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From: Co. Wexford
Plays For: Leinster and Ireland
About:
Andrew Brace is a highly respected rugby referee, officiating top-tier competitions like the Six Nations, Rugby Championship, and two Rugby World Cups (Japan & France) since 2017. His deep understanding of the game stems from his playing days with Belgium and coaching roles with Cardiff Blues and Munster Rugby.
Having recently reached 100 United Rugby Championship (URC) matches and 35 international Tests, Brace has cemented his place among the world’s top officials. Off the pitch, he’s a talented Grade 8 violinist. His journey exemplifies perseverance, adaptability, and a true passion for rugby.
Barry is a musician and songwriter from Limerick who plays in the band Hermitage Green. Barry joined the Munster Rugby academy after school and went on to have a 10 year career in professional Rugby playing 84 times for Munster and was capped 4 times by Ireland. Before retiring from Rugby due to a foot injury at 28, Barry started the band Hermitage Green with some friends. When his career was cut short in 2011 he became a full time musician. Since then, the band have toured the world extensively and played thousands of shows releasing 3 studio albums. Barry has always kept close ties to his rugby roots whether coaching his home club UL bohs, commentating on URC or EPCR games and is a co-host of a very popular Rugby podcast “Potholes and Penguins” with his former team mate Andrew Trimble. Barry is an accomplished MC and rugby paneliist and is much sought after on the rugby speaking circuit. Both Barry and Andrew Trimble are often booked together to host awards ceremonies and to moderate or sit on rugby panels where they bring their wealth of rugby knowledge and a decent amount of fun to the proceedings.
From: Ballina, Co. Mayo
Plays for: Leinster & Ireland
Ambassador for: Tommy Hilfiger, Lucozade, Aer Lingus, JFW Renewables, ISPCC, Paddy Connolly Motors
Interests: Caelan loves the outdoors and enjoys surfing and sea swimming when home in Mayo.
From: Dublin
Plays for: Leinster
Position: Lock
From: Co. Carlow
Plays for: Leinster & Ireland
Position: Out Half
Studying: Accounting & Finance
RTÉ Sport anchor and commentator, Darragh is very well accustomed to MCing conferences and awards ceremonies having been a regular host for premium events such as the annual Leinster Rugby Awards and the RTÉ Sports Person of the Year Awards. In late 2018, Darragh MC’d the Isa Nacewa Testimonial Dinner where he hosted the event, spoke to the much loved Leinster player himself as well as moderating and presenting a brilliant Q & A session with a panel of Ireland rugby greats Brian O’Driscoll, Leo Cullen and Johnny Sexton. Darragh has hosted several Q&A’s at various Navy Blue Sports events across rugby, soccer and Gaelic events. As RTÉ Sport’s No.1 sports presenter, his knowledge of sport is unparalleled and his ability to keep panel discussions on-topic and entertaining is second to none.
From: Cork
Plays for: Oyonnax
Position: Winger, Full Back
Ambassador for: Macroom Motors
From: Kildare
Plays for: Munster
Position: Winger, Full Back
Former Captain of the Irish Women’s Rugby Team (Grand Slam winning captain in 2013) and current rugby pundit with RTÉ Sport, Fiona was the first female rugby pundit and co-commentator for RTÉ Sport and is also working with BT Sport across their rugby coverage. As well as being a secondary school PE and Maths teacher by day, along with her busy sports punditry work, Fiona regularly delivers talks that delve into the areas of teamwork, resilience, motivation and leadership, as well as being a trailblazer for women in sport and garnering share of voice and success in a predominantly male-centric environment.
Ambassador for: Dacia Ireland, LauraLynn Children’s Hospice
From: Kerry
Represents: Ireland
Qualifications: Sport and Exercise Science
Ambassador for: Maurten
Interests: Grace loves coaching and has a wealth of experience in coaching athletes across a range of sports and disciplines. She has also done commentary work for radio stations such as Q102 and Radio Kerry.
Nhat was born in Vietnam and moved to Ireland, initially to Belturbet, when he was six. He won the European U17 title when he was 15, the same year as his first Irish senior title.
He was a European junior bronze medallist in 2018 when he also made the quarter-finals of World Juniors and the Youth Olympics and made his Olympic debut in Tokyo in 2021.
In 2023 he made the semi-finals of a Super 300 (badminton’s second tier) in Orleans (France) and won his group at the European Games before bowing out in the last 16 to the reigning Olympic champion Victor Axelsen.
Winning the Irish Open last winter was pivotal as his first international victory at senior level. In 2024 he made the quarter-finals of two Super 300 tournaments in Orleans and the German Open and was narrowly beaten in the last 16 at the Europeans Championships in April.
From: Cork
Plays for: Ealing Trailfindersbr>
Position: Winger, Full Back
Studying: Law and Accounting
Darragh Moloney
RTÉ Sport & Event MC
RTÉ Sport anchor and commentator, Darragh is very well accustomed to MCing conferences and awards ceremonies having been a regular host for premium events such as the annual Leinster Rugby Awards and the RTÉ Sports Person of the Year Awards. In late 2018, Darragh MC’d the Isa Nacewa Testimonial Dinner where he hosted the event, spoke to the much loved Leinster player himself as well as moderating and presenting a brilliant Q & A session with a panel of Ireland rugby greats Brian O’Driscoll, Leo Cullen and Johnny Sexton. Darragh has hosted several Q&A’s at various Navy Blue Sports events across rugby, soccer and Gaelic events. As RTÉ Sport’s No.1 sports presenter, his knowledge of sport is unparalleled and his ability to keep panel discussions on-topic and entertaining is second to none.
From: Meath
Plays for: Gloucester Hartbury & Ireland
Position: Second Row
Qualifications: Food and Agri-Business
Interests: Growing up Sam was a huge sports fan and played gaelic football, camogie, basketball and soccer to a high level.
From: Mayo
Plays for: Mayo GAA, Collingwood AFLW & Bohemian FC
Qualifications: Teacher and Life Coach
Ambassador for: Kinetica, Adidas
Interests: Sarah loves travelling the world but when she gets home to Mayo to see her family, she always makes time to go for a dip in the sea.
From: Dublin
Plays for: Munster
Position: Out Half
From: Meath
Plays for: Ireland Sevens, St. Peter’s Dunboyne, Meath & North Melbourne AFLW
Qualifications: Business, currently doing a Masters in Digital Marketing
Ambassador for: National Dairy Council, Joe Norris Motors
Interests: Vikki is conversant in Irish, plays the piano, loves spending time with her three dogs and is a big lego & jigsaw fan to help unwind.
Natalya has forged her career as a multiple-world medallist and Olympic athlete in Modern Pentathlon. Competing in three Olympics, she is adept at speaking about determination, goal setting, resilience and the will to win. Her experience as a dedicated athlete gives excellent insight into how she managed to balance her training and life and the skills that helped her to succeed as an athlete, which are directly transferable to the work environment, for example, time management, goal setting, managing failure, working under pressure, dealing with setbacks, dedication, motivation and preservation.
Natalya is driven to use her voice to amplify change for the next generation. Passionate about sustainability, she has undertaken an MSc in Sustainability economics and policy at UCL, focusing on environmental standards and risk. Natalya since graduating, Natalya landed her dream job with the Sustainability Department in F1. A seasoned speaker, she uses her experience of elite-level competition to describe ways we can take on the biggest race, saving this planet.
She is confident in speaking about a range of topics, including:
• Net-zero
• Climate Change
• Empowering women
• How sport can be a catalyst for change by engaging with fans and athletes alike
• Using events to create an environmental legacy
