We arrived in Limerick about 5pm after a stop on route at Bunratty Castle. This was a really interesting stop with a tour leader taking us through the castle followed by a wonder around a working village set up exactly as it would have been at the time, complete with chicken plucking room, low entrance way thatched huts and more. We are helping the Irish economy at all these stops as the boys load up with items from the gift shops on site.
The boys are showing signs of the wear and tare of such a tour. The “plague” has spread to almost all the boys. Only 3 turned down cough medicine last night. This and some bumps, bruises and a couple of dislocations, but the boys are as Doc Mitchell says, “manning up”. Nick Mills has been a poster boy for this plague, unable to run at practice, feeling nauseous but sucking up and playing his heart out in each game. And he is not alone, Zach, Ryan Helferty, Chris to name a few are just not letting it stop them. It is quite humorous actually. After the match today, the coaches did their usual post game chat with the lads but it was difficult to hear them through the coughing and hacking.
Now one of the highlights of the tour has been the accommodation in Limerick. The Irish are a little different about billeting. Our tour company had promised and set up 3 days of billeting in Limerick. Well, the day before we left BC, we got an e-mail telling us that the billeting was off and that the tour company was eating 3 nights of accommodation in a hostel in Limerick. Well, you have to visit this “hostel”. The tour company has set us up in what is almost a 5 star hotel with each room being a complete suite with two bedrooms. The boys are now 4 per room, or 2 per bedroom and the staff are absolutely fantastic. The general manager even bought a round for the coaches.
But this may well have lead to poor performances on Saturday. We were hosted by the UL Bohemians. On Friday morning the host side coach a retired Super 12 prop (he is a Kiwi) lead the boys in a terrific practice, much learned.
However, it appears that we are not a good morning team. Our matches were scheduled to be played simultaneously at 11am Saturday. This created some interesting challenges in that we were well down on availability due to injuries. So Minns and Blackwell stood in the end zone passage separating two pitches (back to back) Andy did sideline subbing duties for the 2nd team and Barry and Alan did the same for the 1sts. What was so funny was that each time a key player went down on the 1sts, a sub was made on the 2nds and a player was removed from the starting line up on the 2nd team and shifted onto the 1st team.
First to go was the 1st team #10, then a flanker, a lock and a centre. By the last sub the 2nds had no spares left and an injured lad could not stand to watch it and strapped on his boots and played his heart out for the 2nd team. He was indeed the last man standing.
Anyway, the 2nd team really came out flat and did not have their heads in the game what so ever and were simply dazzled by an extremely skilled U16 side. You had to feel sorry watching the poor winger coming up to make a tackle facing a 3 or 4 man overlap. Lots of tries in the corners. The score was badly lopsided by the final whistle, but we were very proud of our boys, they did not quit and finally scored a well earned try. They approached the coaches after the match and asked for a practice on Monday morning the day of their last game of the tour. You have to say something positivee is happening when boys ask for, no demand a practice.
The 1st XV did much better but like the other team, seemed to still be in the hotel. They knew that the team they were playing was not even close in skill and ability to the Clonmel side but with injuries, fatigue and sickness, they just could not muster the gusto needed. The final score was 22 to 10 but this did not really describe how often they knocked on the host’s doorstep. One try held up and several opportunities to cross the line stopped just short. But the boys are knackered and just could not find enough to beat a team that they knew they could have beaten. But no regrets, they had fun and did some great stuff despite injuries and lack of energy. What is quite clear is the coaches and captains have to find ways and means to change the rollercoaster like performance in each match. We have difficulty maintaining the momentum and level of commitment from one game to the next. This is of course the mental side of the game and we are all soul searching to overcome this problem.
Following the match, the boys were bussed to Limerick University to watch the Bohemians play Black Rock. They were all given a great meal and cheered on the the Kiwi who had come out to lead their training on Friday.
The same billeting fiasco it appears has occurred in Galway. Originally the boys were all to be billeted for 3 nights in this town. But, we found out while here, this was now 2 nights. Well, last night we found out that only the 1st team is being billeted because the other team backed out of taking billets. So, tomorrow we head for Galway, stopping to see a castle on the way. The 1st team will be matched up with billets but the hosts (Corinthian U18s) have decided to schedule the game for Sunday instead of Monday as originally planned. It would be better for us to have a day off for healing but they are the hosts. I think the hosts are planning a dance for the boys and as Monday is a holiday, Sunday is ideal for a late night. So, tomorrow with no break in between, the 1sts will kick off at 7pm and then enjoy the hospitality of Corinthians RFC for the rest of the evening.
The 2nd team will practice Monday and then at 7pm under the lights in the Corinthians stadium pitch, play a very good U16 side who will be pumped up to say the least playing in this venue. This will be our last match of the tour.
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