The Dublin Sporting Club launched last Friday with a Stuart Lancaster lunch on the eve of the Ireland v England Six Nations rugby international. Held jointly at two St Stephens Green venues – 9 Below for pre and post drinks and the Hibernian Club for lunch – the event also starred former Munster and Irish rugby international Denis Hurley, former Leinster and Harlequins winger and now current Rugby Players Ireland CEO Simon Keogh, former world super-bantamweight boxing champion Bernard Dunne, and two fabulous trophies, both currently the property of Leinster rugby – the Champions Cup and the Pro 14 Trophy. We also raised money for two charities connected to Leinster Rugby – MS Ireland and the Downs Syndrome Centre.
The star of the show, however, was Lancaster. The former England and current Leinster coach spoke openly and honestly about his life and times in rugby, making the full house laugh or stay silent as they clung on to his every word. At the end he rightly received a standing ovation. It was a wonderful way to end a wonderful first ever event in Dublin, the first of many to come.
