EIRA Boys Wrap Ireland Tour (Corrected Version)
EIRA Boys Wrap Ireland Tour (Corrected Version)
The Eagle Impact Rugby Academy boys finished their Ireland tour with two losses to Ulster.
(An earlier report had these games listed as one win and one loss. We apologize for the error—this was a miscommunication between the coaches and GRR).
The EIRA boys finished the trip 3-3, beating Connacht twice, losing their openers with Leinster, and splitting with Ulster Friday in Belfast.
It's worth noting that the teams played up a bit, with the mostly U17 EIRA side lost to the Ulster U18s 19-14, while the EIRA U16s played the Ulster U17s, and lost convincingly 54-10.
While one of the coaches, John Banarhall, said the fatigue of the tour might have hit the younger players a bit, he added "I don't want to take anything away from the Ulster players; they were very good and physical and I am sure we will see a lot of them in the future. The thing is, you have to play these games. You don't know what you don't know. The whole tour was a great experience."
EIRA Program Director Salty Thompson did not make the trip to Ireland because of a health emergency. He is recovering and keeping abreast of the tour, but the coaches on tour have toured with EIRA several times and filled in admirably.
On the field, 6-2 lock Max Doerfler of St. Thomas Aquinas shone for the U16s. A tough, hardworking, and consistent presence at second row, he showed leadership skills as well in what was a tough game for the tourists.
For the U17 group, Seth Smith and Zane Smith (West Houston) put in a full day's work in the forwards, while center Cade Cunningham continues to test defenses.
