Malone Tornadoes pushing boundaries in Irish and international rugby

While the Senior men’s side plays in Division 2B in the Energia AIL, their mixed ability side are pushing boundaries around Ireland and further afield, as the Malone Tornadoes.

The Tornadoes were founded in 2018, and in less than a decade have grown into one of Ireland’s leading mixed ability teams.

Ashley Mulligan has been involved in rugby for over half a century, and joined the Tornadoes when they were founded. He acts as a player facilitator with the team.

“Malone Tornadoes were founded through the Newforge Taggers”, he explains. “A lot of the players had reached a point where they wanted to start playing mainstream rugby, but that would have been an issue for many players.”

“Some coaches in the club found out about mixed ability rugby and went to a conference in England on it. They came back enthused, and with other like-minded people around the area, wanted to give back to the game. It started small but has evolved from there.”

Tag rugby was the starting point for many of the Tornadoes’ players, and Mulligan explains that mixed ability rugby is a game for all ages and abilities.

“It’s a contact version of rugby, which puts together players with and without disabilities to come together as a team. All the rules of contact rugby are played, with uncontested scrums being the only difference. It is the most enjoyable form of rugby you can see and be part of. 

“It brings together players with no experience, players with lots of experience, and even those who were lost to the game through retirement or injury.”

While the club began with a handful of players, it has grown enormously in recent years, with recent trips to Pamplona and Edinburgh among the highlights.

“We got together and have grown through word of mouth about what we are doing. We are now at the stage with a playing squad of nearly 60 players over the last seven years. We have had players line out who have won the European Cup with Ulster, and players who never touched a rugby ball before. The ethos of the team is being in this together, and the team is all about the ability, not the disability.”

One of mixed ability rugby’s selling points is the generational gap among teammates. Family links are commonplace among the Tornadoes, and Mulligan says they are family, both on and off the field.

“The family aspect is not even about the biological aspect, even though we have fathers and sons playing together on the team. If you talk to some of the players with a disability, they would count the Tornadoes as their family. They would see teammates as brothers.

“The biological aspect of fathers, sons, brothers and cousins playing together is lovely to see too. We played DLSP Eagles in Dublin earlier this year, and two brothers came out of retirement to play with their two sons.

“We rely on families to run the team. They provide transportation, but they provide support off the field, which as volunteers we cannot always provide. We do all we can on the rugby field, and we do our best to support players of the field too.

Earlier this year, Mulligan was the winner of the Ulster Rugby Foundation Award, at the province’s annual awards event, for his work with the Tornadoes. He says that volunteerism is key to the team’s success, at all levels.

“From our humble beginnings, we had a small number of playing facilitators and coaches. We all had experiences in rugby, but this has been a chance to give back to the game we all love. It adds to our lives too. We continue to play rugby, and get to see the joy they have. 

“Volunteers are crucial, but the structure has to be right. Volunteers cannot commit every week, but the team never suffers thankfully. Monday night’s training can be the highlight of the week for some of the players. We want to reach players that don't have that first step, and we want to help players try something new. We continue to find players in the most unusual of places.”

Mulligan played for Malone when he was younger, but the Tornadoes gave an opportunity to put on the club jersey once more, and it’s an opportunity he cherishes.

“I would have thought there was no place for someone my age playing contact rugby, and some of my teammates still think that! I always ask myself how I didn’t know about this type of game sooner? 

“I’ve seen first-hand how it changes lives, and seeing players grow in confidence, socially, emotionally and physically. You cannot buy experiences like that. It’s all about creating opportunities of playing rugby in its purest sense.”

The team took part in the International Mixed Ability Rugby Tournament in Spain earlier this year. The Tournament acts as a World Cup for mixed ability teams, with the Tornadoes being one of two Irish teams competing.

“We took 65 people to Pamplona. For all our players and their families to be involved in that process through sponsorship and raising the profile of the team, was immense. We were so proud to represent Ulster and Irish rugby.”

While a logistical operation of that size would cause logistical challenges, the Tornadoes found more challenges than expected, due to some of the players’ additional needs.

“We were playing in 42-degree heat. A machine that one of the players uses to help him regulate wasn't able to work properly, due to the heat. There were a lot of things like that, we couldn’t predict.

“We got tighter through that adversity. You have people who run businesses eating breakfast with teammates who may not be in a position to work full-time. That doesn’t happen in real life. The conversations are now just a natural part of the team. We’re a team, and see no differences. The confidence in some of these players is incredible, in seeing them grow.”

Mulligan has seen his own playing career have a second coming, due to the Tornadoes, and it’s a form of the game he wants to see grow, all over Ireland.

“It’s the greatest form of rugby. It’s physical, but it’s played in the right spirit. Players are looked after, and facilitated. We can tailor the game around any player’s needs. Players can go hard in a match, or take it easy. 

“We want players to do their best, be part of a team, and when the game is over, they are as eager to be involved off the field. We will do all we can to try and facilitate any player’s needs, no matter what they are.”