 A
Team on and off the Pitch
The Boston Irish Wolfhounds Rugby
Football Club is not an Irish rugby club in America, but a Boston
rugby club with an international membership.
The Wolfhounds train hard and
play rugby to win. Established in 1989, the Wolfhounds may be a
young club by American standards. However, team members bring a
vast amount of experience on and off the pitch with a track record
boasting three USA Rugby National Championship wins and 15 combined
wins in the New England and Northeast Union Championships. The Wolfhounds
have grown to be one of the largest clubs in the country, fielding
four men’s sides including USA Rugby Super League, Division
I and Division III teams, a developmental side, as well an active
Old Boys team.
The Wolfhounds play together
off the pitch, as well, and provide the best craic in Boston rugby
circles. True to the club’s founding philosophy, members enjoy
a variety of social and community opportunities equivalent to senior
rugby clubs in other parts of the world.
For those new to Boston, the
Wolfhounds provide members with an immediate community, as well
as an opportunity to play rugby and the chance to contribute back
to their new home.
In the spirit of community involvement,
the Wolfhounds have developed a vibrant youth program, Boston Youth
Rugby, which has grown to five teams and almost 500 players since
its inception in 2004. Additionally, together with the Boston Centers
for Youth and Family, the Wolfhounds have developed a Boston Inner-City
Youth Rugby program as part of Boston’s 2-6 After School Initiative.
Club History
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The Boston Irish Wolfhounds Rugby Football
Club came into being as a touring side of local rugby players
in 1989.
Three successful years of
touring would led the development of a Bostonbased men’s
club bearing the same name. A serious neck injury to one of
the original club members, Patrick “Punter” Culleton,
in a pre-season “friendly”, ironically helped
to significantly extend the reach of the team well beyond
the rugby field. In response to Punter’s immediate needs,
the Boston community came out in strength to support the fundraising
events generated and organized by his friends and teammates.
Buoyed by the momentum gathered during this period, the Wolfhounds
formally organized and were accepted as members of the New
England Rugby Football Union’s Division II in the fall
of 1992. In its initial season the club got its first taste
of success, with the First XV suffering only one defeat during
the fall season, and reaching the Northeast Championships.
Clearly, a bright future lay ahead.
Since then, the club’s fortunes have steadily increased.
The Wolfhounds are now one of the largest rugby clubs in the
United States, fielding four men’s sides that compete
as members of the USA Rugby Super League, Division 1, Division
3 and a developmental side. The Wolfhounds also boast a vibrant
youth program, Boston Youth Rugby, that since it’s inception,
in 2004, has grown to five teams and almost 500 players, ages
6 to 14.
The Wolfhounds have won
dozens of tournaments at all levels of competition, with sides
were the New England and/or Northeast Union Champions a combined
total of 15 times. The Wolfhounds have won three USA Rugby
National Championships and were runners up on two additional
occasions.
To gain a better perspective on the club’s origins,
take a look at an excerpt from a history of the club written
in 1995—words that still ring true today:
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