Stillorgan RFC

Website & Social Media

For information about upcoming fixtures and events please visit:

Club Website: www.dublinrugby.com

Facebook: www.facebook.com/stillorganrfc

Twitter: www.twitter.com/dublinrugby

Club history

Stillorgan Rugby Club (formerly known as Salesians RFC) was founded and first registered with the Leinster Branch of rugby in 1973, when a group of former pupils from schools run by the Salesian fathers themselves playing together in Dublin. Most were a long way from home and had attended school in the Salesian colleges Pallaskenry, Limerick, Warranstown in Meath and Ballinakill in County Laois.

The application was made to the Leinster Branch, who had to be satisfied that the club had a home pitch, complete with dressing rooms and showers. After a bit of searching a pitch of sorts was found in Maynooth and the application was approved Salesians played their first season at J3 level in the '73 to '74 season with moderate success and were soon fielding two teams. The first team colours were red jerseys with black collars and cuffs and black shorts. The club strip was changed in 1978 to reflect the school colours of the new salesian college recently opened in Celbridge. Despite being over 35 years old, Stillorgan is still one of the youngest clubs in Dublin. Stillorgan suffered in the early eighties when many of its founding members retired and the club was forced to move its homeground to the Royal Hospital Kilmainham. In the 86/87 season the club moved to CUS Sports Grounds Bird Avenue and this has ensured the clubs growth and existence and today it comfortably fields 3 teams in the various leagues and cups. The Stillorgan rugby club has a long a proud tradition of playing rugby and enjoying themselves. If they were as good at the former as they are at the latter they would have been All Ireland champions several times over. However, in recent years the Stillorgan firsts have won cups, pennants and league sections. In recent times the firsts have won the Leinster J3 Section B Pennant and Leinster J3 League Title.[1]

Playing on the CUS pitches on Bird Avenue for time immemorial, this truly historic playing ground has given many memorable moments to the many crowds that congregate every weekend to view the champagne rugby that Stillorgan have perfected.

J2B League Promotion and Cup

After a very promising start in their J2 career Stillorgan managed to clinch promotion to the J2A league in the first year at J2B standard. A feat that was well justified by some great wins home and away. The team character that is were very disappointed not to go that step further and win the league outright but two poor performances in the year made this fairy tale a step too far. A very strong league run ensured 2nd place and promotion but due to a restructuring of the league SRFC will again play in Section B for 2010/2011.

J2 Albert O'Connell Cup 2010

With a bye in the first round, Stillorgan's cup campaign got off to comprehensive win over De La Salle Palmerston. Having already accounted for the South County Dublin team twice in the league it was a hat trick of victories as Stillorgan ran out easy winners and if they didn't take the foot off the pedal probably could have won by more.

The Quarter Final meeting with Bective Rangers made a 1st versus 2nd of the J2B League a match to look forward to and it lived up to expectation. With a victory each in the league neither team would underestimate the opposition and a tight game in Donnybrook was always going to be the outcome. After conceding an easy early penalty Stillorgan got their act together and through brilliant forward play from set pieces manages to push a hole through the Bective defence twice for Full-Back Mark Harnett and Second Row Daniel Shanahan to touch down and leave the half time score 15-3 to the visitors.

After 20 minutes of tough slogging where both teams had scoring chances narrowly averted Bectives pressure finally told with ten minutes to go converting a try leaving a nervous final ten minutes for Stillorgan to hang on. Hang on they did and a semi final place was assured by some stout defending and cool heads at the break down.

The reward of this great victory is a home semi-final against J2A side Blackrock College who defeated J"A league Winners Clontaf to get to this stage of the competition. This was unfortunately was the second cup semi final defeat in as many years but having gone up a division and competing against teams in a division above them this was no mean feat.

J3 League Winners 2008/09 and Promotion

In Donnybrook in front of a crowd of 12,568 Stillorgan captured their first J3 league title in the club's history. An 18 - 6 win against DLSP.

Stillorgan RFC went unbeaten through the whole regulation season, winning 12 games out of 12 before the play-offs. They are the only team in Leinster to achieve that feat. The final was a close affair with Stillorgan's two tries ultimately being the difference between the teams. The first try was scored early on after a scrambled intercept inside their own half.

Great teamwork and support was shown then with six players touching the ball before Finian Finn scored to the right of the posts. The conversion was added by Tim Twomey.

In the second half, a fantastic break through the centre by Peter Hynes cut right through the DLSP defence.

He offloaded to Twomey on the wing to score in the corner. DLSP came close to scoring on a number of occasions but just could not get over the try-line.

J3 Moran Cup 2009

After an agonisingly close encounter in Bird Avenue and numerous chances to clinch the win Stillorgans dream of the double were dashed and season ended with a 3-point defeat to eventual cup winners Lansdowne in a very hard fought battle after extra time.