Navan RFC Celebrates Representative Honours and Coaching Milestones in Stellar Season

Navan RFC continues to make waves across the Irish rugby landscape as players and coaches from the club earn prestigious provincial and national recognition in what has been a standout season for the centenary-year club.

Searle Earns Ireland U20 Cap
Navan RFC’s Rosie Searle was selected to represent Ireland Women’s U20s in an uncapped fixture against Canada at the IRFU High Performance Centre in Abbotstown on Saturday, 10th May. The match formed part of preparations for the Six Nations U20 Women’s Summer Series, which takes place in Cardiff this July.

Searle was named in a 30-player squad by Head Coach Niamh Briggs, who said, “These games are a perfect opportunity for players to build experience and showcase their skills as we head towards the Summer Series.”
Searle was joined in the matchday squad by former Navan RFC youth players Jade Gaffney and Emma Brogan, further underlining the club’s growing contribution to the national setup.

O’Rourke Stars in Leinster U16 7s Interprovincials

Nine Girls, Seven Boys Selected for Leinster North-East Summer Squads
An impressive nine players from Navan RFC’s U16 Girls squad have been selected for the Leinster North-East Summer Programme: Grace McWeeney, Emma O’Rourke, Amelia Lynch, Amelia Gillespie, Ellen Vuckovic, Tessa Flynn, Tati Garcia, Caoimhe Martin, and Robyn Wall. They will compete for selection ahead of next season’s Sarah Robinson Cup.
On the boys’ side, seven players from the U15 squad – Donnacha Ryan, Evan Lynch, Sean Masterson, Danny Farrell, Asanka Varney, Jimmy Shorten, and Killian Fagan – were named to the North-East Summer training squad in preparation for the Shane Horgan Cup.

Claffey Joins Leinster Women’s Backroom Team

Current Navan RFC Women’s coach Michelle Claffey has been appointed Backs Coach for the Leinster Senior Women’s team ahead of the Vodafone Women’s Interprovincial Championship in August. A former Ireland international, Claffey brings a wealth of experience from her playing career and her recent coaching role with the Wolfhounds in the Celtic Challenge.

Leinster U18 Call-Ups for Doyle and Craik

Navan RFC U17 players Myles Doyle and Lorcan Craik have been selected for the Leinster U18 Clubs squad. The 35-player panel will undertake a ten-week summer programme, culminating in fixtures against the Ospreys and Scarlets in Wales this August. The series
serves as preparation for the U18 Interprovincial Championship, which begins with a clash against Ulster on 17th August.

Conor O’Sullivan Appointed Navan U20 Head Coach

Navan RFC is delighted to announce that current Leinster U18 Boys Team Manager Conor O’Sullivan will join the club as Head Coach of the U20 Men’s team for the 2025/26 season. O’Sullivan brings considerable interprovincial experience to a growing U20s programme at
Navan.

Future Stars Awards Recognise Navan Talent
Navan-based players shone at the recent DKIT Future Stars of Rugby Awards, where standout athletes were recognised across both boys’ and girls’ categories. Awarded with Future Star jerseys were:
● Luke Kennedy – Flanker, St Patrick’s CS/Navan RFC
● Harry Waters – Full-back, Ratoath College/Navan RFC
● Cormac Nugent – Wing, St Patrick’s CS/Navan RFC
● Molly Egan – Full-back, St Joseph’s Mercy/Navan RFC Women’s 1st XV

The Future Stars initiative is seen as a major stepping-stone to provincial and national honours.

Edwina Connor Elected Chair of Leinster Youths Committee

Navan RFC Women’s Team Manager Edwina Connor has been elected Chairperson of the Leinster Youth Committee for the 2025/26 season. Her election continues a proud tradition of Navan RFC leadership within Leinster Rugby, following in the footsteps of current Club
President Scott Ennis and Paul Power, both former Youth Committee Chairs.

Navan RFC Annual Awards Night 2024/25 – A Centenary Celebration of Excellence

A massive congratulations to all our Adult and U18.5 Men’s and Women’s teams who were honoured at the Centenary Year Navan RFC Annual Awards, held on Friday 16th May at the Ardboyne Hotel. It was a spectacular evening celebrating an exceptional year for Navan RFC, with all nine adult teams represented on the night. The atmosphere was electric as players, coaches, families, and supporters gathered to mark another milestone in the club’s proud history.

Incoming Club President for 2025/2026

Eddie Lyons, was on hand to present the awards and receive a special trophy presentation from the captains of each women’s team. A huge appreciation was expressed to the organising committee for the awards night of Sinead Hannon, Nour Khairy and  Ray Hannon for putting together a truly memorable celebration of Navan RFC’s 100th year.

Award Winners
U18.5 Boys
● Most Valuable Player: Ciall Flynn
● Player of the Year: Fionn Craik

U18.5 Girls
● Players’ Player of the Year: Alex Connor
● Player of the Year: Aoife White
● Hannah O’Dea Spirit of Rugby Award: Ciara Byrne
(Presented by Paul Beggy, U18.5 Girls Coach)

Youth Player of the Year – Alex Carter
Men’s U20s
● Players’ Player of the Year: Declan O’Connor
● Player of the Year: Max Shivmangal (collected by Bryan Russell)

Men’s J3s
● Most Improved Player: Simon Kelly
● Player of the Year in Memory of Dave McAteer: Brian Cooney (presented by
Damian Dixon, collected by Tommy Geraghty)

Men’s J1s

● Most Improved Player: Luke Dolan
● Player of the Year: Andrew Beggy

Women’s Teams

● Div 2 Players’ Player: Aine Castles (collected by her father)
● Div 4 Players’ Player: Rachel Browne
● J2 Players’ Player: Niamh Lister (collected by Ellen Mennis)
● Young Player of the Year: Molly Egan
● Newcomer of the Year: Shona White
● Most Improved Player: Lauren Kelly

Trophy Presentations to Eddie Lyons from Team Captains:
● Div 2 Cup: Aoife Ryan
● Div 4 Cup: Rachel Browne
● U20s Cup: Emma Looby

Special Recognition
● Jersey Presentation to Nour Khairy for earning her 100th Leinster League Cap with Navan RFC.

Senior Men
● Young Player of the Year: Harry Waters
● Player of the Year: Liam Carroll

Navan RFC Club Player of the Year (In Memory of Pete Hogan):
● Aoife Ryan
Aoife now joins her sister Sinead and husband Bernard Smyth in receiving this prestigious club honour which was presented by Conor Ryan.

Community Spirit on Show as Navan RFC Volunteers Advance Oakleigh Pitch Project

Navan RFC’s strong volunteer spirit was on full display last Saturday morning as over 120 club members gathered to assist in the next phase of the Oakleigh pitch development. Volunteers from across the club – including minis, youth, senior teams, executive committee
members, and trustees – turned out in force to help de-stone the new pitch and training area. Thanks to recent rain, dust levels were kept low, making conditions more manageable for the task at hand.
Armed with at least three wheelbarrows, 50 pairs of gloves, and countless rakes and buckets, the group completed the de-stoning process in just over an hour – an impressive community effort that brings the much-anticipated playing surface several weeks closer to completion.
Club officials expressed their gratitude to everyone who contributed, noting that the collective effort not only progressed the pitch development but also highlighted the unity and enthusiasm within the Navan RFC family.

Navan RFC to Hold 96th Annual General Meeting
Navan Rugby Football Club has announced that its 96th Annual General Meeting will take place on Thursday, June 5th, 2025, at 7:30pm in the Long Bar at the NRFC Clubhouse, Balreask Old, Navan.
The meeting will be held in accordance with the club’s rules and is open to all members. Full details are available on the club’s official website. Members wishing to submit motions or nominations must do so by 5pm on Tuesday, June 3rd. The club encourages all eligible members to attend and participate in shaping the future of Navan RFC. Please note: Only fully paid-up Full, Honorary, Couple, or Family members as of December 31st, 2024 are eligible to vote, with one vote permitted per Full membership.