Annual Kinsale Sevens gets underway

NINETY SIX teams will play over 200 games on five pitches this weekend at the annual Heineken Cup Sevens in Kinsale.

The teams will be involved in playing on five pitches in the scenic grounds of Kinsale rugby club seeking some compensation from a prize fund of €22,000, making the event the premier sevens rugby event in the northern hemisphere.

The organisers and sponsors still haven’t given up hope that the tournament may eventually be included in the World Sevens circuit, although it is in the traditional mould of family orientated and amateur status tournaments.

That, in a sense, is what makes it so different from other sevens competitions and it’s also why it is so popular amongst Irish and overseas clubs.

The event is increasingly important to Kinsale and Cork, generating a turnover in the region of €6 million over the May bank holiday week-end.

Many visitors return again with family and friends, thus bringing added tourism value to the region.

Full details about the participating teams and players are available on www.kinsalesevens.com.

Tickets cost €25 for weekend passes and €15 for day tickets.

Under 12’s will be granted free admission.