Tom McCabe (rugby)

Thomas Patrick Francis McCabe (born 9 October 1965) is a former Irish amateur rugby union, rugby league and GAA footballer who played in the 1980s, 1990s and 2000s. He played club level rugby union (RU) for Lansdowne Football Club and Rugby League domestically for the Dublin Blues Rugby League, playing as a Centre in both codes. He represented Ireland at rugby league.
Background
McCabe was born in Waterford in Ireland, to Dr. Michael V. McCabe and Brigid McCabe (née O'Farrell). His father originally hailed from Tipperary and had served in the Royal Navy as a doctor, achieving the rank of Lieutenant Surgeon and his mother was a state registered nurse, who was originally from Dublin.
Playing and officiating career
McCabe was an active sportsman, partaking in Rugby Union, Rugby league and GAA during his playing and officiating days.
Rugby Union Club career
McCabe started his rugby playing days as part of the junior setup for the prestigious Lansdowne Rugby Union Club. He also represented Sligo RFC and Navan FC Rugby Union clubs during his time playing the code, concentrating mainly as a Centre, Openside flanker and Blindsdie Flanker on the field of play.
GAA career
McCabe played Football, representing Kilbride GAA in the Meath Club Football Championships during the 1990s.
Rugby League Club career
From 1994 until 1997, McCabe played Rugby League for the Dublin Blues, having been introduced, along with Phelim Commerford and Brian Carney to the code by Brian Corrigan. All of the three players had come from the Rugby Union Club Lansdowne FC to Rugby League. McCabe was part of the team that dominated the early years of Rugby League in Ireland, winning the Challenge Cup (All-Ireland final equivalent) from 1994 to 1997, the latter two wins giving the Blues (and McCabe) the opportunity to play in the Rugby Football League Challenge Cup's of 1996/97 and 1997/98.
Professional contract
In 1997, McCabe was offered a professional Rugby League contract with Hull Kingston Rovers but due to business and personal reasons chose to decline the offer.
International honours
McCabe missed out on a chance to be selected for the 1995 Emerging Nations world cup team due to injury, just prior to the final selection. He won one full international cap for Ireland against USA in 1996, at the RFK Stadium, Washington, playing centre in the 26-6 win, scoring a try. He also won five nines caps for Ireland against Tonga, Samoa, Japan, France and USA, playing in the 1996 Super League World Nines tournament which was played at Suva, Fiji. During that tournament, on a day off, Ireland played an unofficial nines test versus Australia, in which McCabe also played.
For his selection for Ireland, McCabe holds heritage number #39.
Rugby League Ireland committee
From 2000 to 2010, McCabe sat on various positions on the board, spending 2000 to 2005 as President of RLI. McCabe was also part of the sub committee that organised the first Bradford Bulls and Leeds Rhino's pre season tours to Ireland in 2005 and 2007 respectively. The Bradford pre-season tour to Ireland saw the first, joint Rugby League/GAA training session.
Match officiating
McCabe qualified as a match official in both codes of Rugby, attaining qualification as an IRFU referee in the early 2000s. In Rugby League he refereed the 2001 All Ireland Rugby League final between Cork Bulls and Dublin City Exiles.
Other representative honours
McCabe played representative RU for Leinster Schools as a youth player.
In 2011, McCabe played in the first Masters fixture between Ireland and England, lining up alongside the likes of Gary Connolly, Barry McDermott, Terry O'Connor and Brian Carney.
McCabe played in the early Ireland Origin series from 1994 to 1996, playing for the Southern competition versus the Northern competition.

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