Star gazers at rugby sevens

SOME of the big names of Irish rugby turned out over the weekend to watch the annual Heineken Kinsale Sevens.

With temperatures hitting close to 20 degrees at times, it was thirsty work for rugby players and their followers in Co Cork.

The annual Heineken Kinsale Sevens was worth up to €7m to the tourist town, according to the organisers.

Many leading rugby personalities were there, including Munster’s New Zealander Christian Cullen, scorer of a record 46 tries in Test matches for the All Blacks, and Alan Gaffney, director of rugby in Munster. Also enjoying the craic were Munster’s Jim Williams, Donnchadh O’Callaghan, former Ireland and Munster legend Mick Galwey and former Welsh international Jonathon Davies, to name just a few.

Pubs, hotels, guesthouses, restaurants and gift shops enjoyed a bank holiday bonanza during the international rugby tournament, which dates back to 1988.

An estimated 4,000 people were present on Saturday, when a team from Fiji, the South Sea Drifters, won the main men’s competition. Eighty-three teams from the four provinces, England, Scotland, Wales, New Zealand, France, Fiji, Moldavia and other countries took part in the tournament.

“The crowds on Saturday were the best we ever had. We had around 1,000 players in for the weekend and some of the teams also brought big contingents of supporters with them, some of them visiting the area for the first time,” said tournament director Ronan Kett.

“The 2004 ‘sevens’ is possibly the biggest sporting weekend in Munster. The standard of rugby was very high, with several internationals competing.”