Girls encouraged to give rugby a try at Portlaoise Rugby Club

Portlaoise Rugby Club are on a mission to strengthen their women’s section and are inviting girls of all ages to come out and give rugby a try.

The Portlaoise club already boasts almost 100 female members, ranging from U-12 to U-19, and has a proud tradition of producing players who have represented both Leinster and Ireland.

Recent successes include Eimear Corri Fallon, who returned from a serious injury to feature in Ireland’s Rugby World Cup warm-up games and has now been named in the squad for the tournament starting this Friday. Ireland's first game is against Japan on Sunday, August 24, at 12pm.

Rebecca Cahill, who stole the headlines scoring two tries in Leinster U/18 Girls' win over Ulster on August, 10. She also played on the wing at the weekend against Munster. She had a memorable U/18 Six Nations campaign with Ireland earlier this year when she was the championship’s top try scorer with four to her name. And these two girls are only the latest in a line of Portlaoise female players who have represented their province and Ireland.

Portlaoise RFC’s history of female representation stretches back further, with Alison Miller blazing a trail as the club’s first international. She joined Connacht in 2009 and made her international debut the following year. She was a try-scoring machine, scoring 24 tries in her time in the Ireland shirt. Her most notable was one scored in the 2014 World Cup win over New Zealand. She also scored a memorable hat-trick against England on the way to winning the Grand Slam in 2013. Held in such esteem, she was inducted into the Rugby Players Ireland Hall of Fame two years ago.

More recently, Emma Hooban and Koren Dunne have also represented Leinster and Ireland.

PRFC Women’s Co-ordinator, Amanda Hade, said the club wants to see that tradition continue: "We would love to see girls come out and give it a try. You might not get to represent Leinster or Ireland, but we can guarantee you a great time, where you will make new friends and have plenty of craic and enjoyment."

Training has already started at the club in Togher, and all skill levels are welcome; no experience is necessary. After all, some of the club’s top players had never even held a rugby ball when they first joined.

For further information, girls and parents can contact Amanda on 085 8455116.

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