Terrific Force as DCU finishes third
DCU Force (DCU's Men's Rugby Sevens team) finished in third place in the fourth European Universities Rugby Sevens Championship held in Cordoba, Spain, in July.
DCU, pictured right, won the IRFU Nokia Student Sevens in April and geared up for this tournament with an impressive show at the Kinsale Sevens.
With over 80 staff and volunteers involved in the organisation of the tournament, the opening ceremony was a grand affair with each team walking into the stadium behind their national flag to the tune of local music and dance.
It was the eventual champions, the University of Coimbra (Portugal), who beat the Irish side in the semi final. The Portuguese champions included four players who played on the IRB Sevens circuit this season.
DCU lost by three tries to nil with Coimbra showing all their experience and the benefit of a pre tournament training camp.
The fiercely contested final was won by the University of Coimbra who overcame the University of Montpellier (France) 7-0, and in the women's final the University of Bordeaux (France) beat the University of A Coruna (Spain) 10-7.
DCU Squad: M. Rantz McDonald CAPTAIN, I. Denham, L. Kavanagh, M. Geraghty, E. Cremin, D. Moore, D. Whately, C. Hogan, G. Collins, A. Wallace
Results - Day 1: DCU 10 v University of Coimbra 17 (PORTUGAL); Bristol University (UK) 19 v DCU 24 DCU 36 v University of Cordoba (SPAIN) 0
Day 2: University of Montpellier (FRANCE) 24 v DCU 14
University of Barcelona (SPAIN) 5 v DCU 38
DCU 41 v Mainz University (GERMANY) 7
Day 3: New University of Lisbon (PORTUGAL) 07 v DCU 31
Semi Final - DCU 0 v University of Coimbra (Portugal) 15
3rd /4th Place - University of Bristol (UK) v 0 DCU 42
