LAST WEEKEND was grim for Irish rugby, with the ould enemy triumphing over Ireland in not just the senior game, but also the women’s and under-21’s as well. But there was a ray of light from an unexpected quarter, when team Leinster House thrashed their Westminster counterparts at their annual challenge match in Richmond on Thames.

The victory was made that bit sweeter for the visitors with the news that the British team captain, Mark Pawsey, is the MP for Rugby.

The final score was 39 for the Houses of the Oireachtas and 12 for the Houses of Parliament. The Leinster House squad included staffers and parliamentarians. It was captained by flying deputy John Paul Phelan and included “impact sub” Minister Leo Varadkar, who squeezed the game into his busy St Patrick’s weekend schedule. Other players included deputies Tony Lawlor from Kildare and Meath West’s Damien English. Michael Ahern, former TD for Cork East, was the sole Fianna Fáil politician. Labour’s parliamentarians stayed at home. FG Senator Catherine Noone was prominent on the wing. (Cheering from the sideline, that is).

The match featured an unusual set of rules. It was played in four 15-minute quarters, scrums were uncontested and players were forbidden from tackling designated “senior” players (but had a free hand to tackle any politician they liked). No one was allowed to run more than 15 metres with the ball.

The participants are anxious to point out that the team met the cost of the trip out of their own pockets.