Cork’s LGBT rugby club win the Bifrost Cup at this year’s IGR Union Cup in Oslo, Norway
Cork, Tuesday, June 3, 2025 – Cork Hellhounds RFC, Cork’s LGBT-inclusive rugby team, returned home as champions following a successful tour to Norway to compete at the IGR Union Cup in Oslo, winning the final of their tournament tier to win the Bifrost Cup.
The Union Cup is a biennial competition hosted by International Gay Rugby, an organisation of gay and inclusive rugby clubs, of which the Cork Hellhounds have been members since 2021. This second time the Hellhounds took part in the Union Cup; the first being in Birmingham in 2023 where they got to the finals of the tournament. This year, the Hellhounds won each of their matches, beating fellow IGR teams from London, Amsterdam, Liverpool, Rome, and more.
The Hellhounds were part of a wider successful Irish rugby wave of victories at the Union Cup, with Dublin’s Emerald Warriors winning the overall tournament, and Belfast Azlans winning the developmental Vanaheim Bowl.
The Cork Hellhounds were formed in 2020 as the city’s first LGBT-inclusive rugby club, and quickly ratified by Munster Rugby and the IRFU. The success of the Hellhounds has grown year on year since their foundation. Last year in Rome, they won their tier at the IGR Bingham Cup, the world championships of the organisation. They have also regularly worked with Munster Rugby to host the Cork Pride tag rugby tournament during the city’s Pride festivities, becoming a major sporting event for the festival. Their tag rugby offering also brings men and women into the Hellhound pack, taking part in the leagues organised by Cork Tag Rugby at Highfield RFC and Cork Constitution.
“We are incredibly proud to come home to Cork victorious from Oslo after an incredible performance at the Union Cup”, said Liam Keating, team captain of the Cork Hellhounds. “We played our hearts out on the pitch for each of our games, and the effort and hard work of our players and coaches paid off.”
Patrick Reynolds, President of the Cork Hellhounds, added: “We had a squad of 20 players and 15 supporters travel to Norway for the Union Cup, as well as our members and supporters at home cheering us on for this tournament. The Hellhounds have grown from strength to strength since our launch only a few years ago, and we’re so proud to put Cork on the map again for inclusive rugby on an international stage.”
The Cork Hellhounds will host the Pride Tag Rugby Tournament on Sunday, 27 July at Virgin Media Park, with support from Munster Rugby. For more information on the Cork Hellhounds, visit corkhellhounds.ie or search for Cork Hellhounds RFC on Instagram or Facebook.
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Notes to the Editor:
- For interviews, contact hello@corkhellhounds.ie.
- Cork Hellhounds RFC is an LGBT-inclusive rugby club, offering both men’s contact rugby and mixed-gender tag rugby teams. Founded in 2020, the Hellhounds are the third inclusive rugby club on the island of Ireland, following the Emerald Warriors in Dublin and the Belfast Azlans (part of Ophir RFC in Newtownabbey, Co. Antrim).
- International Gay Rugby is an organisation of gay- and inclusive rugby clubs worldwide, of which Cork Hellhounds became a member in 2021.
