The Story So Far
The St. Mary's Stars began in October 2023. Robbie O'Neill, the club's Director of Youth Rugby, set up an inclusive team so that everyone who wants to play rugby at Templeville Road can. Within a year the Stars were representing Ireland in Paris and playing at half-time in front of 82,500 people at Croke Park. They have become one of the best-loved teams in the club.
2023First training
27Players in 2024-25
7Blitzes in 2024-25
ParisInternational tournament
The Mary's Stars in their first season, autumn 2023 (2023-24 Yearbook)
Timeline
Sunday 8 October 2023The Mary's Stars hold their first training session at Templeville Road. Robbie O'Neill, Director of Youth Rugby, gets the team off the ground with his son Charlie and the support of club president Bobby O'Connor. Training settles into a Sunday-noon slot on the Cabbage Patch, and the club creates a Stars membership category.
15 October 2023The first blitz, at Wicklow RFC. The first season brings two Leinster blitzes.
Tuesday 14 May 2024Johnny Sexton and Caelan Doris present the Stars with their jerseys at Templeville Road, with the Maples Group, the club's main sponsor, and the IRFU's disability and inclusion programme.
May 2024The Stars fly the flag for Ireland at the Special Olympics Europe Tag Rugby event in Paris, at Racing 92's facilities, against teams from France, Switzerland, Georgia, Romania and Italy.
Saturday 12 October 2024The Stars play the Seapoint Dragons at half-time of Leinster v Munster in front of 82,500 people at Croke Park.
9 November 2024Half-time at the AIL derby against Terenure at Templeville Road: the Stars draw 18-18 with the Terenure Tigers.
2024-25Seven blitzes with only one game lost, including trips to New Ross, Navan and Terenure. The squad grows to 27, with six regular coaches. Leinster's Alex Soroka takes a training session in February, and the season ends with a celebration in the clubhouse on 7 June 2025.
2025-26The 125th season. The Stars help sell raffle tickets for the women's team, and Dan Sheehan calls in when they take on the club's youth girls in a boys-v-girls game. At the D6W derby against Terenure on 7 February 2026 they welcome the teams onto the pitch and play the Terenure Tigers at half-time. From March the players help run the Sunday coffee kiosk, and on 21 March captain Charlie O'Neill presents the Man of the Match award at Old Belvedere. The season ends on 13 June with a tag match against the J4s and presentations.
September 2026Terenure share the gate from the Leinster Senior Cup match at Lakelands with the two clubs' inclusive teams, the Terenure Tigers and the Mary's Stars.
Paris 2024
A week after Johnny Sexton and Caelan Doris presented their jerseys, the Stars travelled to Paris for the Special Olympics Europe Tag Rugby event. Their first-ever international tournament was supported by the Maples Group, Stewarts Care, the IRFU, a club raffle and the club.
IRFU: Doris and Sexton make St Mary's inclusion team jersey presentation →
Photo gallery (84 photos) →
In Their Words
“Up here in St. Mary's there is a place for everyone… All are welcome.”— Robbie O'Neill, Yearbook 2023-24
“This is one of the greatest honours in my life to be head coach at an international tournament. We promise to represent our great club with pride, passion and play some of the best rugby Paris has ever seen.”— Robbie O'Neill, before the Paris tournament, May 2024
“From the senior men and women squads to junior rugby teams competing at all ages, from the underage mini rugby programme to the trailblazing St. Mary's Stars, there is a place here for everyone.”— Maples Group, 125th anniversary booklet, 2026
With Thanks
The Maples GroupMain club sponsor; supported the Paris trip and the Stars jerseys.
Stewarts CarePartner in establishing the team; supported the Paris trip.
IRFU & Leinster RugbyThe IRFU's disability and inclusion programme, and Leinster players who have visited: Johnny Sexton, Caelan Doris, Alex Soroka and Dan Sheehan.
Terenure Tigers & Seapoint DragonsFriends and opponents from neighbouring clubs' inclusive teams.
The Stars are part of the club's youth section, led by Robbie O'Neill, and were among the ten teams honoured at the Youth Awards in May 2026.
Have photos or stories from the Stars' blitzes, Paris or Croke Park? Please send them to archives@smcrfc.com so we can add them here.
