Monarch High School moved to 5-1 in Rugby Colorado this week with a 28-12 defeat of previously unbeaten Palmer HS.

On th field, watching the European cup, and seeing the sites, Monarch HS got a lot out of their tour.

Both teams moved up to DI from DII this season, and both are showing very well this year. For Monarch, this was an excellent result following their 49-17 defeat of Fort Collins on April 5. These were good rebound result after their lone loss of the season, 20-14 to East HS. The rebound came after a tour of Ireland that was enormously successful for Monarch.

Run by Irish Rugby Tours. (https://www.irishrugbytours.com/), the nine-day tour of Ireland for both the Monarch boys and girls teams was hugely beneficial for the team, said Boys Head Coach Chris Hanson. 

"We had an unbelievable trip and I cannot speak more highly of George and his team," said Hanson, speaking of IRT head George Hook. "From George to our tour liaison to the bus driver we had the entire trip, everyone was excellent and played a key part in ensuring each of our players and parents had an experience they will remember forever."

Monarch toured Dublin, Galway, and Limerick. They attended the Leinster v Cardiff game and spent the evening with Cardiff star Blaine Scully. They also attended a European Cup quarterfinal game. 

"For the group we took, we had the perfect mix of rugby related activities, sightseeing, history, and local culture," said Hanson, whose team also was in Limerick right at the time that Munster beat Toulouse in the European Cup quarterfinals. 

The team enjoyed training sessions with pro level coaches, including one of the Munster coaches.

"We were originally scheduled to play three matches but we scaled back to two due to a heavy league schedule in Colorado on our return.  Both matches were incredibly close, Cill Dara - lost 20-12 - and Monivea - lost 26-19.  The Monivea match was played in heavy rain and a soaked field and was super fun."

The girls team went 1-1 against those same schools.

For the boys team, flyhalf Lucas Agassi has emerged as a smart decision-maker who has become almost automatic with his goalkicking. Outside center Zach Bastres continues to impress with his defense and ability to find space in attack. The deep three of Warner Wyckoff, Forrest Hudson, and Nate Fisher have all made big plays. Monarch's forwards are somehwta undersized, but have good technique and have performed well.

"The Ireland trip played a positive roll in our team development," said Hanson. "Not only did the tour bring the team together more, especially between the upper- and under-class men, the training sessions and knowing that we can compete with teams anywhere, especially in a rugby-rich country like Ireland, reinforced their confidence on the field, which has resulted in a more relaxed or patient style of play and better ball control. It was the lack of ball control that really hurt us in our first game against East this season.  It was a close score but East is a very polished and confident team and if you can't control the ball, you won't beat them.  There is a good chance we will play them again and we are looking forward to it.  We are running on all cylinders now and if we can keep everyone healthy for the remainder of the season, our money is on Monarch."