Lansdowne Football Club, is a rugby union team based in Dublin, Ireland. Called Football Club instead of Rugby Football Club due to being founded before the formation of the IRFU. It was founded in 1872 by Henry Dunlop as the Irish Champion Athletic Club. Its senior team currently plays in Division 1A of the All-Ireland League. The club's playing colours are black, red and yellow hoops, with navy shorts.
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| Full name | Lansdowne Football Club | |
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| Union | IRFU | |
| Founded | 1872 | |
| Region | County Dublin | |
| Ground(s) | Aviva Stadium (Back Pitch) Lansdowne Road Ballsbridge Dublin 4 (Capacity: 1,000) | |
| President | Conor Shaw | |
| Coach(es) | Declan Fassbender | |
| Captain(s) | Cillian Redmond | |
| Top scorer | Matt Healy | |
| League(s) | All-Ireland League | |
| 2023–24 | 4th.[1] | |
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| Official website | ||
| lansdownerugby | ||
Lansdowne have won the Leinster Senior Cup a record 29 times, winning it for the first in 1891. Lansdowne won the All Ireland League for the first time in March 2013 and also won the Fraser McMullen cup in the same season. Lansdowne completed the "All Ireland Double" again in May 2015 winning the All Ireland League and the Fraser McMullen again. In 2017/2018 captained by Ian Prendiville & coached by Mike Ruddock & Mark McHugh Lansdowne won the All Ireland League, The Bateman Cup, The Leinster Senior Cup and The Leinster Senior League Cup. Lansdowne is the first ever Leinster team to win all of these trophies in one season.
Together with Wanderers, Lansdowne have shared the use of Lansdowne Road since 1880, with each club having their own clubhouse at opposite ends of the ground. However, since 1974 the ground itself has been owned by the IRFU.[2]
Honours
edit- All-Ireland League: 3
- 2012-13, 2014–15, 2017–18
- All-Ireland Cup: 7
- 1921-22, 1928–29, 1929–30, 1930–31, 2017–18, 2019-20 (Joint winners), 2021-22
- Leinster Senior League 11
- 1973-74, 1976–77, 1980–81, 1985–86, 1986–87, 1987–88, 1997–98, 2001–02, 2017–18, 2018–19, 2021–22
- Leinster Senior Cup 29
- 1890-91, 1900–01, 1902–03, 1903–04, 1921–22, 1926–27, 1927–28, 1928–29, 1929–30, 1930–31, 1932–33, 1948–49, 1949–50, 1952–53, 1964–65, 1971–72, 1978–79, 1979–80, 1980–81, 1985–86, 1988–89, 1990–91, 1996–97, 1997–98, 2007–08, 2016–17, 2017–18, 2018-19, 2023-24
- Metropolitan Cup (17)
- 1927, 1948, 1959, 1965, 1968, 1981, 1982, 1983, 1989, 2000, 2003, 2007, 2009, 2010, 2017, 2019, 2023
- Fraser McMullen Cup: 4
99-00, **2012-13, 2014–15, 2022-23
Notable players
editCurrent Leinster / Connacht / Munster -contracted players
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Ireland sevens international players
editThe following Lansdowne players have played for the Ireland national rugby sevens team:
- Ian Fitzpatrick
- Foster Horan
- Adam Leavy
- Fiachra Baynes
- John O'Donnell
- Cian Aherne
- Tom Daly
- Mark Roche
- Peter Sullivan
- Aidan McCullen
- Eric Elwood
- Brian Glennon
- Vinnie Becker
- Sean Galvin
- Tom Roche
4 Lansdowne players represented Ireland at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics : Adam Leavy, Mark Roche, Foster Horan, Ian Fitzpatrick
1 Lansdowne player represented Ireland at the Paris 2024 OLympics : Mark Roche
Ireland Club international players
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Ireland
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118 Lansdowne players have represented Ireland at full international level. The latest Lansdowne player to be capped by Ireland is Harry Byrne. On two occasions in 1931, Lansdowne supplied the entire Irish three-quarter line (Jack Arigho, Eugene Davy, Morgan Crowe and Ned Lightfoot), one of only three clubs ever to have done so at international level world-wide.[3]
In 2023 Lansdowne’s Paul Clinch was awarded his first Irish cap for proudly representing Ireland on the tour of North America in 1989 against Canada and the USA making him the oldest Lansdowne member in the 150 year history of the club to receive his first cap. Clinch was one of a dozen players who played for Ireland against non 'original rugby nations' who were awarded their caps retrospectively. As well as playing international rugby union for Ireland, at least five Lansdowne players have also represented Ireland and/or Great Britain at other sports. Noel Purcell was also an international water polo player and represented both Great Britain and Ireland at the 1920 and 1924 Summer Olympics respectively. He helped Great Britain win the gold medal in 1920[4] Ham Lambert played 21 times for the Ireland cricket team between 1931 and 1947.. Brothers Kevin O'Flanagan and Mick O'Flanagan also played soccer for Ireland. On 30 September 1946 they both played for Ireland in a 1–0 defeat against England at Dalymount Park[5] Brian Carney played as a junior with Lansdowne before switching rugby codes. He represented both Ireland and Great Britain at rugby league before returning to the union code.
British & Irish Lions
editAs well as representing Ireland, several Lansdowne players have also represented the British & Irish Lions.[6]
Other internationals
editRugby league internationals
- Rody Corrigan: 1995
- Phelim Commerford: 1995
- Brian Carney: 1998
- Tom McCabe: 1996
Ireland league records
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AIL top try scorers
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AIL top points scorers
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Most capped AIL players
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Most AIL Tries in a Season
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Most club tries in an AIL match
Lansdowne: 76 Trinity: 26 (2017-2018) Largest win in an AIL match
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Trustees
editMichael Kearney, Ciaran O'Reilly, Rory Williams, Oisin O'Buachalla, Michael Ryan
Past captains
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Presidents
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References
editNotes
edit- ^ League Tables 2022–23 at irishrugby.ie
- ^ McKittrick, David (8 February 2007). "Theatre of Green: Gaelic games end a century of separatism". The Independent. London.
- ^ "Lansdowne Rugby Football Club". www.aisrca.com. Archived from the original on 20 November 2008.
- ^ "Noel Purcell". www.sports-reference.com. Archived from the original on 18 April 2020.
- ^ "Statistics: Republic of Ireland [Powered by tplSoccerStats]". www.soccerscene.ie.
- ^ The Ireland Rugby Miscellany (2007): Ciaran Cronin
General
edit- [1]
- Peter Dooley inspires Lansdowne to AIL final win
- Lansdowne FC: Refusing to rest on the laurels of a glorious past
- Lansdowne crowned AIL champions in true style
- Lansdowne land second title with thrilling UBL final win over Clontarf
- Lansdowne win first Bateman Cup in 87 years to end Cork Con's bid for six-in-a-row