The countdown is on to this year’s Marble City Sevens, now of the leading rugby sevens competitions in the country. With a prize pool of around €4,000 in cash and a full day’s rugby action on offer, it will be all eyes on Foulkstown this coming Saturday.
The home of Kilkenny RFC, the Foulkstown grounds look set to welcome 24 sevens sides mixing mens social and ‘premier’ sides along with womens sevens sides. Having spent the day at the event last year (which happened to be hijacked, to the height of craic, by a Welsh stag party), you’ll wind up with some great rugby, a great atmosphere, food, live music and loads more across the day.
The SpringBuccs (social), Wild Geese (premier) and Railway Union (women) were all winners in 2015 – but have they got it in them to do it again this weekend?
With the group games slated to get underway from 10am, the big action will be in the afternoon with quarter-final games off and running from 2.30pm.
The social semi-finals lead off from 4.20pm with the finals of the social, women’s and premier groups fixed for 5.30pm, 6pm and 6.30pm respectively.
If you’re heading along and worried about missing the other big sporting occasions of the day – we’ve got a small matter of needing to beat Belgium at the Euros and Ireland are in rugby action also – matches will be screened in the bar to keep everyone up to date with what’s happening overseas.
In true Sevens form, once the celebrations are done and dusted, it’s on to the party with music set to go right into the night with a mechanical bull, DJ sets (including one from yours truly) and more all on the bill.
Here’s the groupings as they stand.
Men’s Group 1
Wild Geese, UL Bros, Naas, Leinster Rejects
Men’s Group 2
GBT, Kilkenny, UCC Men, Cheetahs 7s
Men’s Group 3
SpringBuccs, Blackrock Garbagemen, Hawaii-Try, Really Good Sax Guys
Men’s Group 4
Victorious Secrets, Midnight 7s Snakes of Tullamore, Flying Pigs, Only Fools & Horsemen
Women’s Group 1
Railway Union, St. Mary’s, Carlow, Kilkenny
Women’s Group 2
Old Belvedere, Trinidad & Tobago, UCC, Gorey
