As we approach the back end of the summer I thought I'd give you an update on a few things that are going in our club.
Last week on Tuesday the 23rd July we had pre-season training kick off and it has to be said Declan, Rhys and Craig, together with the rest of the coaching team, put the guys through their paces. Season 2024-25 is up and running and game number one is only a couple of weeks away on the evening of Thursday the 15th of August, where our 1st XV will face Wesley in Donnybrook, as we open our defence of the Leinster Senior Cup title. It would be great to see you there.
The AIL schedule has also been published, and it's an early start too with the first match against Garryowen in Limerick on Saturday September 21st and we have UCD at home a week later on the 28th.
We also would like to thank and wish the best to a few players who have moved on from Lansdowne
Adam Deay
Daragh Murphy
Henry Godson
Liam Forester
Lucas Culliton
Michael Silvester
Mikey Yarr
Sean Dunne
Sean Walshe
And the Senior squad has been bolstered this year with the following new signings
Chris Poole (Hooker)
Cian Whooley (Out half)
Harry O’Riordan (Centre)
Jack Treanor (Hooker)
Jerry Cahir (Prop)
Juan Buekes (2nd row)
Liam Moloney (Back row)
Rob Hedderman (Full back)
Tadhg Brophy (Scrum half)
Toby Ennis (centre/utility)
Tom Connolly (Prop)
We are particular excited to announce that this years Club Captain will be Jack Cooke, we wish Jack and the entire playing squad much luck and and injury free successful season at all levels. Immediate past president, Steve Rooney has been working hard together with John Tobin and Eline Brandt recruiting and organizing the Lansdowne Women’s programme. We have great hopes for this with Claremont as the base and many players are beginning to find their way to Lansdowne. We are always recruiting for more, so do send them our way if you know of anybody interested - womensrugby@lansdownerugby.com.
Director of U20s Rugby, Mark MacMahon has been working with the new Head Coach, Emmett Farrell and his team to draft new players. Whilst Declan Drummond will be managing the Under 20s seconds, which should ensure that we get a good flow of new exciting talent into the club and also see the transition of many solid players coming from our youth section.
We would like to congratulate our Ireland senior men Tadhg Beirne, Ronan Kelleher, Dan Sheehan and Sam Prendergast on their recent successful tour of South Africa. I am reliably informed Dan is recovering well from his injury. Two of our U20s, Hugo McLaughlin and newly signed scrum half Tadhg Brophy were also in South Africa with the Ireland under 20s squad. We are in the middle of the Olympics and congratulate and commiserate with the evergreen Olympian Mark Roche on the 7s. Rochie you have done us proud.
Off the pitch there has been developments too; a new faster website has been launched and is still being edited and tidied up in time for September. We have also been consolidating our entire membership database onto the single ClubZap platform. Watch out for announcements and notifications in the coming weeks, and please pay your sub on time.
At Claremont Road, work has been progressing to replace the cricket crease with a rugby standard surface, and construction of a walking path around the site to ease access to the hockey pitch and also to protect the grass playing surface. The clubhouse at Claremont Road has had a couple of new active services on offer with gym District One, and our Senior Physio Aisling Frawley who has recently launched Elevate The Studio, beautifully presented and fitted out in the room that looks out over the pitch. I encourage you all to support both of these initiatives.
The yearbook is currently being collated by Brian Poland, Stephanie and a team of writers have been drafted in. Bobby Geraghty is organizing advertising, so please support the club if you're in a position to have your company place and add contact Bobby directly Bobby Geraghty - bobby@huntersestateagent.ie.
Our community outreach has had some developments recently, with a recent interview on the Ringsend and Irishtown Community Centre podcast, which you can listen to here.
There is lots of other work going on in our lively club, please contact me directly if you would like to help out. Volunteering is good fun and many hands make light work!
Finally, just a reminder that the Lansdowne Members Golf day is back on Friday August 23rd at Rathfarnham Golf Club, where clubman Rory McMahon is captain this year. Golf times are available between 2:30 and 4:30pm, followed by a dinner and prize giving. Please support this great historic event in the Lansdowne calendar, which hasn’t been played since before COVID-19. It is great to see it back, you can contact Gerry Cullen 087 256 2786 or Stephanie to book your place on the timesheet.
In closing, I would just remind you that Thursday August 15th is our 1st XV's very first match in Donnybrook against Wesley, defending their Leinster Senior Cup title. In the meantime, have a great remainder of the summer, and see you soon.
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