West Cork Stars Selected to Represent Ireland at 2026 Tag Rugby World Cup in Australia

Two West Cork women will represent Ireland at the 2026 International Tag Federation (ITF) Tag World Cup in Australia.

Schull's Ellen O'Regan and Kinsale's Katie Wall have both earned selection for the national women's squads.

The pair will travel to Coffs Harbour, approximately 500 kilometres north of Sydney, where the tournament takes place from 15th – 18th October 2026. 

More than 200 teams from over 30 countries are expected to compete across men's, women's and mixed competitions at multiple age grades.

Ellen O'Regan, from Schull, has been selected for Ireland's Women's Senior / 27s squad. 

A primary school teacher at Scoil Barra in Ballincollig, Ellen attended Schull Community College, where she benefited from the school's unique sailing programme and went on to represent Ireland in sailing. 

She also played with Gabriel Rangers GAA Club and is balancing international tag rugby alongside life as the mother of a ten-month-old daughter.

Adding to the family connection, Ellen's sister Anna is also part of Ireland's Women's 27s programme and the sisters will line out together for Ireland at this year's British & Irish Cup.

Meanwhile, Katie Wall, from Kinsale, has been selected for Ireland's Women's Open team. 

Katie attended Summercove National School and Kinsale Community School, while representing Kinsale in both football and soccer and competing in athletics with Kinsale/Riverstick Athletics Club. 

She now combines international tag rugby with a career in scientific research.

"It's an absolute honour to be selected to represent Ireland at a World Cup. Australia is the home of the sport, and travelling there is a huge and very exciting challenge," Ellen O'Regan said.

"We are incredibly grateful for SMBC Aviation Capital's support on this journey, which will pit us against the best players in the world while proudly representing Ireland and West Cork."

Katie Wall added  that it is an honour to play for Ireland.

"It's an absolute honour to represent Ireland at a World Cup. I'm especially grateful to my family for their support over the years particularly my dad, who always encouraged me to play as many sports as possible growing up."

The ITF Tag World Cup will feature teams from more than 30 nations. 

Ireland is recognised as one of the world's leading tag rugby nations and is a member of the International Tag Federation alongside Great Britain, Australia and New Zealand. 

Other participating nations include France, Vietnam, South Africa, China, Palestine, Italy, Greece, Sri Lanka, Malta, Lebanon, Tonga, Fiji, Tokelau, Samoa and many more.

Australia is considered the home of tag rugby, with more than 200,000 participants playing through 140 associations nationwide. 

Australian teams have dominated international competition and the country has hosted the majority of Tag Rugby World Cups since the tournament began in 2012.

The most recent Tag Rugby World Cup was hosted by Ireland in Limerick in August 2023, where Irish teams won medals across eight divisions, highlighting the country's emergence as one of the sport's leading international nations. 

Despite those achievements, tag rugby remains an amateur and largely self-funded sport. 

More than 15,000 players participate through the Irish Tag Rugby Association across leagues in Dublin, Cork, Limerick, Galway, Waterford and Kildare, with international players balancing elite competition alongside full-time careers and family commitments.

Earlier this year, the Irish Tag Rugby Association announced a partnership with SMBC Aviation Capital, one of the world's leading aircraft leasing companies, to support Ireland's national squads and help raise the profile of the sport.

Before travelling to Australia, Ireland will host Great Britain in the annual British & Irish Cup at UCD, Dublin, over the August Bank Holiday weekend on Saturday 1st August and Sunday 2nd August with 45 international test matches taking place across the two days.