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On what was another huge weekend for Irish Rugby, the 21st Heineken Kinsale Sevens again proved to be a thrilling 7s spectacle.

With a total of 30,000 euros up for grabs there was certainly a highly competitive feel at Snugmore.

The Marauders continued their recent dominance of the event following up their win last year with a successful defence of the main Sunday Heineken Senior Men’s Competition. Operating as the ‘Kukri Marauders’ for 2009, the London based team impressed throughout the weekend as they had done the previous year, playing some enterprising and fluid rugby with experienced British Army campaigners Howard Graham and Bunny Burenivalu in their camp.

The final proved a highly competitive affair with the Marauders sneaking past an equally impressive OB Shamrock Warriers 31-28. The Semi-Finals proved more of a breeze for the Londoners, though, steaming past a tired looking Scarlet Pimpernels side 38-0. The Warriers’ (a side comprised of players from Dublin and Leinster Rugby) defence held firm in their semi against KamaKazee Sevens RFC winning 19-0 to set.

The two weekend Ladies tournaments were dominated by Wooden Spoon, an international team representing a charity organisation, again based in England, and the Irish Vixens side comprised of the women’s national team. On the Saturday it was the Vixens who got the better of their English counterparts narrowly coming through 19-12. The following day ‘The Spoon’ had their revenge pipping the Irish 22-12 in an exciting tussle to even things up.

Stephen Ferris of Ulster, Ireland, and Lions made many a supporter's day, posing for photographs and signing autographs. Although Munster suffered a shock defeat in Dublin, some of the Munster stars turned out to support the event once again, with Lifeimi Mafi joining the festivities on Sunday.

Kooga show too much class at Carrick

Northern Ireland’s sevens showpiece, the Carrick 7s, also took place over the weekend with a victory for Kooga Wailers, mostly made up of the Guinness Premiership's Newcastle Falcons.

They took the Manvik Premier section of the tournament on Sunday, beating the Wooden Spoon rugby charity in the final. They overwhelmed ‘The Spoon’ 43-7 with Andy Fenby picking up a hat-trick and Rob Miller bagging a brace. They were untroubled for most of the day, seeing off Ulster Presidents, Studfarm, Mels Exiles, and the Irish Exiles on their passage through to the final, with the impressive Jack Smales picking up the tournament’s MVP. Mel’s Exiles were coached by Fijian great Waisale Serevi, who, although he was meant to have officially retired in Melrose, also got some game time in Northern Ireland helping his side to Bowl victory, with the Plate being taken by an Ulster President’s side.

It proved a busy weekend for the Wooden Spoon team who also pariticapted in the 32-team bumper field in Saturday’s Guinness Open. They stormed to victory, beating The Mighty Peth — from Northumberland’s Morpeth Rugby Club — in the final. There was a truly international feel on the day with sides from England, Scotland, and France in attendance. Cooke won the Abbey Insurance Ladies 10s tournament , the only major local winners over the action-packed three days at Carrickfergus RFC. The Carrick Sevens had originally got under way on Friday with the Kukri Sportswear U20 section, which was won by Surrey Colts.