Union Cup 2019 – Day 1
Day 1 of the 2019 Union Cup saw 66 exciting games of rugby take place at DCU Sports Campus in Dublin. The day was a mix of committed rugby and carnival festivities with semi-final places up for grabs in the men’s and women’s competitions.
Teams will now regroup for the second and final day of action.
Day One of the Union Cup was especially memorable for the Wessex Wyverns and two players in particular. Raimundo Martinez proposed after a game to his partner Andrew Lewis. Andrew duly said yes, sparking great celebrations for the Southampton club.
The are three tiers of men’s competition: Challenger Cup (3rd tier), Cú Chulainn (2nd tier) and Union Cup (1st tier).
The top prize in the Women’s Competition is the Ann-Louise Gilligan Cup with a secondary bowl competition on finals day.
For the men’s finals day, the Union Cup teams will compete for Cup, Plate, Bowl and Shield honours.
Cu Chulainn teams play for Cup, Plate and Bowl.
Challenger teams split into Cup and Plate play-offs.
It was a good day for the Irish contingent with Emerald Warriors’ teams all advancing to the Cup Semi-Finals in the Challenger, Cú Chulainn and Union Cup competitions.
Warriors’ Novice III’s are in the last four of the Challenger Cup after two wins from three outings today. Warriors II qualified as best runners-up from Pool B in the Cú Chulainn Cup after two wins and a draw with French side Les Coqs Sportifs.
It was a good day for Emerald Warriors I with three wins in Pool C of the Union Cup. They secured two bonus points along the way (notable in a 20-minute format) but now face the highly fancied King’s Cross Steelers I at 11.00.
Six of the eight women’s teams competing for the Ann-Louise Gilligan Cup are Dublin based including Women’s All-Ireland League Champions Railway Union. They gained maximum points in Pool A with wins over Blackrock College, DCU and Swedish side Stockholm & Barbarians and face Suttonians in the last four.
UL Bohemian are the other team from outside the capital. They topped Pool B and will meet Blackrock College in a repeat of the Women’s All-Ireland League Cup Final. The women’s format is 10-a-side.
2019 Union Cup, DCU, Dublin 8/6/2019
Lindsay Peat speaks to the media
Mandatory Credit ©INPHO/Laszlo Geczo
Sunday June 9th, 2019
SEMI-FINALS
08:00
Challenger Cup Semi-Final 1: Liverpool Tritons v Emerald Warriors III, Pitch 1
Challenger Cup Semi-Final 2: Manchester VS II v Northern Power, Pitch 2
Challenger Bowl Semi-Final 1: King’s Cross Steelers V v Kings Cross Steelers VI, Pitch 3
Challenger Bowl Semi-Final 2: Glasgow Alphas v Bulls & Cardiff, Pitch 4
08:50
Ann-Louise Gilligan Cup Semi-Final 1: Railway Union v Blackrock College, Pitch 1
Ann-Louise Gilligan Cup Semi-Final 2: UL Bohemian v Suttonians, Pitch 2
Ann-Louise Gilligan Bowl Semi-Final 1: DCU v Stockholm & Barbarians, Pitch 3
Ann-Louise Gilligan Bowl Semi-Final 2: Swords & North Meath v Tallaght, Pitch 4
09:20
Cú Chulainn Cup Semi-Final 1: Leeds Hunters v Emerald Warriors II, Pitch 1
Cú Chulainn Plate Semi-Final 1: Northampton Outlaws v Berlin Bruisers, Pitch 2
Cú Chulainn Plate Semi-Final 2: Straffe Ketten v Wessex Wyverns, Pitch 3
Cú Chulainn Bowl Semi-Final 1: Sea Serpents v King’s Cross Steelers IV, Pitch 4
Cú Chulainn Bowl Semi-Final 2: Dunfermline Knights v Munich Monks, Pitch 5
10:10
Cú Chulainn Cup Semi-Final 2: DH & Libera v Les Coqs Festifs, Pitch 1
Union Plate Semi-Final 1: Newcastle Ravens v Rebelyons, Pitch 2
Union Plate Semi-Final 2: Cologne Crushers v Le Gaillard, Pitch 3
Union Bowl Semi-Final 1: Birmingham Bulls v Madrid Titanes, Pitch 4
Union Bowl Semi-Final 2: Stockholm Berserkers v Tou’Win, Pitch 5
11:00
Union Cup Semi-Final 1: King’s Cross Steelers I v Emerald Warriors I, Pitch 1
Union Cup Semi-Final 2: Manchester VS I v King’s Cross Steelers II, Pitch 2
Union Shield Semi-Final 1: Caledonian Thebans v King’s Cross Steelers III, Pitch 3
Union Shield Semi-Final 2: Bristol Bisons v Amsterdam Lowlanders, Pitch 4
FINALS
12:15 – Ann-Louise Gilligan Bowl Final; Challenger Plate Final.
12:55 – U13 Exhibition Game
13:25 – Challenger Cup Final; Union Cup Shield Final; Cú Chulainn Plate Final; Union Cup Plate Final
14:35 – Cú Chulainn Cup Final; Cú Chulainn Bowl Final; Union Cup Bowl Final.
15:45 – Ann-Louise Gilligan Cup Final
16:20 – Union Cup Final
Irish Teams In Bold
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