Great Britain secure historic fourth consecutive British & Irish Cup title
Great Britain retained the British & Irish Cup in dramatic fashion this weekend, defeating Ireland 5-4 across the ten categories to claim a historic fourth consecutive title in Dublin.
After two days of outstanding Tag Rugby, the destination of the Cup came down to the final match of the tournament. With the overall result hanging in the balance, the Women’s 37s produced a disciplined defensive performance to secure a 1-0 victory over Ireland, sealing both the series and another memorable triumph for Great Britain.
The victory continues Great Britain’s recent dominance in the competition, with category whitewash victories in Men’s Open, Women’s Open and Mixed Seniors. All three teams backed up their strong performances from the 2025 series by remaining unbeaten throughout the weekend. Great Britain also secured series victories in the Women’s 37s and Men’s 50s categories, while the Men’s 30s contest finished level after a gripping three-match series.
Men’s Open
The Men’s Open side were one of the standout teams of the tournament, producing a dominant attacking display to complete a 3-0 series victory. Scoring 33 points across three matches, they demonstrated their quality throughout the weekend, finishing with an impressive 16-2 victory in their final game.
Results: 10-5, 7-2, 16-2
Series Result: Great Britain 3-0 Ireland
Women’s Open
The Women’s Open produced one of the performances of the tournament. After edging a thrilling opening game 5-4, they grew in confidence with every match, increasing their winning margin to six tries in game two before finishing with an emphatic 9-3 victory.
Their ability to build momentum across the series highlighted the strength and consistency of the squad, who completed another unbeaten British & Irish Cup campaign.
Results: 5-4, 7-1, 9-3
Series Result: Great Britain 3-0 Ireland
Mixed Open
The Mixed Open fielded seven players making their international debuts against an established Irish side.
While the results did not go their way, the team showed encouraging moments throughout the weekend and gained valuable experience that will benefit them as they continue to develop together. Facing one of the strongest teams in the competition, the group showed resilience and will take important lessons forward into future international campaigns.
Results: 4-13, 6-13, 1-23
Series Result: Ireland 3-0 Great Britain
Mixed Seniors
The Mixed Seniors once again demonstrated why they are one of Great Britain’s strongest squads, completing another unbeaten campaign with three convincing victories.
Wins across all three games secured a 3-0 series victory and underlined their consistency, experience and continued excellence on the international stage.
Results: 6-3, 10-5, 11-5
Series Result: Great Britain 3-0 Ireland
Mixed 22s
The Mixed 22s were one of the most exciting stories of the weekend. Fielding a squad with nine international debutants and seven players aged under 18, they showcased the bright future of Great Britain Tag Rugby.
The young side showed tremendous resilience throughout the series. After losing the opening match, they responded with an impressive victory to level the contest before pushing Ireland all the way in a thrilling decider that was settled by a single try.
While the series ended in defeat, the character, composure and talent displayed by this developing group highlighted the strength of the pathway and the exciting future ahead.
Results: 5-12, 11-10, 9-10
Series Result: Great Britain 1-2 Ireland
Women’s 27s
The Women’s 27s entered the tournament in a period of transition following the last World Cup success. With several key members of that title-winning squad unavailable, the group is rebuilding while continuing to develop the next generation of international players.
Despite the final series result, the matches were far closer than the scoreline suggests. After a narrow opening defeat, Great Britain pushed Ireland all the way in the remaining games, losing both by just a single try.
The performances demonstrated the determination and potential within a squad that is continuing to grow together and build towards future success.
Results: 1-2, 4-5, 4-5
Series Result: Great Britain 0-3 Ireland
Men’s 30s
The Men’s 30s produced arguably the closest contest of the entire tournament. The opening match ended in a draw before Great Britain edged the second game to take the lead in the series.
Ireland responded by winning the final match to level the series overall, meaning the destination of the category was going to be decided by drop-off. Even after five minutes of drop-off, neither team could find the decisive score, resulting in the series being officially recorded as a draw.
It was a fitting outcome for one of the most evenly matched contests of the weekend.
Results: 3-3, 4-3, 2-6
Series Result: Drawn
Women’s 37s
No team carried greater pressure than the Women’s 37s, whose final fixture would ultimately decide the destination of the British & Irish Cup.
Following a draw in the opening match and a hard-fought victory in the second, everything rested on the final game of the tournament. In a tense, low-scoring encounter, Great Britain defended superbly and found the decisive score to secure a 1-0 victory with a second half try from Gillian Du Toit, clinching both the series and the British & Irish Cup for a fourth successive year.
Results: 2-2, 2-1, 1-0
Series Result: Great Britain 2-0 Ireland, one draw
Men’s 40s
The Men’s 40s battled hard throughout a closely fought series. After beginning with a draw, Ireland edged the next two matches to claim the category, but Great Britain showed plenty of competitiveness against a strong Irish side.
Results: 4-4, 2-4, 4-6
Series Result: Ireland 2-0 Great Britain, one draw
Men’s 50s
The Men’s 50s showed tremendous resilience to recover from an opening defeat.
After falling behind, they responded superbly with two consecutive victories, including an outstanding final performance to secure a 2-1 series victory and another important win for Great Britain.
Results: 5-7, 5-3, 10-4
Series Result: Great Britain 2-1 Ireland
Great Britain Tag Rugby would like to thank Ireland Tag, the Irish Tag Rugby Association and University College Dublin for hosting another outstanding British & Irish Cup.
We also extend our thanks to every player, coach, referee, volunteer and supporter who contributed to another memorable weekend of international Tag Rugby.
A full breakdown of results from both the Saturday Challenge fixtures and the British & Irish Cup is available www.greatbritaintagrugby.com/results.
UK Referee of the Tournament: Jonno Huntington
The full live streams from all three pitches are available for replay now on Great Britain Tag Rugby’s YouTube channel
Photos from the tournament can be found on Great Britain Tag Rugby’s Facebook page www.facebook.com/GreatBritainTag/photos_albums
Attention now turns to the Tag World Cup in October, with Great Britain carrying valuable momentum and a British & Irish Cup title into the biggest tournament on the international calendar.