SydneyÕs newest rugby club has its roots in Galway

A newly formed, up-and-coming, rugby union club in Australia that has a distinct Galway flavour is causing quite a storm ‘Down Under’.

Sydney Irish RFC, one of Oz’s newest clubs, was formed by a group of Irish emigrants and backpackers in the east coast city, including several from Galway and with connections to rugby in Connacht.

The first Irish rugby club in Sydney, its player base has mushroomed to over 50, and it is competing in the Sydney Suburban League, where it has recorded three wins on the trot in the past month in the first three games of the season.

It is tapping into the huge wave of immigrants who have flocked to Australia for work, and the popularity of rugby among Irish. As with all great Irish ideas, this one was dreamt up over pints in a bar.

Present supping Fosters and forming the new club was former native of Dangan, Henry Bourke, who played with Connacht and Galwegians; as well as Claregalway’s Val Baynes, former Connacht U-21 captain and captain of the Jes side that captured the 2002 Connacht Senior Schools Cup. Paddy Noble, a Wicklow native, who played for Galwegians in the 2000s, as also there.

The club’s Galway player base includes Joe Corcoran (Renmore); Alan Connolly (Salthill); Barry O’Sullivan (Knocknacarra), a former Irish Youths and Corinthians player; Rob Langan (Dangan) a former Corinthians player, until he was injured, who is now assistant coach at Sydney Irish; and David Bardon (Knocknacarra).

“We were saying how there are 10 Gaelic Football clubs in Sydney alone – most of them have two teams each, and about four or five of the clubs have a hurling team as well. The numbers were crazy. Our interest is obviously in rugby, so we felt there was room there to set-up an Irish rugby club in Sydney,” said Bourke.

That was January or February last year – roll on 14 months later and Sydney Irish RFC is absolutely flying it.

It has more than 50 players, and many more back-up and administrative helpers and supporters, is fielding two teams in what’s known as the Sydney Suburban League, the world’s largest league in Rugby Union in terms of a player base.

Before entering the 2013 league, the club played in the Halligan Cup, which is for rugby clubs competing in the leagues proper that have an over-flow of players. Sydney Irish were trouncing teams in the Halligan Cup and so made the step up to Division Five of the ‘subbies’ (Suburban League) for amateur players. The division you are in depends on the number of teams you can field, said Burke.

“It has sort of mushroomed,” says Bourke. “We’re hoping to field three or four teams next year which would mean we’d be in division two.”Late last year, the club began a fundraising drive with events in the local bar, Bar Lucca, which is owned by Galway man Marco Ustiani, who used to work in Martine’s wine bar on Quay Street.

Another Salthill native, Alan Connolly, general manager of Star Track (Australian version of DHL), has been pivotal in securing sponsorship. Magners Irish Cider, PJ Gallagher’s – a chain of Irish pubs in Australia – and Taste Ireland, the Irish hamper service to Australia, are all on board, sponsoring the teams.

Killanin native Emily Kennedy set up the club’s website and social media and gradually its ‘friends’ base grew exponentially, through word of mouth and the internet.

For more, read this week's Galway City Tribune.