A long but most enjoyable Finals Night saw the Tag Festival conclude on Thursday night last. Many people have complimented Clonmel RFC on the smooth running of the tournament. This can happy because of a huge effort behind the scenes and the Club has a long list of people to thank. There are up to 70 volunteers working there every Tag Night. No one will mind if we single out Kevin Cronin – the one and only – who ensures it all happens.

We would like to extend a special thanks to main Tag sponsor, Clonmel Waste Disposal, who consistently went above and beyond the call of duty. Indeed many people felt the highlight of the Tag this year was watching Chris Molloy manoeuvre the 40-foot trailer into position for the gig rig!

Working out the Groups, times, pitches and playing schedules is key to the successful running of the event and great credit is due to Mark Small from Mediate Ireland.

Wooden Spoon

The Co Co Nutters carried the curse of being named favourites for this competition but lost out narrowly in a very sporting and enjoyable Final to Tag mo Thoin. The key Normile-Harney-Harney axis was missing from the team but the ladies on the team raised their game scoring all of Tag moThoin’s points.

Plate

And so it came to pass: “return” of Venus Williams to the U.S. may have ended the chances of Tags a Million. Previous winners Tiki Bar Tigers made it through to the Final but were beaten by the unstoppable Kentz Krusaders. Chris Molloy, Clonmel Waste Disposal presents Plate to Kentz Krusaders. Standing on the left is Tom Fennessy, President, Clonmel RFC.

2010 Tag Rugby Plate Winners - Kents Krusaders

CUP

On a nice, and most welcome summers evening, Smokin Aces beat Gleesons in the Final under lights. Without doubt the best team in the tournament won the Cup and are already planning on defending their title next year! 

2010 Tag Rugby Cup Winners - Smokin Aces

Chris Molloy, Clonmel Waste Disposal presents Eldon's Cup to Smoking Aces. Standing on the right is Tom Fennessy, President, Clonmel RFC.

Best Wishes

Finally, best of luck to Paul Scully of Fethard RFC and the Shower of Flankers who is opening a new business in Clonmel next week. Photostation will open on Gladstone Street and is the ideal place to develop all your tag photos. Go on, re-live the dream!

Rules and Regulations

• Entry to Clubhouse and Grounds limited to teams, guests of teams and members of Clonmel RFC. Entry Cards will be distributed at Launch on Sunday June 6^th.
• Format of tournament will be determined by Tag Committee.
• Each team may have a panel of 10 players, including only 2 (Male or Female) registered rugby players. Each team will have 7 players only on the pitch at any one time, 2 of these must be female.
• All players must be over 21 years of age or a paid up member of Clonmel RFC over the age of 18.  The onus is on the team to prove age in the event of a dispute.  Any team fielding an illegible player is subject to sanction, up to and including expulsion from the tournament with no refund. 
• Teams should wear team strip, but in the absence of such or in the event of similarity of strips, must wear bibs if directed to do so by the Ref. 
• All players on the pitch must wear proper Tag Shorts at all times.  Tag Shorts may be ordered with the entry form @ €15 per pair.  Pre-ordered Tag Shorts will be provided to each team on the Launch afternoon. A limited number of Tag Shorts will be available for sale during the tournament @ €20 per pair.  No loans will be allowed and all shorts must be paid for on the night.
• Entry into the competition and payment of the entry fee constitutes an acceptance of the terms and conditions and rules of the tournament.
• Clonmel RFC is not liable for any injuries sustained during this tournament.  All players play at their own risk: Insurance is a matter for players themselves.

Any queries to be directed to the Tag Committee c/o Ian Cooke, Clonmel RFC. The Tag Committee’s decision is final in all matters.

What is Tag Rugby

Tag Rugby, which has become a craze over the past few summers in Dublin , Cork , Galway and Limerick , that has hit Clonmel with a bang last summer and now the town cannot wait for this year's Festival. This is a FUN game, with no physical contact of any kind allowed – it is also essentially a mixed game – every team playing must have two ladies on the pitch at all times during a game.

Clonmel Rugby Club, in association with Eldons' Embar, (Clonmel's unofficial rugby headquarters) will again host this tournament which will run from Thursday 7th June to Thursday 12th July. Each team involved can enter a panel of 10 people, with 7 players on the pitch at any time. Each panel may have a maximum of two registered rugby players, be they male or female.

Again, there is no physical contact. Each player on the pitch must wear “Tag Shorts”, which are purchased as part of the entry fee – the shorts have a felcro strip on each side, to which is attached a “tag”. Pulling off one of these tags constitutes a “tackle” – when a team has not scored and has been “tagged” five times, they must hand over the ball to the opposing team and the game recommences. The game is played as in rugby – the ball is carried forward or passed (backwards, not forward) from player to player as they approach the opposing end-line. A “try” is scored by placing the ball behind the end-line of the opposing team. See the attached rules for further details.

The whole emphasis in this festival is on having the craic and meeting people – there will be a barbecue after the games each Thursday night and we hope to have live music and discos each night as well. If you want to watch the World Cup you can see it on big screen in the clubhouse. This is an ideal opportunity for pubs, clubs, businesses, etc. to get a team out and have some fun. There will be a range of prizes – Cup Winners / Plate Winners / best male and female players / best dressed team, etc.

Watch this space over the coming weeks for lots more information on the best event to hit Clonmel for some time. There will be an official launch in Clonmel RFC on Sunday 6th June at which the tournament draw will be made. Entry forms can be downloaded on this page or got from tagrugby@clonmelrfc.com It is hoped to have “Tag Rugby” t-shirts available shortly.

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