Sacred Heart’s 3 Rugby Internationals

SHSS wishes to congratulate Clodagh McCarthy, lani O’ Donovan and Julie Finn on their recent selection on the Irish U18 International Rugby Team. The students were part of the recent school’s Munster Senior Cup, Treble winning team.

During the Easter holidays, three SHSS students represented the Irish U18.5 women's team in the U18.5 Six Nations festival. Over the course of eleven days, Clodagh McCarthy (6th year), Lani O’Donovan (6th year), and Julie Finn (5th year) were among the eight Munster players selected to travel, a group that also included past pupil Jo McCaughey.

Held at Wellington College, England, the festival saw the girls face off against France, England, Scotland, and Italy. While the campaign began with a tough loss to France, it was a high-quality display of rugby that provided valuable learning opportunities for the squad.

Their second game against England was a physical battle, but a last-minute snipe try from Julie and a clinical conversion from Lani sealed a dramatic victory. Ireland maintained this momentum with further wins against Scotland and Italy, finishing the competition joint-second overall alongside Wales.

The girls demonstrated great versatility throughout the tournament: Clodagh performed strongly on the wing and at outside centre, Lani played at both out-half and full-back, while Julie remained consistent at scrum-half.

For Clodagh and Julie, this marked their first appearance (cap) in the green jersey, guided by Lani who had gained experience in the competition the previous year. All three have previously represented the school in the Senior and Junior Cups, as well as the All-Ireland 7s. By sharing their success, they hope to inspire a new generation of players to continue the school’s strong rugby tradition. They also wish the Junior team the very best of luck in their upcoming final against Bantry.