What a fantastic trip! You will hopefully excuse me for going on at length about the wonderful weekend the S2s and supporters have just had in Limerick.



We left Prestwick on time on Friday morning although rumour has it that the organiser, despite having issued firm instructions as to time of arrival there, might have been one or two minutes late! The only excuse proferred is that "she who must be obeyed" was dropping the boy and myself off and didn't want to let us go(and the band played believe it if you like).



After settling in at the hotel we discovered to our shock and horror that the nasty rumour that had been circulating about no drink being available in Limerick on Good Friday was true. Now I know that this trip was all about the boys however……..After a quiet but firm discussion with the duty manager by some of the travelling mums the problem disappeared not only for our party but for the rest of the hotel guests(something about making an offer that couldn't be refused).



The first rugby that was played was on the Friday evening when Shannon allowed us the use of their facilities for a practice. Some of the rules at under 14 level in Ireland are slightly different, the main difference being that in Ireland there is no lifting in the lineout and that took quite a bit of getting used to(more of which later). The boys responded well to the session and we rounded things off with a game of "fat boy forwards" against "girlie backs". Needless to say the forwards triumphed with a particular highlight being yours truly(retired hooker) doing a copy book tackle on our coach Gregor. The unfortunate side effect of that of course was that on Saturday morning when the "anaesthetic" had worn off I could hardly walk.



Anyway after a quiet evening of contemplation on Friday night we all surfaced for the matches on Saturday.



The first game was against Old Crescent Rugby Football Club and what a cracker it was. The first half was all about our hosts who wer particularly strong in the centre of the field and they led 12-0 at half time. It is fair to say that our boys were pretty slow in getting warmed up and were rather taken aback by the speed and size of the opposition. The second half was a different story, the boys were still being put under a great deal of pressure but they reacted far better to it. The tackling improved greatly and we began to threaten. Quick thinking from Jonny Byrne Leitch in taking a quick lineout put Patrick Bell through for our first try. Then an absolutely sublime piece of running from Max Martin produced a 2 nd try which was converted by Joff Stenhouse levelling the scores. We battled away for the remainder of the game but there were no further scores from either side. 12-12 was a fair reflection of the play and both teams played exceptional rugby.



After a break of 20 minutes the second game kicked off. The first match had taken a lot out of the boys. The pack in particular had as usual punched well above their weight and were sore.Shannon Rugby Football club has a long and proud tradition. The most recent international to emerge from their conveyor belt is Gerry Flannery. The boys knew it was going to be tough. What a courageous display they put up. They tackled and scrimmaged like demons. The Shannon front row was massive but we still held firm. Our opening try came fro Jonny Byrne Leitch (with a suggestion of a knock on!). This was followed by one by Robbie Nicholson. Robbies try was the icing on the cake for him on Saturday. His defensive display was fantastic. Andy Homer came off the bench and every time he got the ball he crossed the gain line, culminating in a truly wonderful try. Joff kicked all 3 conversions. Our hosts mounted a comeback in the last quarter as we tired and scored 3 tries of their own(the 3 rd of which had the same amount of good fortune as our first) but only converted one leaving the final score 21-17 in our favour. A good days work.



The boys were thrilled that the Munster team were at our hotel prior to the game on Saturday night and they were all very friendly and were quite happy to pose for photos for us. The tour group then went to Thomond Park for the game on Saturday night. Despite our original misgivings we did manage to raise an occasional cheer for Embra but it is fair to say that Munster simply outclassed the best Scotland has to offer on the night. What a great experience for us all though attending a club game that was very well supported at a ground that had atmosphere!



Sunday brought our greatest challenge. We travelled to Tipperary(and yes it was longer than we thought) to play the East Munster development squad. These boys are the pick of the players in East Munster and are being groomed for the main Munster squad. Boy were they big and there were lots of them, just about 2 full teams in fact! You would all have been incredibly proud of the boys. We travelled to Munster and outplayed some of the best they had to offer. We scrimmaged and rucked like men possessd. The tackling and play in the backs was superb. Bythe end of it all the boys were battered bruised and dead on their feet. They also won! Max Martin was on the score sheet again as was Robbie Nicholson. Despite the difficulties in getting to grip with the new lineout rules Jamie Swanson(who incidentally covered so much ground over the 3 games that I thought he had a twin) took one at the lineout and went over for a score. The try of the day for me however came from Ian Parry. The front row of Ian, Cammy Crozier and Ross McFarlane were simply awesome all weekend. The pressure that they withstood from bigger stronger opposition was staggering. Ians back before the match was louping but he declared himself fit and was rewarded with a try which was a combined forwards effort with him at the heart of it. The effort being so great that he was rested just after. This game was plated over 3 twenty minute periods, by the last 10 Munster had managed to refresh all of their team and we were not surprisingly tiring. The home side scored twice in the last 20 but it wasn't enough. We ran out winners by 20-12. What an effort, what an achievement.



Sunday night was a quiet affair and we all went to bed early!



It is difficult to single out performances over the weekend however 2 awards were made. The players player of the tour was Finn Campbell Young whose tackling commitment and support play throughout was superb. The supporters player of the weekend was Sean McAlindon. He tackled scrimmaged and rucked his heart out and led the forwards by example.



At the end of the day all the boys were heros and I think that the spirit of the squad was encapsulated in Jamie Yacoubian. Jamie injured his arm quite badly a long time ago and has been unable to play for most of this year. He was insistent however that he wanted to be part of the tour and his help and support throughout the weekend was invaluable.



Our hosts were fantastic, they did everything they could to make us comfortable, the home baking was particularly appreciated.



Finally, the boys could not have achieved any of their success without the help and leadership of one man. A coaches job is never easy no matter what level you are at. Gregor McDougall has taken these boys and coached them from when they were tots at GHK and we as parents are and the club in general should be very proud of Gregor and what he has achieved with his squad, who are the future of Scottish rugby. Thanks Gregor.

This article was posted on 19-Apr-2006, 08:40 by Hugh Barrow.