Saint Patrick's Day Test
| Sport | Rugby league |
|---|---|
| Instituted | 1995 |
| Number of teams | 2 |
| Region | International (RLIF) |
| Most titles | United States (5 titles) |
| Related competition | Colonial Cup |
The Saint Patrick's Day Test also known as the Donnybrook Cup was an international rugby league football match played between the United States and Ireland from 1995 to 2012. The game was usually held on or around March 17 to coincide with Saint Patrick's Day.
There have been eight matches, with five won by the USA and three won by Ireland. Ireland competed as a full test side for the first two matches, winning both. In 2020 the first two fixtures were regarded to full international status as the Ireland A teams for those two games were upgraded to senior national status, due to the similarity of the squads involved in those games.[1] In 2021 USARL and RLI were in talks to re-establish back the fixture in 2023.[2] However, the match never took place.
Matches
| Date | Home | Score | Away | Venue | Attendance | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 16 March 1995 | United States | 22–24 | Ireland | RFK Stadium, Washington D.C. | [3][4] | |
| 16 March 1996 | United States | 12–14 | Ireland | RFK Stadium, Washington D.C. | 2,500 | [5][6] |
| 18 March 2000 | United States | 19–6 | Ireland A | Glen Mills Schools, Glen Mills, PA | ||
| 16 March 2002 | United States | 24–22 | Ireland A | Glen Mills Schools, Glen Mills, PA | ||
| 15 March 2003 | United States | 20–16 | Ireland A | Glen Mills Schools, Glen Mills, PA | ||
| 24 March 2004 | United States | 41–10 | Ireland A | Memorial Stadium, Savannah, Georgia | [7] | |
| 22 March 2011 | United States | 8–26 | Ireland A | Charles Martin Memorial Stadium, Philadelphia | 1,000 | [8][9] |
| 18 March 2012 | United States | 38–20 | Ireland A | Widener University, Philadelphia | c. 2000 | [10] |
References
- Back to citation Tomahawks To Host Ireland | We Are Rugby Archived July 18, 2011, at the Wayback Machine
- Back to citation "USA Ireland discuss re-establishing St Paddy's Day match: AGM". Rugby League Planet. 21 December 2021. Retrieved 14 August 2022.
- Back to citation "Ireland vs USA - Rugby League 1995". youtube. Retrieved 6 March 2021.
- Back to citation "Other Internationals 1995". Rugby League Project. Retrieved 4 March 2026.
- Back to citation "Test Matches 1996". Rugby League Project. Retrieved 4 March 2026.
- Back to citation marcusm15 (15 December 2013). "USA vs Ireland Rugby League Full Match 1996". youtube.com. YouTube. Retrieved 4 March 2026.
- Back to citation "United States of America vs. Ireland A". Rugby League Project. Retrieved 28 October 2021.
- Back to citation "United States of America vs. Ireland A". Rugby League Project. Retrieved 28 October 2021.
- Back to citation Report
- Back to citation "Tomahawks Win Back the Donnybrook Cup". Rugby League International Scores. Retrieved 21 August 2022.