Irish Colleges – Season Preview

The Irish Colleges will go on tour to Canada this season.

…Francis Broderick of UL and Garryowen in action for the Irish Colleges…

The Irish Colleges team will embark on a tour of Canada at the end of this season. Ahead of that there is a packed fixture list for the Colleges side including a game against the Combined Services U23s later in the year.

The season starts with the semi-finals of the Colleges Interprovincial games. The Ulster Colleges will be looking to reverse the result of their game against the Munster Colleges in last year’s semi-final. Ulster lost to Munster 23-11. The Connacht Colleges will be hoping to advance to the Interprovincial Final at the expense of the Leinster Colleges.

For an account of the two semi-finals and final see the article section at studentrugby.com the website of the Irish Colleges Rugby Union ( ICRU ). Munster Colleges have won the title for the last two years and will be going for an historic three-in-a-row set of wins.

The Canadian U-21 side then visits Ireland and plays the Ulster Colleges in Derry, the Irish Colleges A side in Dublin and finish their tour with a game, under lights, against the Irish Colleges XV in Thomond Park. The Interprovincial Final takes place in Dublin on December 20th.

After Christmas the Irish Colleges XV will play the Welsh Colleges in Cardiff and the Scottish Universities in Dublin. The Irish Colleges XV will be looking to continue their winning ways against these two sides. The Irish Colleges XV won 47-0 in both games in the reciprocal fixtures last year. The accounts of these games last year can also be found in the article section of studentrugby.com.

A new addition to the fixture list is a game in Dublin against the UK Combined Services U-23 side on the eve of the Ireland-England game. This will undoubtedly be a stern test for the Irish Colleges players and will prepare them for the games they will play in Canada in June/July.

The format of the tour will be two warm-up games, one being in Newfoundland, against Canadian Provincial U-21 sides and then a Quadrangular Tournament involving the US Collegiate Team, The English Universities, Canada U-21 and the Irish Colleges XV. Venues etc TBC.

The full list of fixtures and dates are given below with times and venues

Irish Colleges Rugby Union

Season 2006/2007

Tuesday November 7th 2006
Irish Colleges Inter Provincial Semi-Finals.
Munster Colleges V Ulster Colleges
Leinster Colleges V Connacht Colleges
Dublin

Friday November 10th 2006
Ulster Colleges V Canada U-21
Derry

Tuesday November 14th 2006
Irish Colleges “A” V Canada U-21
Dublin

Friday November 17th 2006
Irish Colleges XV V Canada U-21
Limerick

Wednesday December 20th 2006
ICRU Inter Provincial Final
Dublin

Saturday February 3rd 2007
Welsh Colleges V Irish Colleges
Cardiff

Friday February 23rd 2007
Irish Colleges V UK Combined Services U-23
Dublin

Saturday March 10th 2007
Irish Colleges V Scottish Universities

Tour of Canada
June/July 2007
Two warm-up games against Canadian Provincial teams and then a Quadrangular
Tournament between Canada U-21s, English Universities, USA Collegiate team
and ICRU XV.