Northeast Philadelphia
Rugby Club

This St. Patrick’s Day the Northeast Irish Rugby (NEI) Club will be participating in a remarkable event that features a blend of both culture and sport. This event is The Donnybrook Cup, which is an ongoing competition between the national Rugby League team of Ireland vs. the national Rugby League team of the USA. What makes this noteworthy is that the NEI are a Rugby Union team.

The schism between Rugby League and Rugby Union is very polarizing in countries of the British Commonwealth. Often seen as a proxy for class warfare, aficionados of either code regularly spend time extolling the virtues of their favorite while denigrating the other version and all those who participate in it.

America has largely avoided these arguments since rugby is not a mainstream sport for us. Rugby Union tends to be more popular based upon its presence in most colleges, but Rugby League has a strong following of devoted supporters who revel in the tempo and physicality of their rugby code.

Open-minded individuals, like those in the NEI, realize that it is foolish to dwell on the differences between codes. Every rugby club provides an opportunity for members to be part of something larger than themselves and spend their time in constructive activities.

The NEI will be playing the first Rugby Union match of the day against local rivals, The Hibernians. This will be followed by a high school Rugby Union match, then the international Rugby League match. A post-match social will follow which will provide the NEI an opportunity to meet the international players from both Ireland and the USA.

Full details for the day can be found at www.donnybrookcup.com. Please consider attending the event and supporting the NEI as they begin their 2012 season.

Grab the Donnybrook Cup event flyer!