TAG RUGBY:MORE THAN 500 tag rugby players from all over the country braved rain, wind and puddles of seawater to compete in the Connemara Beach Tag Rugby Blitz on Saturday. Under a grey sky and steady deluge, 55 tag rugby teams played on 11 pitches laid out on Omey strand in Claddaghduff.
The fifth event in the Sony Ericsson Beach Tag series, which kicked off in Lahinch on June 21st, saw teams playing 10-minute matches in four knock-out rounds. Teams that qualified played on over the course of Saturday for a place in the finals, which were held just before the tide came in.
Beach tag rugby events began in Ireland four years years ago, but this year the Irish Tag Rugby Association has created a beach tag series. The series winners will be decided at the final beach blitz in Banna, Co Kerry, on September 20th. Most players are in their 20s and 30s. Saturday's event saw teams like Muddy Ruckin Scrumbags, Shower of Bankers and The Sheep Taggers sliding over the sandy trylines in a race to beat both their rivals and the tide. The mood was buoyant despite the weather. Overall winners Avengers B took home the top prize on Saturday after a hotly-contested final against Ruth Is A Legend.
Captain Sarah Phelan said her team members, who hail from Donegal, Waterford, Laois, Carlow and Dublin, were delighted at the win. "It's brilliant," she said, paying tribute to Dave Shanahan, whose tagging skills were pivotal to their win.
It was a good day for local teams, with Clifden team Dude Gang taking home the Plate, the second most valuable prize of the evening. Team member Damien Joyce was delighted with the win. "It was wet, it was cold, but it's all finally worth it when you get the silverware in your hand," he said.
For losers Luas Screws, all of whom work for the Luas transport system, the event was less about competing and more about socialising. "It was just a pretext for a weekend away and it's definitely been worth it," said team member Anthony Duffy.