News

Highlights: April 2026

Research

New research led by Rugby Players Ireland in collaboration with the University of Queensland has demonstrated that players thrive when their identity is not sewn up in their sport. Indeed, those with multiple identities report higher life satisfaction. 

Read more here.

Recognition

The British & Irish Lions CEO Ben Calveley presented Rugby Players Ireland CEO Simon Keogh with a special print in recognition of his work and support across the 2025 Lions Tour. 

Keogh was central to a landmark shift in player representation which saw the introduction of a porfi-share model, alongside increased collaboration on scheduling and preparation. 

Milestones

Cliodhna Moloney-MacDonald found herself in a unique situation against England. The experienced Irish hooker lined out opposite her wife Claudia Moloney-MacDonald at Twickenham. While Claudia and England came away with the spoils, it meant that family were very close to Cliodhna as she marked her 50th cap for her country. 

Meanwhile, Eilís Cahill and Katie Whelan made their Irish debuts in the same game, with Robyn O’Connor making her try-scoring international entrance the following week against Italy. 

Luke McGrath marked his 250th cap for Leinster Rugby, a fitting occasion to celebrate one of the club’s great servants ahead of his move to Perpignan this summer. 

Technically not a milestone, but former Leinster Rugby player Ed Byrne made a welcome return to his home province on a short-term deal. 

Cian Prendergast, Jack Aungier and Calvin Nash also marked their 100th provincial caps this month. 

Player Development Programme

As the Women’s Six Nations kicked off, we spoke to Gráinne Finnegan. As Player Development Manager for the Women’s Programme, Gráinne explained what her work looks like at the height of competition.

Read it here. 

Meanwhile, our Galway based members were treated to a cooking masterclass by Jess Murphy, head chef of the Michelin Bib Gourmand Restaurant, Kai. This month we also facilitated a discussion on the transition out of professional rugby with Jarrad Butler, Eoin Griffin and Johnny O’Connor. 

Tackle Your Feelings

Our thanks to Helen Brown and Mental Health Reform for bringing the campaign into a powerful coalition of over 80 organisations working to improve mental health services in Ireland.

This month we also caught up with Andrew Porter and accompanied him on a visit to his alma mater, St. Andrew’s College to facilitate a discussion on his experiences with his former coach, David Jones. Kathy Baker led a visit to Greystones Community College and Roman Salanoa was Desmond College in Newcastle West. 

Beyond the Game

One year into her rugby retirement, we caught up with Lauren Delany to find that her life has continued to move apace. 

Read our interview here. 

Ahead of the Energia AIL Final, we spoke to Peter Maher who was central to Clontarf’s march to the Aviva Stadium. A former Irish 7s player, Maher currently works with JP Morgan having been encouraged by Rugby Players Ireland to participate in the JP Morgan Military & Athlete Transition Programme. 

Read the piece here.

Beyond the Game Mentoring Programme

After months of planning, we were delighted to kick off our bespoke Business Mentoring Programme at Fitzwilliam Lawn Tennis Club in Dublin. The programme is proudly sponsored by Jones Engineering and facilitated by Praesta, who bring extensive experience in high-performance mentoring and leadership development.

Following a strong response, 16 former players were selected for the programme from across a wide range of career stages and industries. 

For those who didn’t get the chance to apply this year, we’ll be running the programme again in 2027, so keep an eye out for when applications open early next year.

The Ireland Sports Fund

The latest recipients of The Ireland Sports Fund were announced. Established by former player Billy Dardis, the fund supports the education and career development of contracted rugby players in Ireland. 

Our congratulations to: Hannah Clarke, Oliver Coffey, Michael Foy, Josh Gibson, Amy Larn, Oisin McCormack, Luke Murphy, Robyn O’Connor, Stephen Smyth and Aoife Wafer. 

Moving On

At the end of the season, John Ryan will bring a long and distinguished 16-year career to a close. He will retire a Munster Rugby legend, with a Grand Slam and 25 Irish caps to boot. 

Having played his last game in June, Bryan Byrne formally announced his retirement from the game. Having studied for his CII exams alongside the latter part of his career in Newcastle, the former Leinster hooker has transitioned into wealth management and is now based out of Hong Kong. 

Staying Put

Plenty of contract news in recent weeks. 

Leinster Rugby have been busy securing extensions with Harry Byrne, Thomas Clarkson, James Culhane, Max Deegan, Brian Deeny, Cormac Foley, JJ Kenny, Jordan Larmour, Gus McCarthy, Paddy McCarthy, Tommy O’Brien, Conor O’Tighearnaigh, Scott Penny, Stephen Smyth and Alex Soroka. 

Edwin Edogbo, Calvin Nash and Jack O’Donoghue have all put pen to paper on new Munster Rugby deals. 

We also look forward to welcoming Jamie Benson next season. The Irish qualified out-half will link up with Ulster Rugby from Harlequins. 

Protect Integrity

On April 15th we marked EU Sport Integrity Day, joining forces with players’ associations and key stakeholders in sport across Europe to champion integrity and the ongoing protection of sport. 

Our thanks to Diarmuid Barron and Megan Burns for lending their support.

EU Sport Integrity is an initiative as part of the Protect Integrity Responsibly project which is being led by the European Athletes and Players Association, and co-funded by the European Union.