Touch Rugby returns at Portlaoise RFC

WITH the summer approaching and with everyone keen to get outside after a long winter, one great option for people in Co. Laois is Touch Rugby, which returns to Portlaoise RFC on Wednesdays from 6 May.

Touch Rugby, or Touch as it is more commonly known, is a fast and exciting non-contact version of rugby that is growing steadily in Ireland. The game originated in Australia in the late 1960s and it is now the No. 1 participation sport both there and in New Zealand. Although it is mainly played as a social mixed sport, there is a competitive side to the game with Irish international squads from under 15 all the way up to over 50 competing in European Championships and World Cups. Indeed, the benefits of the game for developing rugby players’ skills, fitness, awareness of space and positioning has long been recognised in Australia and New Zealand.

Locally, Touch has been played at Portlaoise RFC in Togher since 2021. This year it is being run by Lynn O’Brien and Mark Woolfield. Lynn is heavily involved with Portlaoise RFC as Mini Rugby Coordinator, Coach and Child Welfare Officer and took a strong interest in the game when her daughter Keelin played for Ireland Mixed Under-15s in last year’s Atlantic Youth Touch Cup in Limerick. Another Portlaoise RFC player Erin Fitzpatrick also played for Ireland Girls Under-18s in the same competition.

Head Coach Mark Woolfield is a New Zealand native who is currently living in Ballinakill. Mark played Touch extensively while growing up in New Zealand and has a lot of international experience having played 36 times for Ireland from 2010–2014. He also coached the Ireland Men’s Open team at the 2011 Touch World Cup.

Lynn is very much looking forward to the return of Touch to Portlaoise RFC. ‘I am really excited to see Touch up and running here again in Laois, from both social and competitive perspectives. My eyes were opened last year to just how inclusive Touch is, meeting people where they are and giving them a fun, fast paced, non-contact experience, learning new skills, being part of a team and making new friends. We are really looking forward to welcoming back familiar faces and hopefully many new ones too!’ Laois Touch at Portlaoise RFC will run throughout the Summer on Wednesdays from 8pm with the opening night on May 6th. All male and female players from 14 years old and above are welcome to play. No previous rugby or Touch experience is required and it is open to Portlaoise RFC members and non-members alike.

For more information see Laois Touch on Instagram or contact Lynn on +353 86 7980744