Dublin University Football Club (DUFC) spoiled the party at Wanderers Football Club’s 150-year anniversary celebrations yesterday, winning both the women’s and men’s exhibition matches in the Aviva Stadium.
As two of Ireland’s oldest rugby clubs in existence, Wanderers and DUFC have enjoyed a long history together. In 1860, a team called “the Wanderers” played a match against DUFC on December 1st in College Park. The exact connection between this team and Wanderers FC is unclear, but Wanderers was formally established in 1870 by former players of Trinity. Up until then, DUFC, set up 16 years previously, had to seek out opponents from outside of Ireland, as there were no other Irish rugby clubs in existence.
To celebrate the club’s 150th birthday, Ireland’s two oldest clubs battled it out in a dual fixture between the men’s and women’s teams. The women’s teams kicked off the proceedings, taking to the Aviva Stadium pitch shortly after 2pm. The meeting between the two sides was historic in its own right: this was the first occasion in which two non-international women’s rugby teams have played in the 51,000-seater stadium.
Wanderers dominated the play early on, with Trinity slow to find their rhythm. Despite some good defensive work from Trinity’s Molly Fitzpatrick and Ciara Murphy, Wanderers crossed the tryline through Elisa Corcoran, who promptly knocked over the extras, giving her side a seven-point lead.
But for Wanderers, their moment in the sun was short-lived: Corcoran’s scores would prove to be their last of the match. After a slog to the line, DUFC captain Genevieve Ruesch put Trinity on the board, before an impressive individual try from Niamh O’Kelly Lynch left the half-time score at 12-7.
Trinity dominated the second half. Substitute Aine Castles finished a move she began, crossing the tryline after collecting a pass from centre Honor McNamara.
Wanderers did make some effort to regain a foothold in the match, but Trinity’s impressive defensive structure effectively snuffed out any maneuvers towards the Trinity 22.
A Trinity maul, driven on by Maeve Kelly, crossed the Wanderers tryline again as the game headed towards its conclusion. Shortly afterwards, Castles scored her second try of the match following a superb individual move. After securing possession in her own half following a restart, Castles dodged through the lagging Wanderers defence and made a clear run for the posts.
Tricia Doyle added a final try in the dying moments, with Honor McNamara adding the conversion. The final score of 33-7 made for healthy reading for DUFC.
The men’s fixture began promptly after the first match, with Trinity setting the pace early on.
The distinct difference in playing styles dominated the dynamic of the friendly match: Wanderers were laborious and physical as they looked to capitalise on their advantage in the scrum, while Trinity’s typical fluidity and pace made their opponents look lethargic and slow.
The crowd were made to wait for the first score of the men’s game. Trinity’s Billy O’Hora broke the deadlock halfway through the first period. Tomas Kileen shut down an attempted kick-in behind the Trinity backline, setting Ronan Quinn off down the right flank to sprint for the Wanderers tryline. Support arrived through O’Hora, who grounded the ball just inside the touchline.
Approaching the second half, Trinity consolidated their lead. After a burst of pace, James Moriarty exploited unoccupied space behind the Wanderers line with a well-placed kick. Quinn ran onto the ball and, after a kind bounce, collected the ball to carry over for five.
DUFC Men turned on the style to commemorate Wanderers’ 150th birthday.
Although Mickey Russell’s try kept Wanderers in touching distance of Trinity, the result was never really in doubt. Trinity steadily added to their lead with tries from Quinn, Hugh Twoomey and a superb individual move from Patrick Nulty. James Fennelly, so often invaluable for DUFC last season, looked sharp on the dead ball after he replaced O’Kennedy.
Wanderers did have the final say at Lansdowne Rd: several phases passed in the Trinity 22 before Stephen Dunne grounded the ball for the Ballsbridge club. Soon after, the referee brought the game to an end, with the final score reading 33-13.
The convivial crowd that gathered at the Aviva to mark the occasion mingled with players after the match. The last of the week’s sunshine provided a perfect backdrop for commemorative photos on the grass and the perfect end to a historic day for women’s rugby.
Both DUFC women’s and men’s face into new league campaigns in the coming weeks. The women’s team will face Mullingar RFC in Santry in a week’s time, their first league fixture following their promotion to Division 2 of the Leinster League.
DUFC men’s opening match in the All-Ireland League Division 1A will be against University College Cork in College Park. They will also take on Naas RFC in the Leinster League next weekend.
