A rugby miscellany compiled by GAVIN CUMMISKEY

Sevens up: Will it be the British and Irish Lions taking the field in Rio?

SO, SUDDENLY, after years of pretending it didn’t exist, sevens rugby is all the rage in Ireland.

The IRFU roll out the recuperating Rob Kearney at the Aviva Stadium this morning to announce “further details” about next month’s All-Ireland club sevens competition. The Munster (CIT) and Ulster (Belfast Harlequins RFC) tournaments are on May 7th with Leinster (Terenure College) and Connacht (Corinthians RFC) following on May 14th before St Mary’s College RFC host the All-Ireland on May 21st with the winners entered in an Ultimate 7s tournament in Europe later this summer.

Matt Williams, Denis Hickie (right) and several other former Leinster players recently associated themselves with the Shamrock Warriors to ensure the IRFU gave it official club status in an attempt to plant the sevens seed across the country in hope that it will blossom come the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro.

There appears to be a problem.

IRB chief executive Mike Miller said the following last week regarding the forming of a Great Britain sevens team for 2016: “We don’t have the same issues that other sports have over forming a Great Britain team. We already have a template in the British and Irish Lions. They’re used to playing together.

“We’ve said to the unions this is your decision on how you want to do it, you come up with a proposal and as long as it’s fair we’ll be happy with what you come up with it.”

Miller made further comment to indicate this Lions type gathering is already in motion: “They’ve been discussing a number of different ways of doing it – one country represents all of them; everyone has 25 per cent of the players; or just pick the best players wherever they come from.

“We hope they’ll have it sorted out by the end of the year. The unions work together very well.”

Does Miller mean all of Ireland or just Ulster players will declare for Britain? Clarification is urgently needed from the IRFU on this matter.

Maybe they could clear this up this morning.

UCD CENTENARY

UCD celebrated 100 years of existence recently by announcing a team of the centenary (and one for the past 20 years to keep everyone happy). The culmination of what has also been a memorable season in itself comes this Saturday at Donnybrook with the 59th annual colours match against Trinity (kick-off 2.30pm), which also doubles up as a league fixture that could see College captain Andy Cummiskey (above) lift the Division Two trophy (promotion to One B is already secured). UCD are currently two points clear of Ballynahinch having won all 14 league games. They also captured the Leinster Senior Cup for the first time since 1977.

Way out of west: Connacht the home for development

CONNACHT LOSE four of their core Irish players this season as, keeping in line with the “development province” status, Seán Cronin, Ian Keatley, Jamie Hagen and, imminently we are informed, Fionn Carr take up improved contracts with other clubs.

Leinster and Munster have profited.

A few months back the IRFU and Connacht jointly announced improved terms of the agreement to ensure unused players in the other provinces will be made available to them.

In fairness, most of the current squad have been re-signed while Irish players like former Shannon flanker Eoghan Grace returns from England and they are lining up an Irish-qualified scrumhalf, while Ulster have re-directed outhalf Niall O’Connor and winger Mark McCrea to Galway. Swapping the homeward-bound Hagen with the gargantuan young prop Stewart Maguire also seems a reasonable trade.

Other recruits are coming from further afield, like Welsh born backs James Loxton and Matt Jarvis, while Tongan winger Fetu’u Vainikolo will attempt to soften the loss of Carr and South African hooker Ethienne Reynecke replaces Cronin.

All four, it seems, can qualify for Ireland on residency ground.

Considering Leicester have turned the youngest Tuilagi brother, Manu, into an Englishman and the All Blacks and Wallabies have been at it for generations now with Pacific islanders, it seems like Connacht are merely adopting the naturalisation approach to ensure their own survival.

All very Darwinian.

* Queensland Reds outhalf Quade Cooper kicked 14 points and centre Mike Harris scored a late try in a 19-6 win in Cape Town which ended the Stormers unbeaten Super 15 run. The win leaves the Reds second in the standings to the Crusaders

Some quarter given: When  it comes to water breaks

DID YOU know rugby is a game of quarters? Turns out the Top 14 introduced water breaks a few seasons back, at the request of either captain and for no longer than 10 minutes, in the early and latter weeks of their season.

The weather had a huge bearing on Munster’s Amlin Challenge quarter-final in Brive on Saturday. Sure enough, on 24 minutes, Dave Pearson called a halt to proceedings so everyone could take some fluids onboard.

Having just ran in two quick tries, Brive captain Antonie Claassen (right) was understandably keen to play on.

“I’d be blowing out my arse if I was out there,” said Brive’s injured Welsh flanker Alix Popham alongside us in the nicely-shaded media seats.

For the second-half break, when Felix Jones was being bandaged near the Munster try-line, again Claassen’s was not pleased as the Munster backroom cleverly supplied their players with wet towels.