Bruff R.F.C.

Rugby team
teamname = Bruff


country

countryflagvar = rugby
fullname = Bruff Rugby Football Club | union = IRFU, Munster Branch
nickname =
founded = 1969
ground = Kilballyowen Park, Bruff, Limerick
capacity = ~1000
competitions = All-Ireland League
pattern_b1=_whitemaroon_hoops
leftarm1=993333|body1=FFFF00|rightarm1=993333|shorts1=FFFFFF|socks1=993333

Bruff Rugby Union Football Club is a Rugby Union club in the town of Bruff, in Ireland.

History

The club was set-up in late 1969-early 1970 by two G.A.A. players, Willie Conway and Nicholas Cooke.

The clubs' first game was played in the field to the rear of the church in the town and was watched by nearly the entire village. [ [http://www.independent.ie/sport/rugby/bruffs-hayes-wont-be-the--last-505416.html Bruff's Hayes won't be the last - Rugby, Sport - Independent.ie ] ]

Early in the 1970s the Club President (Lt. Col. Gerald Vigors De Courcy O'Grady MC (The O'Grady), donated a gate-lodge from his estate as a dressing room and sold a pitch to the club for the nominal sum of £1.

The club grounds at Kilballyowen Park now include an area of approximately 13 acres, with 3 full pitches, two of which have been floodlit. The Club Pavilion has a newly updated bar, a dance area with full lighting, kitchen facilities, gymnasium, steam room & sauna and a dressing room complex containing

In the mid to late 1980s the club underwent a major revamp of its underage structure with the creation of a specific underage committee for the purpose of promotion of the game of Rugby Football with the youth of the catchment area of the club. This very quickly resulted in a major increase of player numbers and a consequential improvement in results from the Community games level upwards with the club regularly winning under-age competitions in Munster. [ [http://archives.tcm.ie/irishexaminer/2004/03/16/story938077293.asp Irish Examiner - 2004/03/16: Trophy-laden Bruff are still craving for place in the top flight ] ] including U16, U18 All-Ireland cups and culminating in the winning of the U20 AIL competition in the 2000-2001 season and had a knock on effect with the Adult teams. Promotion up the ranks of the Munster Junior club divisions quickly followed hand in hand with underage success and at the third attempt in four years the club finally won the AIL Provincial Round Robin series to gain promotion to the All Ireland League.

The club will play in Div. 2 of the AIB League in the 2008-09 season having graduated from Junior club to Senior status in the 2003-2004 season, and having been promoted to Division 2 following the 2007-08 season.

The gaining of senior club status has resulted in the return of many players to the club most notably in the 2006-2007 season with the return of former Shannon captain Eoin Cahill to his home club as Player/Backs Coach.

Although narrowly failing to gain promotion in the 2006-2007 season having come third in the league stage of the competition, the club was crowned Division 3 Champions following their semi-final play-off defeat of Ballynahinch and defeat of Wanderers in the AIL division 3 Final (Both opposing teams had gained promotion during the league phase.)

The following Season (2007-08) saw a meteoric rise in the fortunes of the club, breaking many AIL records along the way. The club completed the league stage without a loss, and according to the IRFU website did so with the lowest total score against in the history of the AIL (A total of 56 points against in 15 games. They gained promotion to Division 2 by coming first in the League stage having maintained an unbeaten run of 20 games right up to the final, but lost the Final by 32 points to 23 to Instonians who had come second and had been promoted with them. [ [http://www.irishrugby.ie/23_11706.php Irish Rugby : Division Three Final Preview: Bruff v Instonians ] ] [ [http://www.irishrugby.ie/23_11743.php Irish Rugby : Murnane Disappointed As Bruff Fall At Final Hurdle ] ]

Notable players

Notable players from the club include Stephen Keogh (Munster, Leinster), John Hayes (Munster, Ireland & Lions) and many other players in Div. 1 clubs including former Irish International Clubs and Garryowen Football Club captain, Peter Malone and former Shannon Club Captain Tom Hayes. The 2008-09 season will see the return of Peter Malone to Bruff as Player/Forwards coach. [ [http://www.irishrugby.ie/23_11741.php Irish Rugby : Malone To Link Up With Former Club Bruff ] ] [ [http://www.limerickleader.ie/sport/Moylan-is-poised-to-succeed.4003052.jp Moylan is poised to succeed Galwey in Shannon - Limerick Today ] ]

During his radio show on Newstalk on 4 April, 2008 George Hook stated that Gerard O'Dwyer (a former player for Bruff GAA Club and Bruff RFC in the 1978/1989 season) moved to Finland and was pivotal in establishing a domestic rugby league and later establishing a Finnish international rugby team.Fact|date=April 2008 O'Dwyer was capped 44 times for Finland, and captained the team on 14 occasions.Fact|date=April 2008

Honours

*Promoted To Div. 2, 2007-08
*Limerick Charity Cup Winners, 2007-08
*All Ireland League Div. 3 Champions, 2007
*All Ireland Junior Round Robin 2004 (Promoted to Senior Status)
*All Ireland Under 20 Millennium Cup:2001
*Munster Junior League - Division 1 (3) :2000, 2003 & 2004
*Munster Junior Clubs Challenge Cup (3):1998, 1999 & 2004
*Munster Junior 2 League 2004
*Gleeson League 2004, 2005, 2006
*McInerney Cup 2004, 2007-08.

Notes

Gallery

External links

* [http://www.bruffrfc.com Official website]
* [http://www.irishrugby.ie/636_6878.php? AIB League tables]
* [http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&hl=en&q=limerick,+ireland&ie=UTF8&t=k&om=1&ll=52.472286,-8.507355&spn=0.002291,0.005021&z=18&iwloc=addr Bruff R.F.C. on Google Maps]