Sarsfields Boot Camp offers beginner rugby for adults in Limerick beginning March 25

Zoe Keyes, Ballyneety and James Connolly, Corbally. Sarsfields Rugby’s Beginner Friendly Boot Camp kicks off on Wednesday, March 25th. Picture: Olena Oleksienko/ilovelimerick

Sarsfields Rugby are offering a beginner-friendly contact boot camp for men’s and women’s rugby in Limerick, weekly from March 25 to May 13

Sarsfields Rugby are offering a beginner-friendly contact boot camp for men’s and women’s rugby in Limerick.

Formed as an inclusive rugby project for the Midwest in 2022, Sarsfields have over 80 adults active in tag and contact rugby and a thriving social setup. The 8-week boot camp runs on Wednesdays at 7:30 pm from March 25th to May 13th at the Derryknockane grounds of Young Munster RFC.

Cost is €5 per session with signup available via @SarsfieldsRugby on Instagram or emailing [email protected]

The club are well known on the local tag rugby circuit and made their contact debut at the Lynch Cup in August 2025. Boot camp is held in Derryknockane just off the Ballycummin Road on the outskirts of the city. The grounds are the second home of Young Munster RFC, who host Sarsfields and have supported them since their foundation.

The sessions are facilitated by a team of experienced coaches and mentor players with a focus on fun in a safe environment. Players work on ball-skills and team-play in small sided games with a graduated approach to contact. Sarsfields has welcomed players of all abilities in their two seasons of contact rugby to date. They include experienced players looking for a social rugby outlet, players returning to the game for the first time since school, tag rugby players who’ve made the switch to contact and people with no previous experience in rugby or team sport.

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James Connolly, Director of Rugby, said, “If someone is interested in starting rugby, but feels nervous or a bit intimidated by the idea of joining a club, it gives them a way to come in and give it a go and build some confidence in a supportive and safe environment,” he said.  

“I was sent out to play rugby as a boy before I had any real interest in it,” says the Corbally native. “I still remember being out on the pitch on cold Sunday mornings with my hands in my pockets not really wanting to be there. So before long I gave it up. When I got a bit older I wanted to try it again, but the opportunity was hard to come by.”

“I was always quite shy and the idea of joining a club felt quite intimidating. And then I found Sarsfields and for the first time I felt like rugby was actually possible for me. I didn’t feel like I had to know everything coming in or I had to be doing it all my life. It felt welcoming and it gave me a way to get involved and build confidence. That’s why I think this boot camp matters. It gives people the same chance that I had.”

James went from playing his first rugby match at Tom Clifford Park in August to captaining a Sarsfields side in March that reached the quarter-finals of the Hadrian Cup against 19 other inclusive teams from across the UK and Europe.

Zoe Keyes from Ballyneety first found out about Sarsfields via social media.  She is now an active member and will be making her contact debut against Emerald Warriors RFC in Dublin this weekend.

She said, “It said on Instagram it was going to be social and fun and something everyone could do. When we arrived, it was all of those things. There were no crazy expectations around ability or fitness. It was completely open to anyone who wanted to come along and give it a go.”

“The experience has continued like it started. It’s a lot of fun and the coaches and players around you just want you to try your best and keep learning. Nobody is expecting you to be amazing. That’s really nice when you’re starting something when you’re older.”

The Men’s and Women’s Six Nations keep rugby in the headlines from February to May, but Zoe believes there’s a social level of rugby that everyone can play rather than watch on TV – a game for all shapes and sizes.

“It’s really good to make new friends. One of the things that I love about coming to contact every week is it’s really empowering – you’re taught to take up space and being big on the pitch is one of the best things to be.”

“It’s become a lot more popular for women recently and that opportunity is there where everyone is starting at the same level as each other,” she said.

Sarsfields have also announced a save-the-date for Lynch Cup 2026 – the LGBTQIA+ inclusive tag and contact rugby tournament in honour of their late team mate Sarah Lynch. The all-island event will take place on Saturday August 15th 2026.