Cork Hellhounds Ready For First Bingham Cup

Cork Hellhounds RFC, Cork’s LGBT-inclusive rugby team, presented their new kit to the public for the first time last Thursday (May 9) alongside supporters and sponsors ahead of their tour to Rome for the IGR Bingham Cup on May 23.

The event took place at the Maldron Hotel South Mall in Cork City, with representatives from the club’s sponsors, including MyMortgage.ie, Qualcomm, and Gay Project at the launch to support the Hellhounds.

The Cork Hellhounds were formed in 2020 as the city’s first LGBT-inclusive rugby club, and quickly ratified by Munster Rugby and the IRFU. They are members of International Gay Rugby, the global organisation of gay and inclusive rugby clubs, which is hosting its bi-annual Bingham Cup tournament in Rome from May 23 to 26 this year. The Hellhounds are taking part in the Bingham Cup for the first time this year, as players and supporters prepare to travel to Italy after months of training during their rugby season.

“The Hellhounds are very excited to be flying to Rome soon for the Bingham Cup”, said Scott De Buitléir, Communications Officer for Cork Hellhounds.

“Despite being a relatively new rugby club in Cork, we’ve had steady numbers in terms of members, players, and interest and support from the LGBTQ community in Cork and its allies and friends. We are proud to be representing Cork and Munster at the IGR Bingham Cup for the first time, and we can’t wait to play against the other IGR clubs and celebrate rugby as an inclusive sport in a fantastic setting like Rome. It’s going to be exciting for us all.”

The success of the Hellhounds has grown year on year since their foundation. Last year, they took part in the IGR Union Cup, the European championships of the organisation, where they reached the finals of their tier. They have also regularly worked with Munster Rugby to host the Cork Pride tag rugby tournament during the city’s Pride festivities, becoming a major sporting event for the festival. Their tag rugby offering also brings men and women to the club, taking part in the leagues organised by Cork Tag Rugby at Highfield RFC and Cork Constitution.

The games planned as part of the IGR Bingham Cup will be live streamed via binghamcup.com for those who cannot support the Hellhounds in person in Rome. For more information on the Cork club, visit corkhellhounds.ie or search for Cork Hellhounds RFC on Instagram or Facebook.