Vets & Other Junior Teams

St. Mary's Vets opened the new league with a 7 tries to 3 home win over Malahide in November 2008, and beat Seapoint 34–12 in December despite playing with 14 men. A wet trip to Carlow in January 2009 ended in a 19–21 defeat. Visiting touring sides from Luxembourg, Milan, Washington and Leiden were also hosted at Templeville Road that spring.

Vets tag was played on Wednesday evenings throughout the year, and in 2006–09 the membership book described the Veterans' Group as playing "tag and contact rugby on Wednesday evenings throughout the year. All over 35s are welcome to come along and join the group."

Captained by Charlie Hamilton, the Vets beat Carlow home and away and were runners-up in the league. After the 36–12 win in Carlow in February 2010 the captain's report said the team were "unbeaten this season", with the bonus-point win keeping them top of the league table. The season opened with a 9–6 win over the Austrian touring side Wiener Neustadt Wombats.

On the morning of the Ireland v France Six Nations game in February 2011, the Vets took on the French Parliamentarians' XV. The French side would normally have played their Irish counterparts, but with an election pending the Irish parliamentarians were unavailable, so St. Mary's Vets got the call. St. Mary's won 30–5. According to the club yearbook, the average age of the French team was 59 and of the St. Mary's team 45, and both teams went on to a reception at the French ambassador's residence.

Earlier in the season the Vets beat Brent Pope's International Vets XV 10–5. In the league they lost 0–38 to Clontarf, and in the Fox Cup they lost 14–18 to Terenure.

The J6/Vets XV entered the Guilfoyle-James Cup (Metro J6) and reached the semi-final, losing 5–59 at home to a strong Blackrock College side on Thursday 12 April 2012. The touring sides Boston RFC (won 31–20) and Toulouse (lost 20–25) also visited. In January 2012 six Vets helped the J5s fulfil a league fixture against Terenure, when Sam Brennan played competitive rugby for the club in a fifth decade.

J6/Vets XV v Blackrock College, 12 April 2012: 15 Stephen Martin, 14 Will Hamill, 13 Michael Madden, 12 David Lyons, 11 Aidan Manahan, 10 David Lyons, 9 Paul Brennan, 8 Karl Jennings, 7 Domhnall Joyce, 6 Chris Richardson, 5 Peter O'Kelly, 4 Michael O'Flaherty, 3 Barry Shortle, 2 Charlie Hamilton, 1 Sam Brennan. Replacements: Colin Smyth, Lorcan Byrne, David Daly, Guillermo Ferreiro Neto, Tahar Horchani, Bobby O'Connor.

At the D.P. Smyth J5 Blitz on 15 March 2013 the Vets were the only team to beat the touring side from Buenos Aires, with a try from Colin Smyth converted by Barry Shortle. Buenos Aires went on to win the blitz.

The annual St. Mary's v Terenure Vets fixture is played for a trophy in memory of George Payne, who played for both clubs. On Saturday 29 October 2016 it was played on the all-weather pitch at Lakelands, and St. Mary's won and brought the trophy back to Templeville Road.

St. Mary's players named in the report: David Donohoe, Carl Egan, Michael O'Flaherty, Aidan Manahan, Ger Pelosi, Gavin McConnell, Keith McCarthy, Chris Richardson, Darragh O'Gorman.

Still needed: the score, and any other years this trophy was played for.

The Vets hosted the French side Cat Rugby Association Blagnac on 10 February 2023. In February 2024 the club agreed to field a combined Vets and J5 side against the touring Washington Irish RFC. The club also presents a Vets Player of the Season award.

Still needed: results of these games and the Vets Player of the Season winners.

The J6 XV, captained by Paul McInerney, beat Palmerston 15–4 in the final. The club's centenary history calls it "another first for the club", in a season when St. Mary's were fielding upwards of ten teams each week.

Still needed: the date, the St. Mary's team and a photograph.

Still needed: the opponents, the score and the team.

Captained by John Murphy, the J6s beat Lansdowne 11–3 in the final. "With the J5s and J6s also winning their Cup competitions, St. Mary's finished the season on a high" (centenary history).

Still needed: the date, the team and a photograph.

The J6s, captained by Patsy Fogarty, met Greystones in the final on Thursday 27 April 1995, kick-off 6pm, and lost by a single point, 10–11.

St. Mary's: 15 Ray Sloan, 14 Ray O'Doherty, 13 Frank Kennedy, 12 Gareth Fanning, 11 Kevin Nowlan, 10 Patsy Fogarty (capt.), 9 Daragh Coleman, 1 Barry Shortle, 2 Jim McShane, 3 Tom Brennan, 4 Paul O'Reilly, 5 Garry Manning, 6 Kevin Conboy, 7 Kieran Madigan, 8 David Donoghue. Replacements: John Murphy, John Pyne, Cormac Barry, Niall Twomey, Mick McGill.

Greystones were captained by Michael Dempsey. The referee was Brian Pender.

Coached by Patsy Fogarty and managed by Dave Mowlds, "the J6s were beaten in the final of the Cup, the second successive year to lose only at the final hurdle."

Still needed: the opponents and the score.

Still needed: the opponents and the score.

"The only successful club side was Patsy Fogarty's J6 XV who won the Fox Cup" (centenary history). They beat Lansdowne 32–8 in the final.

Still needed: the date, the team and a photograph.

Still needed: the score, the captain and the team.

Still needed: the opponents and the score.

Still needed: the opponents, the score, the captain and the team.

Still needed: the opponents, the score, the captain and the team.

Captain: John Everington.

Still needed: the opponents and the score.

Captained by Paudge McGill and managed by Paul Flood, the J6 (over-35s) XV won the Fox Cup at the end of the season.

Still needed: the team and a photograph.

Captain: Brian McEniff. Leinster Rugby's record has St. Mary's in Group 3, losing 0–24 away to Terenure on Friday 4 April 2008. Terenure went on to win the cup, beating Swords 17–10 in the final.

Captain: Barry Shortle. Wanderers won the cup, beating Bective Rangers 7–5 in the final.

Captain: Charlie Hamilton. The first-round tie away to Wanderers on Wednesday 7 April 2010 was conceded by St. Mary's. Bective Rangers won the cup.

Captain: Domhnall Joyce. The Vets lost 14–18 at home to Terenure on Friday 1 April 2011. Terenure went on to win the cup, beating Wanderers 20–11 in the final.

By 2019 the Fox Cup was being run as an over-35s blitz, in aid of Crumlin Children's Hospital. St. Mary's were one of the entries, with Garda RFC and Wicklow RFC, at Westmanstown on Sunday 28 April 2019. Leinster Rugby told the club in 2024 that there had been no Fox Cup for a few years.

Still needed: the results and the St. Mary's team.

The J7 XV played for the Greenlea Cup, and St. Mary's won it in 1970, 1978, 1979, 1986, 1991, 1992 and 1995. 1977/78 was a remarkable season: the club won ten trophies, among them the Leinster Senior League, the Winters Cup, the Greenlea Cup and the Guilfoyle Cup.

The J7s won the Greenlea Cup again in 1994/95 and were finalists in 1996/97 and 1997/98. In 1995/96, with John Boyle as coach and manager, they went out early. No J7 is recorded after 1997/98.

Still needed: final opponents, scores, captains and photographs for every Greenlea Cup win.

The J8 XV won the Guilfoyle Cup in 1978, 1979, 1980, 1982 and 1983, five titles in six seasons. The J8s reached the semi-final of the Guilfoyle James Cup in 1994/95, and in 1995/96, captained by Declan Coleman, made an early exit. The competition is today's Guilfoyle-James Cup, which has its own page.

St. Mary's won the Leinster Branch Touch Rugby competition in 1999, and the Leinster President presented the trophy to captain Derek McCabe. Rugby Ireland International magazine marked the win with the headline "St. Mary's Boys Come Good!"

Vets tag takes place in the club every Wednesday night for all members over 35. The club's summer tag league ran with six teams in 2022, and in 2023/24 the club launched the St. Mary's Stars, its first inclusive rugby team.

The J3s made two cup-winning trips to Berlin, in 2007 and 2008, remembered in the club's reunion booklets as "Grimmer's cup winning trips to Berlin" after Ian Grimson.

Still needed: the dates, the tournament, the results and the touring parties.

Over the May bank holiday weekend, 2 to 5 May 2008, the J5s travelled to the Cologne Crusaders Cup, with Mossy Davin as tour captain. Games were two halves of ten minutes. The J5s lost narrowly to Northolt and the hosts, then went out in the quarter-final to Paris Olympic, the report noting that "dehydration, exhaustion and injuries had taken their toll." Moseley Colts won the tournament. On the Sunday some of the party joined Northolt for mixed games, and a combined Mary's and Northolt "Lions" side beat a German team.

Touring party: Maurice Davin (tour captain), Paul Whyte, Ronan Foley, Stephen Walkin, James Nolan, David Cryan, Alan Kibble, Stephen Cushen, Colum O'Keeffe, James Hynes, Joe Burke, Colin Burkley, Rob Ryan, Andrew Fitzpatrick, Conor Quinlivan, Chris Doyle, John Kelly.

From 18 to 21 June 2009 the J5s, managed by Mossy Davin, played in the 14th Berlin X's, the 10-a-side tournament hosted by Berliner Sport-Club to mark 75 years of BSC rugby. On Saturday 20 June St. Mary's finished fourth, and brought home the tournament plate and a certificate "in recognition of the performance shown".

The touring party included: James Nolan, Maurice Davin, Ronan Foley, Colin Burkley, Rob Ryan, Ian Kelly, Hugh Lyons, Denis O'Sullivan, Marcel Cazabon, Adrian Malone, Stephen Joyce, Aidan O'Sullivan.

Still needed: the match results and the full touring party (13 players).

Over Easter, 1 to 4 April 2010, 15 J5s managed by Adrian Malone toured Toulouse, playing a friendly against their hosts UMR CNR UPS, watching Toulouse play Racing Metro in the Top 14 and calling to Trevor Brennan's bar. The hosts made the return trip to Templeville Road in November 2010, when the J5 B XV won 20–10.

On the weekend of 27 and 28 August 2016 a pre-season party of 31, including 19 players from the J4s and J5s with some U20s, flew to Brussels for a game against Bruges RFC, who had toured St. Mary's in April 2015. Led by Mick Flats, who also refereed in temperatures over 30°C, with help from Mossy Davin and Stephen Boden, St. Mary's won a "reasonably high scoring" game.

Still needed: the score and a team photo.

On the weekend of Friday 28 to Sunday 30 April 2017 the J4s and J5s took the ferry from Rosslare to Fishguard for the club's Junior Rugby Tour to Wales, based in Swansea. They played Cefneithin RFC on the Friday evening and Dunvant RFC on the Saturday afternoon. The tour was organised by Stephen Boden, Mossy Davin and head coach Mick Flats, with Gary Masterson as captain, and the tour booklet profiled about 45 tourists. Its first rule: "What goes on 'On Tour' stays 'On Tour'."

The trip followed a visit by the Welsh side Penygroes RFC on 16 April 2016, when a J4/J5 selection won 32–22 at Templeville Road and three fathers played alongside their sons: Colm and Adam Kavanagh, Karl and Jonnie Kelly, and Stephen and Sam Boden.

Still needed: the scores and a team photo.

From Friday 19 to Sunday 21 August 2022, 40 J2, J3 and J4 players and management toured Glasgow, arranged by Director of Junior Rugby Mossy Davin with the captains and managers. Against Cartha Queens Park, who "assumed it was our 1st XV and had their biggest crowd attendance all season", the teams were piped out by kilted bagpipers. The next day's game against Glasgow Academicals, in glorious sunshine, was "a much closer game". Garry Manning was tour president, head coach was Michael O'Flaherty, the tour captains were Conor Quinn and Niall Donovan, and incoming club President Bobby O'Connor presented Glasgow Accies with a St. Mary's plaque.

From 11 to 14 September 2025 players from the J2s to the J5s, with a group of non-playing alickadoos, toured Barcelona, playing a Barcelona side. The tour was organised by Director of Junior Rugby Mick Flats with Conor Quinn and Mossy Davin, and the party brought 125th-anniversary plaques and pins for their Spanish opposition.

Still needed: the score and a team photo.

From 4 to 6 September 2026, 22 players from the J1s to the J5s and a selection of alickadoos travelled to Toulouse, organised by Mick Flats with Gareth Logan and Mossy Davin. The squad watched Montauban beat Grenoble 20–17 on the home debut of St. Mary's Danny Brennan, and at Brennan's Snug Mick Flats and Michael Fanagan presented Trevor Brennan with his St. Mary's College AIL cap and the club's 125th Anniversary Commemorative Crest.