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Dublin City University will play host to inaugural Nokia All Ireland Student Sevens on Wednesday (April 28). The exclusive student event will bring together 21 Colleges and University teams from across Ireland for a much anticipated carnival day of rugby.

With the Kinsale Sevens and Carrick Sevens set for this coming weekend (30-2 May) it is a busy and exciting period in the Irish calendar.

Organiser Max Rantz-McDonald is hoping the event can act as a catalyst in raising the profile of the sport in Ireland, whilst persuading the IRFU to commit and support the abbreviated code. It has recieved support from Irish rugby stars like of Cian Healy and Jamie Heaslip (pictured) also.

“The IRFU and RFU don’t have a Sevens team, they only have a side for the World Cup and that is only when the IRB give it a special grant,” explains Rantz-McDonald.

“The idea is to give Sevens in Ireland a bit of a push. Carrick and Kinsale are the only two tournaments we have here and madly they both fall on the same weekend.”

“A big part of this tournament is especially with the Olympic decision back in October is to give sevens in Ireland the kick it deserves especially at grassroots level.”

Rantz-McDonald has carved out an impressive sevens career already having represented Ireland at last year’s Rugby World Cup Sevens in Dubai and also having represented the likes of the Kooga Wailers and White Hart Marauders across the globe. 

The organiser has put together a new side, DCU Force 7 (F7s), who are overwhelming favourites for Wednesday’s tournament. All the side are AIL players, who have also represented their province and country at different levels. The side will participate at this weekend ‘s Kinsale Sevens, with their major target this summer being the European University Sevens in Spain (14-17 July).

“I feel extremely passionate Sevens and I just want to give Ireland the chance that it deserves. I have plenty of friends who play for Wales and seeing the level they are playing at and then you look at the level of the Irish players and you just feel that they would have a shot at these tournaments on the IRB Sevens World Series,” said Rantz-McDonald.

“First of all we can give a little taste to show the levels of interest that there is for sevens and then we hopefully turn into something like Dubai, Kinsale and make it as commercial as possible,” he added. 

Sponsors on board include the likes Nokia, Gilbert, and EA Sports.

All Ireland Student Sevens Teams:
DCU Force 7, DCU Force 7 A, Dublin City University, Air Corps College, UCD Dublin, Athlone Institute of Technology, Institute of Technology Blanchardstown, Institiute of Technology Carlow, Cork Institute of Technology, Dublin Institute of Technology, Galway Mato Institue of Technology, Griffith College of Dublin, Limerick Institute of Technology, Nui Maynooth, St Patrick’s College, ITT Dublin, Institute of Technology Tralee, UCD Michael Smurfitt Business School, University of Limerick, Waterford Institute of Technology.