Ring, Nicky Rackard and Lory Meagher competitions. We’re looking forward to an exciting summer of hurling starting this weekend.”

Here’s eight useful bits of info from the launch to get yourself up to speed.

1 Joe McDonagh Cup First Round

The Joe McDonagh Cup begins this weekend with the meetings of