UCC RFC announce calender of events to celebrate 150th anniversary

UCC RFC vs Ballynahinch RFC. Pic; Larry Cummins

UCC RFC, Munster’s oldest rugby club, has announced its plans to celebrate its 150th anniversary with a season of events in 2022-23.

The club began life as part of Queen’s College Cork when members of the medical faculty and students published its first rulebook for playing rugby in Cork in 1872 and adopted the now famous emblem of the Skull and Crossbones. Its schedule for a season of celebrations were unveiled on Tuesday night at a UCC Rugby event at the Mardyke Pavilion.

With the theme “A Past That Shapes Our Future”, the opening event will be a game between UCC and Oxford University at the Mardyke on Friday, September 23, the English university having also marked the 150th anniversary of their annual rugby game this year.

Also on the slate for 2022 will be a UCC Rugby Women tour to Oxford this autumn and UCC’s annual Colours Match at the Mardyke on November 26.

The advent of 2023 will see UCC travel to play London Irish Amateur RFC in January as part of the Exiles’ 125th anniversary celebrations before back back in Cork, UCC hosts Ireland Students versus France Students at the Mardyke on February 10.

Also in the pipeline is a new Mixed Rugby Interfaculty Competition in 2022-23 with the expectation that the competition will be named in honour of UCC Rugby alumnus Tom Kiernan, who died earlier this year.