Kinsale in Sevens bid

Kinsale are hoping to host the 2001 leg of the recently launched International Rugby Board World Sevens Series. The Heineken Kinsale Sevens yesterday announced their intention to approach the IRFU to make a bid to attract the international event to Cork.

The Kinsale Sevens competition is a long established annual festival but never before has it tried to attract international sides. Outline discussions have taken place with the International Rugby Board with a view to preparing a formal bid. Currently there is no international tournament in England, Ireland, Scotland or Wales on the World Sevens circuit.

France is currently the only scheduled European event and that takes place in May in Paris. It would therefore make sense to try to organise any similar event in Ireland before May. "We have a ready-made tournament, which has made massive strides in the last two years in infrastructure, sponsorship and positioning. In addition to our principal sponsors we also have in place blue-chip brand names," said Bernard Hurley, chairman of Kinsale Rugby Club.

"We firmly believe that bringing a world class competition of this stature to our shores will provide a platform for the development and expansions of sevens rugby in Ireland."

The current series runs from this month, where it was launched in Dubai, until May 2001 and brings together 10 unions. At the conclusion of each event, IRB World Sevens Series championship points are awarded so that teams accumulate points at each venue.

This year's series involves Dubai, Stellenbosch, Punta Del Este, Mar Del Plata, Brisbane, Wellington, Fiji, Hong Kong, Tokyo and Paris. Because of domestic competitions, the European Cup and the inaugural Six Nations Championship, Ireland have not yet been represented in this year's series.