Dolphin Rugby Football Club is a
rugby union
Rugby union football, commonly known simply as rugby union in English-speaking countries and rugby 15/XV in non-English-speaking world, Anglophone Europe, or often just rugby, is a Contact sport#Terminology, close-contact team sport that orig ...
club in
Cork. The senior team play in
Division 2C of the
All-Ireland League. In the 2023-24 season, the club fielded more Adult Teams in competitive action than any other club in Munster, in fielding 6 Adult sides (4 Men's, an U20.5 side and a Women's Team (in Division 1 of the Munster League). In addition to this 3 Youth Sides, 3 Girls sides and 7 Minis teams.
History
The club was founded in 1902, by members of the Dolphin Swimming Club who were seeking to find a wintertime activity. Initially a Junior club they gained Senior status in 1913 after winning the
Munster Junior Cup that year for the first time. Their first
Munster Senior Cup came in 1921 and in 1942 the club moved to their current home at
Musgrave Park
A clubhouse was completed in 1956 with further facilities added in 1976. The club was not a member of the
All-Ireland League for the inaugural season in 1990-91 but won promotion to the League the following season. The club won Division 2 of the League in 2002-03, the club’s centenary season.
Honours
*All Ireland League Division 2 Champions 2003
*
Munster Senior Cup Winners (6): 1921, 1931, 1944–45, 1948 and 1956.
*
Munster Junior Cup (4):1913, 1923, 1926, 1944.
*Munster Junior Plate: 1985.
*Munster Under 20 League: 1984.
*
Munster Senior League: (8) 1924, 1926, 1929, 1949, 1955, 1956, 1973 and 1991.
Notable Past Players
Former Irish Coach,
Declan Kidney
Declan Kidney (born 20 October 1959) is an Irish rugby union coach. He was the head coach of the Ireland national rugby union team from 2008 to 2013, where he won the 2009 Six Nations with a Grand Slam, winning the 2009 IRB Coach of the Year a ...
played for the club in the 1980s and early 1990s.
Michael Kiernan, with 43, is the club's most capped international player. J S McCarthy and Terry Kingston both captained Ireland. Tomás O'Leary was the scrum half on Ireland's
2009 Grandslam winning team.
The club's top try scorer in The AIB League & Cup is
James Coughlan with 37, Coughlan was captain of the Munster side that beat Australia in 2010.
The following have represented Ireland at full international level whilst playing with Dolphin;
IRFU Presidents
*1955/56 C J Hanrahan
*1973/74 I F Mahony
*1983/84 G F Reidy
Current Munster-Contracted Players
*
Niall Scannell
*
Rory Scannell
References
External links
Dolphin RFC's Official website
{{Sport in Cork City
Rugby union teams in Ireland
Rugby union clubs in County Cork
All-Ireland League rugby union clubs
Munster Senior League (rugby union) teams
1902 establishments in Ireland
Rugby clubs established in 1902