Men's First XV Captain
Dear Fellow Members,
It is a great honour for me to be elected as Club Captain of UCD RFC for the 2024/25 season. All our playing members, and supporters look forward to the season with a great deal of enthusiasm.
A good season last year has given all members of UCD RFC, and especially the members of the First XV squad the motivation and drive to get back to playing entertaining, and hopefully, successful rugby. We have retained the bulk of our squad in addition to some positive recruitment which will allow our players and spectators to enjoy Collidge rugby whether played at the Belfield Bowl, or at alternative venues.
I would like to welcome all players to the club for what I hope to be a successful and enjoyable season for all our teams. A tremendous amount has happened inside our Club towards getting our teams ready for the upcoming season. Thus, I would like to take this opportunity to thank all the coaches and backroom staff for providing a positive environment to make it happen.
To all our visiting teams, referees, officials, and supporters I extend a genuine “Collidge ” welcome to the UCD Bowl this season. Indeed, I hope you enjoy the brand of rugby we play during the course of the season. I also hope that, after the match, you all enjoy the hospitality our club has to offer. Finally a special word of thanks goes to our University College for providing and maintaining such excellent facilities.
Finally, we are very grateful to our sponsors, Ernst & Young for their generous sponsorship this season and beyond, which is greatly appreciated.
James Tarrant
Ad Astra
Captain UCD RFC 24/25
Women's First XV Captain
Dear Fellow Collidge members,
I am beyond delighted and honoured to captain the UCD RFC Women’s team for the 2024/25 season. My previous two seasons as captain have been nothing but a pleasure, and I look forward to another year of the same.
Women’s rugby in UCD is going from strength to strength every season and it is a very exciting time to be involved with such an amazing group. One of the proudest aspects of the Collidge blue last season was experiencing our very first women’s club team compete in the Leinster league. On top of this, our senior and junior Collidge teams competing in the SSI University competition continued to show the immense talent and resilience we have in our squad.
To all the new players joining the club, a massive welcome. I am excited to watch you become part of the family and to enjoy pulling on the jersey as much as I did that first time. Our amazing coaching staff and supporters have made UCD a place where players can develop and grow while making friends for life along the way. I would like to thank our coaches and wider committee for creating such an environment.
Our squad looks forward to welcoming all teams and match officials across both the club and college competitions to the UCD Bowl over this coming season. As biased as I am, the Bowl is a special place to play and I hope you will enjoy it as much as we do, as well as our post match Collidge hospitality. As well as this, I hope we provide some entertaining rugby and successful days for our brilliant supporters.
All the above would not be possible without University College Dublin, providing top class facilities, and of course our fabulous sponsor, Ernest and Young. Ernest and Young have backed UCD RFC very generously and without any hesitation over the last few seasons and beyond, which myself and the squad are very grateful for.
Emma Kelly
Ad Astra
Captain UCD WRFC 24/25
