The Lansdowne Rugby Football Club of New York was formed in 1993 when a group of Irish ex-pats and Irish Americans, including the likes of Kevin Madden, Eamon Duffy, Gerry Power, Larry O’Brien ,and Pat O’Brien got together and decided to form an Irish rugby club based in their then hometowns of Yonkers and the Woodlawn section of The Bronx. Having decided to call the club Lansdowne after the legendary AIL Dublin side, the Bhoys contacted the Dubliners to gain permission to utilize the brand name and colors. The Dublin side were delighted that someone sought to expand their brand and have since regularly invited their sister Club to play them in Ireland. In fact, that relationship continues as former Lansdowne Dublin player and son of the Lansdowne legend of the same name Mick Quinn coached Lansdowne just a few years ago.
The initial campaign of 1993 proved to be quite compelling. The Lansdowne opener was a loss to the Rockaway Fishheads down in Fort Tilden by a score of 11-7. Richie Maher scored the 1st Lansdowne try. The first ever Lansdowne NY victory was a home 15-10 win at the old ground in Van Cortland Park. An enduring rivalry with the Old Blue B side was born that year as the OB coach attempted to steal beer from the old Lansdowne bar at 251 Street and Broadway across from Van Cortland. Lansdowne finished mid-table in the 1st campaign, but things were about to improve by leaps and bounds.
In 1994, Lansdowne played in the annual Long Island Tournament for the 1st time. One of their opponents, the Long Island Mighty Ducks disbanded just after the tournament. Lansdowne absorbed their core- Howie Greene, Tim Connors, Mike Williams, Rich Leary, Howie One Ear and Howie Starr- to the excellent Lansdowne core. This absorption made Lansdowne a serious contender in Division 3, and in 1994-1995, Lansdowne were crowned D3 Champions. This precipitated the Club being promoted to D2.
In 1996, the New York Irish RFC disbanded. Lansdowne RFC absorbed their remaining core including the likes of Sean Rochford, Mark Maher, Tommy O’Dwyer, Conor Waters, Finbar McCarthy, Micheal Corrigan, Nealis Buckley and his son, former Munster and Ireland star Tony. Lansdowne became quite formidable and were crowned D2 Champs in 1996-1997. The brand expanded dramatically in New York and Murphy’s stout became the Club’s primary sponsor for several seasons. The Club participated in several tournaments including Monmouth and Delaware, and hosted several touring sides including East London and Pontypool. Lansdowne made national news in 1998 as the Club hosted a massive Saint Patrick’s Day Tournament with over 60 Clubs participating in the snowstorm swept event.
Between 1997 and 1998, Lansdowne came into serious prominence wins wins over eventual long time rivals Monmouth, Bayonne, the Village Lions, New York, Rockaway, Long Island and especially Danbury. An era ended when the Lansdowne Bar closed in 2000, and a new core of players such as Brian Fingleton, Manus O’Sullivan, Johnny Coughlan and Kevin Delaney joined the Club in 2002. Longtime stalwart Sean Rochford was the coach in 2004 as the Club made a run to the D2 semifinals. 2006 saw a reconnection with Manhattan College as Manus O’Sullivan became the Jaspers head rugby coach. Their relationship proved to be a golden recruitment pipeline as players such as Paul Antezzo and John Farrell became stalwarts of the Club.
In 2007, Gavin Butler assumed player-coach duties, and the Club was run by a committee of Mark Maher, Manus O’Sullivan, Brian Fingleton and Gerry Power. The same year, Lansdowne won the NOLA tournament in New Orleans by beating the hosts in the final, thereby capturing the Finn McCool trophy. The Club also won the Long Island Tournament social division as such standouts as Delf King starred. Manus O’Sullivan became captain of the Club in 2008-2009, and led the team to the Empire GU Championship. The team for the South Shore Anchors in frigid conditions in Newport, Rhode Island and lost the regional championship in a defensive match. Lansdowne were subsequently promoted back to D2.
Future long-time Captain Mark Giordano and his brothers John and Joe joined the Club in 2011. Lansdowne continued the tradition of inviting guests players and welcomed the Pontypool trio of Anthony Christie, Owen Mayers and Nathan. This combined with massive contributions from stalwarts like Austin Purcell, future Captain Ian O’Connor, Blake Mannion, Steve Murphy and future Club CEO Paul Antezzo saw Lansdowne on the rise. The next season, the Welsh Lads left and Lansdowne welcomed Conor Caldwell, Andy Smith, Mike Poplaski and Marcus McAlinden. Lansdowne went undefeated throughout the course of the season beating the likes of Danbury, Old Blue B and Montauk en route to the final where the Bhoys faced a stacked Village Lions side. The Manhattanites were victorious in a cracker of a match enroute to the regionals.
Due to a rash of injuries and some of the Lads returning to Ireland, Lansdowne fell to .500 in 2012-2013. But the Club came back in a big way by winning both A and B divisions in the beloved JoJo Moore Tournament the next year as Johnny Coughlan, Ciaran McHenry, Pat Devery, Austin Purcell and Marcus McAlinden stood out. Success in 2013 continued as Lansdowne won Met Union D3 by beating Old Blue B in the final by 13-10 in an epic match. Brilliant shifts were put in by Paul Antezzo, Ian O’Connor, Pat Devery, Blake Mannion and Austin Purcell. However, Lansdowne ran out of steam and were edged by an impressive Buffalo RFC in Syracuse for the regional championship.
Lansdowne were hosts to the Guyana National 7s side in 2015. The visitors came out on top in an electric match, and it was an honor to host the traveling side as they were delightful guests and brilliant ruggers. In October 2016, Lansdowne away to Brooklyn in the playoff semifinal and managed to beat the hom eside with a John Giordano last gasp length of the field wonder try. But Lansdowne were edged in the final by the Rockaway Fishheads in Fort Tilden. It was a hotly contested match that was personified by big collisions and more than a couple of rows. Tom Hardwick was massive for Lansdowne.
In the fall of 2019, Lansdowne started slowly but picked up steam and remained undefeated. In the playoffs, the Bhoys won away at Rochester, away at Greenwich, and won the Empire GU D3 Championship hammering home side Old Blue B 27-3 in Floyd Bennett Field. Standouts include Dillon Casey, Tom Murray, Niall Dillon, Barry Enright, Dominic Sofe and Rob Davies.