Dublin Hospitals Rugby Cup
SportRugby Union
Founded1881
First season1881
No. of teams5 (season 2022–23)
Venue(s)Anglesea Road
Donnybrook Stadium
Most recent
champion(s)		St. Vincent's University Hospital
(31)
Most titlesSt. Vincent's University Hospital
(31)

The Dublin Hospitals Rugby Cup is a rugby union competition contested by the teaching hospitals in Dublin since 1881. The competition has a claim to the oldest rugby union competition in the world. The United Hospitals Cup in London was started 6 years earlier, but 12 years were not played during the periods of World War I and World War II.

History

Sir Patrick Dun's defeat Mater at Lansdowne Road

The competition was inaugurated in 1881 by a group of Dublin surgeons and physicians.[1] Dr Frank Cassidy served as the first president. The trophy was created by Paul Storr in 1812 as a hunting trophy.[1] It was purchased in 1881 for £50. It remains the oldest sporting trophy in Ireland for which there is an annual competition.[1]

The participants of the inaugural tournament included Richmond, Jervis Street, Sir Patrick Dun's, Royal City of Dublin Hospital, Adelaide, Mercer's Hospital, Dr Steevens' Hospital, and Meath.[2] The inaugural title was won by the Meath Hospital who beat Sir Patrick Dun's Hospital at Lansdowne Road.[3]

Predating the cup, Dublin United Hospitals representative sides played an annual charity match against other Dublin rugby clubs playing as 'County Dublin' in order to raise money for the Hospital Sunday Fund from 1878 until the 1950s.[4]

The Dublin Hospitals representative sides have also played annual games against the London United Hospitals. London beat the Dublin hospitals at Lansdowne Road in 1894 inaugural game.[5] The Dublin Hospitals won the matchup in 1910, 1912,[6] 1924, 1928,[7] and 1947.

Eligibility to play for hospitals was initially restricted to medical students and interns, this was later expanded to up to 6 graduates per team in 1990.[8]

Current competition

The final, previously played in February at Lansdowne Road, has been played in December at Anglesea Road since the 1960s.[9] In recent years, following the closure and amalgamation of hospitals, five teams compete for the cup: Beaumont Hospital, the Mater Hospital, St. Vincent's University Hospital, the Federated Hospitals, and the Veterinary Hospital which joined in 2011.[10]

The Dental Hospital, which had many memorable victories in the late 1950s and the 1970s, eventually could no longer field a team and joined forces with its Trinity neighbours.[1] The Trinity Federated Hospitals team or Feds represent Dublin Dental University Hospital, Tallaght University Hospital, and St. James's Hospital. Richmond and Jervis amalgamated in 1973 to form an RCSI rugby club, which would win 8 championships during their 14 years in the competition.[11] The side was succeeded by Beaumont in 1987 following the closure of both hospitals.[11]

International Rugby

Many medical students and newly qualified doctors who have played in the Hospitals Cup have gone on to represent Ireland or other countries at test level.[1][3][12] This occurred more frequently during the early years of international rugby. Of the first 200 players capped for Ireland, 44 had trained in Dublin hospitals.[1] Over 90 players have also been capped for Ireland.[1] This list below includes some of those players:

 Ireland Internationals
 England Internationals
 Romania Internationals
 South Africa Internationals
 United States Internationals

Winners

Roll of honour

Rank Team Wins Years won
1 St. Vincent's University Hospital 31 1913, 1914, 1928, 1933, 1936, 1939, 1941, 1954, 1956, 1961, 1962, 1965, 1966, 1968, 1969, 1970, 1972, 1974, 1975, 1992, 1993, 1995, 1997, 1999, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2023
2 Mater Misericordiae University Hospital 28 1897, 1899, 1937, 1938, 1940, 1942, 1945, 1946, 1953, 1955, 1963, 1964, 1967, 1996, 1998, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2015, 2016, 2018, 2019, 2021, 2022
3 Sir Patrick Dun's Hospital 22 1884, 1885, 1886, 1887, 1888, 1889, 1893, 1894, 1895, 1898, 1900, 1901, 1902, 1903, 1904, 1905, 1912, 1922, 1927, 1930, 1934, 1957, 1958
4 Richmond Surgical Hospital 10 1896, 1911, 1924, 1925, 1926, 1929, 1931, 1935, 1943, 1944
5 Richmond-Jervis (RCSI) 8 1976, 1977, 1979, 1981, 1982, 1983, 1984, 1985
Beaumont Hospital 8 1987, 1988, 1989, 1990, 1994, 2007, 2008, 2017
Adelaide Hospital 8 1906, 1907, 1908, 1909, 1910, 1932, 1950, 1951
Meath Hospital 8 1881, 1882, 1883, 1890, 1891, 1892, 1902, 1921
9 Dublin Dental University Hospital 7 1923, 1959, 1960, 1971, 1973, 1978, 1980
10 Jervis Street Hospital 3 1947, 1948, 1949
11 Trinity Federated Hospitals 2 1986, 1991

See also

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g "The august history of the Dublin Hospitals Cup". The Medical Independent. Retrieved 29 December 2021.
  2. ^ "The Hospital Pass: 140 years of Dublin Hospitals Rugby - Morgan Crowe". youtube. Retrieved 14 February 2022.
  3. ^ a b O'Halloran, Philip (2008). "THE DUBLIN HOSPITALS RUGBY CUP –the oldest trophyin world rugby" (PDF). RCSI Student Medical Journal. Archived (PDF) from the original on 15 July 2020. Retrieved 27 April 2021.
  4. ^ Dr Morgan Crowe (14 October 2019). The Hospital Pass: 140 years of Dublin Hospitals Rugby (YouTube video). Dublin, Ireland: Royal College of Physicians in Ireland.
  5. ^ "Belfast Newsletter". December 31, 1894. p. 6.
  6. ^ "Irish Independent". December 5, 1912. p. 3.
  7. ^ "Irish Independent". 28 November 1928. p. 13.
  8. ^ Prof Con Feighery (14 October 2019). The Hospital Pass: 140 years of Dublin Hospitals Rugby (YouTube video). Dublin, Ireland: Royal College of Physicians in Ireland.
  9. ^ "Irish Independent". December 17, 1962. p. 16.
  10. ^ "2011 Dublin Hospitals Cup Final Preview". Leinster Rugby. Leinster Rugby. Retrieved 27 April 2021.
  11. ^ a b "The Hospital Pass: 140 Years of Dublin Hospitals Rugby - Prof Con Feighery". youtube. Retrieved 12 February 2022.
  12. ^ "The Dublin Hospitals Rugby Cup – the Oldest Trophy in World Rugby" (PDF). Irish Medical Journal. Retrieved 17 January 2022.
  13. ^ "Irish Times". 2 May 1910. p. 7.
  14. ^ "MATER HOSPITAL: 15, ST VINCENT'S: 3". Irish Times. Retrieved 29 December 2021.
  15. ^ "Last-ditch Mater grab Cup glory". Irish Independent. Retrieved 5 January 2023.
  16. ^ "RCSI-Beaumont Hospital win 129th Dublin Hospitals Cup". RCSI. Retrieved 5 January 2023.
  17. ^ "Mater Rugby Wins 2019 Hospitals Cup Northsiders Show Trinity Fed No Mercy As They Claim Their 26th Title". UCD. Retrieved 5 January 2023.
  18. ^ "Dublin Hospitals Cup - 2nd oldest Rugby Cup in the world". UCD. Retrieved 6 May 2022.
  19. ^ "Hospitals Cup". Leinster rugby. Retrieved 7 January 2023.
  20. ^ "Competition Fixtures & Results". Leinster rugby. Retrieved 13 March 2024.
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