Dublin Hospitals Rugby Cup

The Dublin Hospitals Rugby Cup is a rugby union competition contested by the teaching hospitals in Dublin since 1881. The competition has a claim to the oldest rugby union competition in the world. The United Hospitals Cup in London was started 6 years earlier, but 12 years were not played during the periods of World War I and World War II.

The competition was inaugurated in 1881 by a group of Dublin surgeons and physicians.^[1] Dr Frank Cassidy served as the first president. The trophy was created by Paul Storr in 1812 as a hunting trophy.^[1] It was purchased in 1881 for £50. It remains the oldest sporting trophy in Ireland for which there is an annual competition.^[1]

The participants of the inaugural tournament included Richmond, Jervis Street, Sir Patrick Dun's, Royal City of Dublin Hospital, Adelaide, Mercer's Hospital, Dr Steevens' Hospital, and Meath.^[2] The inaugural title was won by the Meath Hospital who beat Sir Patrick Dun's Hospital at Lansdowne Road.^[3]

Predating the cup, Dublin United Hospitals representative sides played an annual charity match against other Dublin rugby clubs playing as 'County Dublin' in order to raise money for the Hospital Sunday Fund from 1878 until the 1950s.^[4]

The Dublin Hospitals representative sides have also played annual games against the London United Hospitals. London beat the Dublin hospitals at Lansdowne Road in 1894 inaugural game.^[5] The Dublin Hospitals won the matchup in 1910, 1912,^[6] 1924, 1928,^[7] and 1947.

Eligibility to play for hospitals was initially restricted to medical students and interns, this was later expanded to up to 6 graduates per team in 1990.^[8]

The final, previously played in February at Lansdowne Road, has been played in December at Anglesea Road since the 1960s.^[9] In recent years, following the closure and amalgamation of hospitals, five teams compete for the cup: Beaumont Hospital, the Mater Hospital, St. Vincent's University Hospital, the Federated Hospitals, and the Veterinary Hospital which joined in 2011.^[10]

The Dental Hospital, which had many memorable victories in the late 1950s and the 1970s, eventually could no longer field a team and joined forces with its Trinity neighbours.^[1] The Trinity Federated Hospitals team or Feds represent Dublin Dental University Hospital, Tallaght University Hospital, and St. James's Hospital. Richmond and Jervis amalgamated in 1973 to form an RCSI rugby club, which would win 8 championships during their 14 years in the competition.^[11] The side was succeeded by Beaumont in 1987 following the closure of both hospitals.^[11]

Many medical students and newly qualified doctors who have played in the Hospitals Cup have gone on to represent Ireland or other countries at test level.^[1][3][12] This occurred more frequently during the early years of international rugby. Of the first 200 players capped for Ireland, 44 had trained in Dublin hospitals.^[1] Over 90 players have also been capped for Ireland.^[1] This list below includes some of those players:

 Ireland Internationals

 England Internationals

• Jon Raphael

 Romania Internationals

• Mihai Vioreanu (Mater)

 South Africa Internationals

• Nicolaas Jan Valkenburg van Druten (Meath)

 United States Internationals

• Dick Cooke

• List of oldest rugby union competitions
• United Hospitals Cup