British & Irish Cup: all the details
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British & Irish Cup: all the details

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205 Irish players are travelling to Nottingham this weekend to compete against GB.

Below is your comprehensive guide to the competition, the teams, and the event!


The Irish teams are sponsored by bunq - whose support has been invaluable in getting us to this point, and puts us in a brilliant position to compete.


You can directly support the teams by signing up for bunq from this link. bunq is a digital-first bank, with lots of innovative tools and features that make managing your money a breeze.


What is the British & Irish (B&I) Cup

The B&I Cup is the annual competition between tag teams representing Ireland and Great Britain. The competition has run since 2014, and each nation takes turns hosting the competition. The 2023 edition was held in London in June 2023, so it's Ireland's turn this time around.


What are the categories?

Ireland and Great Britain will each enter 11 teams into the competition - one in each of 11 age- and sex-based categories. Those categories are:


  • Men's Open (Men of any age)

  • Men's Seniors (Men aged 29+)

  • Men's Masters (Men aged 39+)

  • Women's Open (Women of any age)

  • Women's Seniors (Women aged 26+)

  • Women's Masters (Women aged 36+)

  • Mixed Open (Men & Women of any age)

  • Mixed Senior (Men aged 32+, Women aged 29+)

  • Men's 50s

  • Men's U22

  • Women's U22


How does it work?

The Open & Seniors teams named above will play each other 5 times over the course of two days. The team that wins the majority of the games in the category will claim a category win - worth 3 points - on behalf of their nation. Masters teams play 5 games for 2 points each, and the Men's 50s and U22 teams play 3 games on Saturday only for 1 point each.

Simply put, the nation with the highest points tally when all games are complete is the winner! In the event of a draw, the results of each match will be taken into account and the nation with the most wins will be declared the winner.


All games are full 40-min tests with a 5-min half-time break. Unlike social tag rugby they are played 8-a-side, with an enhanced set of international tag laws.


Each squad is allowed up to 20 players. Teams will typically use 16-18 players in a game to let players rotate and rest. Teams have been selected following a 6-month international programme which began with an open trial in January, leading to the selection of a broader panel in February.


Can I attend?

Spectators are invited and encouraged to attend and support their team-mates, friends, family, or simply their fellow countrymen and countrywomen - if you happen to be in the East Midlands of the UK at the weekend. The event is unticketed and attendance is free.


The schedule for the event is here.


Can I watch or follow the games online?

If you can't attend the event in person but would still like to tune in, you'll be able to follow a live stream on the ITRA YouTube channel and the Try Tag Rugby channel too , All games on Pitch 1 will be live-streamed with commentary, while all games on Pitches 2 & 3 will be live-streamed.


Scores and regular tournament updates will be shared from our Instagram page.



 
 
 
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