OF THE 12-MAN Ireland squad who claimed bronze at last July’s Rugby Europe U18 Sevens championship in Strasbourg, four came through the IQ Rugby system, six came from the rest of the country, and two were from Munster.
Both Munster players were the products of Iveragh Eagles RFC, a South Kerry club born a couple of years after its latest heroes.
The annual August weekend celebrations at the picturesque club grounds in Cahirciveen were kicked up a notch last summer when Conall Cournane and Michael O’Sullivan, teammates for most of their lives, landed in with their international medals.
Aiden McNulty, the former Ireland women’s Sevens head coach and now an elite player development officer with Munster, made a presentation to the two former Coláiste na Sceilge classmates.
“People just couldn’t believe we had Ireland players who had gone and played Sevens and brought home a bronze medal,” says Tony Cournane, father of Conall and one of the founding members of the Iveragh club in 2009.
Cournane Sr, who coached both his son and Michael O’Sullivan from minis rugby up as far as U18s, described the buzz around the club this week as “massive altogether” as the players won Senior Schools Cup medals in separate provinces.
On Monday, O’Sullivan starred at openside as Blackrock College held off Terenure College at Tallaght Stadium to seal their 72nd Leinster title. It was O’Sullivan’s second medal, having also featured during ‘Rock’s 2024 campaign after transferring to the Dublin school as a boarder in Fifth Year.
On Thursday, then, Conall Cournane was at fullback for Christian Brothers College as the Cork school came from 10-0 down to edge out cross-city rivals Presentation Brothers College at Virgin Media Park, drawing level once more with PBC in the all-time standings at 32 titles apiece.
Like O’Sullivan the year before him, Cournane had left their local Coláiste na Sceilge to further his chances at a rugby career, staying in digs in Cork for his Leaving Cert year.
Both players were among the standout performers throughout their respective competitions, with O’Sullivan’s combination of brute force and ball skills turning heads in Dublin and Cournane’s sizzling, slaloming counter-attacks lighting up fields on Leeside and in Limerick.
“There aren’t too many Senior Cup medals down here!” says Tony Cournane. “So, to get two in one week is a fair achievement. You can’t put it into words, really.”
Iveragh RFC describe themselves as ‘Small but Mighty’. Their catchment area is the Iveragh Peninsula, roughly from Caherdaniel up as far as Glenbeigh. Their teams merge with Mid Kerry outfit Killorglin from U14s onwards.
Tony Cournane recalls his son’s age group as having 10 or 12 especially talented players, their team “winning most of their battles by a considerable amount”.
Conall Cournane, Michael O’Sullivan and Jake Curran — who were also teammates for Derrynane GAA Club — were among the Killorglin-Iveragh rugby talents to catch the attention of Munster at U16 level.
When Cournane progressed to the IRFU’s National Talent squad, Munster and Ireland underage coach Brendan O’Connor and physical performance coach Cathal Murtagh would travel hours to Caherdaniel to assist him with gym sessions.
Back row O’Sullivan had already moved to Dublin to further his chances at a professional rugby career, and Munster felt that high-potential fullback Cournane had also outgrown the pen in South Kerry.
“They said, ‘Look, you can’t keep playing with Killorglin-Iveragh,’” recalls Cournane’s father, Tony. “They just wanted him playing at a higher level where he’d be challenged.”
Cournane swapped Coláiste na Sceilge for Christians and put his name in the hat for further progression through his native province’s ranks with a series of exciting displays for the eventual Munster champions.
O’Sullivan, too, has continued to line out for Munster at age-grade level while attending school in Dublin. But with few genuine contenders to challenge Josh van der Flier in Leinster’s senior ranks, the Blackrock seven might yet find himself spoiled for choice when it comes to academy offers.
Tony Cournane insists that his son and O’Sullivan — “a great, great kid” — are not outliers in having the potential to make the breakthrough from their young club in Cahirciveen.
Conall’s elder sister, Annkate Cournane, played senior interpro rugby with Munster last year, while middle sibling Ellie has also played age-grade for the province and won a Sevens interpro title in 2022.
The Cournanes’ dad laughs at the modesty of his own rugby career by comparison: Tony first started playing with the newly formed Iveragh as a 42-year-old.
“I’d great craic for a couple of years”, he says, “and then the body said, ‘Hold on, now, this isn’t working.’
“But I reckoned you couldn’t coach kids unless you’d played. You had to understand how it was to hit somebody and to get hit. That was just my mindset on it, because it was always just about the young ones coming through.”
The latest talents off the Iveragh production line are the likes of Keelin O’Shea and Eliza O’Sullivan, who pulled on their province’s Sevens jersey at U16s level in 2024.
“And there are plenty more to come as well,” says the club’s co-founder.
Some bad decisions at crucial times cost us dearly. But, what kind of asshat boos their own team? Stay at home next time you bunch of morons.
Shane, I could be wrong but I thought they were booing the late tackle on Cooney(I think). He put in a grubber kick and was hit late.
Only caught the last ten mins they were booing because carty got body checked after he tried his grubber.?? Unless I missed something in the first 70 that they were booing at ?
They were booing the opposition kicker and all, that’s no way to behave. It was embarrassing listening to the Connaught crowd
Awfully disappointed for Connacht. Thought they could build on their win last week, but much like us, are pretty inconsistent when it comes to getting it up for the non-derby games. Peaks and troughs…
Terrible result. Gutted.
Connachts form returns!
Why not? We could do with a roof though! Connacht don’t do fair weather supporters
No need for a 20k stadium now ?
Why not? We could do with a roof anyway…Connacht don’t do fair weather supporters
Im sure if ye gave connacht 20k seats from thomand ye would still have trouble filling it . Munster fans only do the big European Cup games and there will be no more of them this season.
Munster have been the top attendance drom7 of the first 12 pro-12 games look up the pro-12 official site!
Sale in a few weeks there Harvey .
You can’t go by the official figures as they include st holders. Munster on the past perhaps but over the past 3 or 4 years their attendance figures for non European cup games and Leinster games have been poor.
The largest attendance of the season was at the Aviva stadium which was a home game for Leinster.
Sorry Lad, Munster don’t have the highest attendance :-(
Ok noggy that maybe so but I’m sure it’s the same criteria for every team in the pro12 with that in mind Munster are still the top attendance in 7/12 games do far. And btw why does dome dick feel the need to have a cut at Munster on a totally Connacht article. Sad pr1ks
I never mentioned anything about Leinster. You tried to state a fact and I simply corrected you on it.
No noggy what I said is that Munster have the top attendances in7/12 pro-12 games. Google pro12 attendances and check the attendance each week. I also said that not you but some d1ck had too try too cut Munster on a totally Connacht article. Place is full of jealous a55holes. This is no forum for anything but Connacht till that muppet too his swipe.
@ Harvey
Philip, you are an embarrassment to the real Munster fans.
Who are you.
Ah now Philip. The dogs in the street know the official attendances are pure fiction.
Shane,Go easy on philip he,s a walter mitty type character who claimed to have played for munster to add a bit of weight to his pathetic posts on these articles.probably another bandwagon jumper who has to prove his undying love for the red army by slating the other three provinces.
That is all.
Christopher tobin started it
Connacht were betrayed by a lack of patience in the end. After the clock had struck eighty minutes, there was only one viable option for Connacht and that was to hold onto the ball at all costs, no matter how little metres they were making with ball in hand; they had to hold onto it and just wait for the opening. For an inexplicable reason they grubber-kicked it, away, with the inevitable consequence that Edinburgh regathered it and sealed the match.
Irish sides have to remember the powerful lesson from that painful extra-time defeat to the All Blacks in November 2013: the All Blacks held onto the ball, without deviation, for however long it took to get over the Irish tryline. They never, even for a moment, considered kicking the ball. They knew their job, they knew that it would be attritional and involve only inches at a time, but also that it was simple and achievable. Irish sides, historically, have had a habit of running out of patience, losing their concentration and deviating from the path. After putting in some effort, we change tactic and opt for the Hail Mary pass (in rugby terms, kicking the ball away in hope rather than expectation). Our characteristic lack of patience has to be tackled once and for all.
Totally agree
This is where experience is needed.
Let’s not forget carty is barely out of his teens.
Dreadful performance tonight but in all fairness at least this year we can chalk it down to a bad day at the office, last year it was par for the course.
Agree but Alan Solomons said the before the match that the game would be won in the half backs and Marmion then found it difficult with Clyne. When Cooney and Carty came on the go forward improved. Lam later said that Marmion was carrying a knock. Can never understand why coaches all send subs on around the 60 minute mark?
Can everyone stop talking about munster? Its like Munster are the Muslims of the rugby world. Ye were not playing tonight boyos! We are Not FIng Interested in talking about ye.
Henshaw is some player,he has to stay at Connacht so they can keep improving!
Attendance for tonight ?
Both main stand and clan stand sold out. Not quite sure how that tots up in numbers, but probably slightly over 5000. In that weather.
Dont Shane, you will hurt Philip’s feelings!
He will cry himself to sleep in his Leinster PJs
Too many penalties at scrum time killed us. Caught pneumonia I think, terrible conditions but they were the same for both teams. No excuses, we didn’t front up.
Well played lads regardless.
Philip Ryan is a troll. I have no time for trolls.
Yeah…but never against those elements. The sensible option was to get the ball off the park and bank a very valuable point . Would have been subside if there was a turnover and didn’t get the bonus point.