Ireland And England Legends Name Squads For Annual Charity Match

Ireland And England Legends Name Squads For Annual Charity Match

The Ireland and England Legends squads have been announced for a match in Energia Park on January 31st in aid of rugby charities in Ireland and the UK. Irish greats Shane Byrne, Malcolm O’Kelly, Devin Toner, Rhys Ruddock and more will face off against a star-studded English side including Delon Armitage, Dave Attwood and David Strettle.

Both the Ireland and England Legends have announced their squad news for the occasion. Ireland have named 29 rugby greats, with England traveling to Dublin with 25 of their former rugby players.

The annual event alternates location between England and Ireland and this year it is set to kick off the Guinness 6 Nations weekend in Energia Park at 7pm on Friday 31st January. The match offers fans a great opportunity to see their rugby heroes back on the field while contributing to the welfare of players and their families.

The Irish Rugby Charities supported by the game are the Rugby Players Ireland Foundation and the IRFU Charitable Trust as well as UK charities the Rugby Players Association and RESTART.

Commenting on this year’s event Byrne said,


“I am delighted to be leading the Ireland Legends once again. It’s a fantastic opportunity to give back to the rugby community and support the vital work being done by the Rugby Players Ireland Foundation and the IRFU Charitable Trust in Ireland, and for leading rugby charities in the UK. I would like to give a huge thanks to all involved and especially to our sponsor, Ark Bermuda.”

England legends captain Lee Dickson noted, “It’s always a privilege to play alongside such a talented group of former players, and even more so when we’re doing it for such meaningful charities like the Rugby Players Association and RESTART. It’s a fantastic opportunity to give back to the rugby family, and I can’t wait to share the field with the Irish legends in front of a fantastic crowd.”


Ireland Legends:

Niyi Adeolokun
Paddy Butler
Shane Byrne – Captain
Fionn Carr
Scott Deasy
Des Dillon
Jimmy Downey
Alex Dunlop
Denis Fogarty
Craig Gilroy
Billy Holland
Chris Keane
Dave Kearney
Ian Keatley
Luke Marshall
Mike McComish
Mick McGrath
Harry McNulty
John Murphy
Jordi Murphy
Tiernan O’Halloran
Malcolm O’Kelly
Ronan O’Mahony
Rhys Ruddock
Michael Swift
Liam Toland
Devin Toner
Duncan Williams

England Legends:

Garath Archer
Delon Armitage
Dave Attwood
Matt Banahan
Johnny Barret
James Buckland
Robb Cook
Matt Cornwell
Aidan Devane
Lee Dickson – Captain
Paul Doran-Jones
Kai Horstmann
Matt Jess
Graham Kitchener
Tom May
Robbie Morris
Jon Phillips
Ollie Phillips
David Rees
David Strettle
Guy Thompson
Tom Varndell
Rob Vickerman
Ben Woods
Kevin Yates

Latest News