Red army’s withdrawal sees Sydney go green all over again

It was not just the Wallabies downed in Australia at the weekend by men who had travelled halfway across the globe.

For the lads at Sydney Irish RFC had already struck a blow for the northern hemisphere last Saturday when Roseville were beaten by the expats’ first and second teams in the New South Wales Suburban Rugby League.

For a club that was formed just 18 months ago, Sydney Irish are not doing too badly at all, able to field three teams and six mixed sides in the winter Oz Tag League.

Their victory over Roseville sent them clear at the top of Division Five in their inaugural season in the world’s largest rugby union league, which is based in Sydney’s Eastern Suburbs, one of the few genuine union hotbeds in a land Down Under, where men mostly prefer their Aussie Rules and rugby league.

Not that the other codes matter too much to Sydney Irish. They have drawn on the growing Irish expatriate population in the city, vindicating the decision by club chairman Val Baynes, treasurer Paddy Noble and others to form the club in the first place back in January 2012.

Like a lot of good ideas, Sydney Irish was born over a few pints, former Corinthians forward Baynes and Noble co-opting former Cork Constitution man Andrew Scannell as director of rugby, a grand term as far as the Cork man is concerned for a role that involves all manner of administrative duties and a bit of coaching thrown in besides.

Nor is this a club with low expectations, with a head coach in former Ireland international Pat “Two Caps” Duignan, who made those appearances under Warren Gatland in the late 1990s and is, according to Scannell, held in high regard as the only man at Sydney Irish with his own Wikipedia page.

Also on the seven-man committee and playing for the club is former Ireland U20 and Connacht hooker Henry Bourke, now a Sydney-based solicitor and club vice-chairman, long-time Shannon player and AIL winner Dave Delaney, ex-Navan RFC captain Simon Donnelly and others with stints at Munster Schools, Irish Schools, Bective and Clontarf RFC on their CVs.

Yet while rugby is the modus operandi at Sydney Irish, whose matches can attract 150 members and supporters, the reasons behind its formation go deeper, providing something of a home away from home.

“The idea was to welcome the new Irish immigrants to Australia and help them grow their network and develop friendships, it’s quite a social club, but that doesn’t stop us from being top of the table currently,” Scannell said.

“We have had immense support since starting the club last year, from people like Alan Gaffney, Jim Williams, John Langford, Michael Cheika and Simon Poidevin. Alan Gaffney put in a good word for us with his club Randwick and helped us get a permit to play at Latham Park (in the Eastern Suburbs), which is easier said than done. So many people want to use the pitches there for all different sports but Alan was a massive help and that’s where we play our home games.

“We’ve also secured Magners as our major sponsor along with PJ Gallaghers Irish Bar here in downtown Sydney and many more local sponsors. But we’re always looking for more players and members and want to reach the Irish in Ireland and let them know that if they’re thinking of immigrating here for a year or more, that there’s a strong network that would welcome them with open arms.”

No time was the social side of the club more evident than last weekend when Gallaghers hosted a Sydney Irish speakers’ night on the eve of the Lions’ final Test with guests including Frankie Sheahan, Peter Clohessy and Jim Williams.

“We have had a very successful weekend here,” said Emily Kennedy, a public relations professional and Galway expat who volunteers her time as the Sydney Irish communications manager. “The Speakers night was a sellout and we made about A$10,00 (€7000) which will be split between the club, IRFU Charitable Trust and Hearts in Union (the Charitable Trust’s Australian equivalent). The speakers were all very entertaining.

“We won both games on Saturday so our firsts remain top of the table and our seconds are slowly creeping up.”

There was also time for a mad dash after the matches at Latham Park for a coachload of Sydney Irish members to attend the third and final Test at ANZ Stadium in the city’s Olympic Park, while the next day, many of the lads joined the series-victory celebrations with the players at Bondi and scored quite a publicity coup for their ongoing membership drive.

“We got a picture of Brian O’Driscoll in our jersey which has had a huge response online,” Kennedy said. “It’s amazing what a famous face can do!”

Check out the photograph of O’Driscoll in the distinctive green, white and blue club jersey on the club’s facebook page (www.facebook.com/sydneyirishrfc) and if you are on your way over to Sydney for more than just a holiday, you could do a lot worse than seek out the lads and lasses at Sydney Irish RFC.