After a 3a.m. (yes…A.M.) departure from the club, the touring party of 36 children and 18 adults arrived in Paris and made it through passport control without any fuss. This was the big worry when you have to escort other people’s kids out of the country. Outside Charles de Gaulle Terminal 1, we had the first of a multitude of head counts that took place over the weekend.
As this is a rugby blog, I hope I’m not being either too brief or too disparaging to the French by quickly summarising our non-rugby activities as follows: Eiffel Tower; head count; restaurant; head count; Versailles; head count; EuroDisney; head count, and so on and so forth. You get the picture… Priority number one was to bring everybody back in one piece. Losing a child at Lansdowne Road is one thing but an absent player in Paris would be a nightmare. Thankfully, it didn’t happen.
Interspersed between the non-rugby activities were some wonderful moments of hospitality at the host club, CA Orsay Rugby. They are wonderful rugby people who really appreciated the effort made by us to get there. They gave the Kildare boys a chance to taste French cuisine and, while initially there was a longing for chips with everything, curiosity and hunger prompted them to try the pâté, salads, baguettes, duck, Toulouse sausages and, for the brave ones, escargots. Somehow, I can’t see the last one catching on a post-match meal in Cill Dara!
And so to the tournament...
Although there were 80 teams competing at different age groups over the two day festival, the under-13 event had 17 teams broken into four groups and was an all-day event beginning at 10 a.m. and carrying on until late afternoon. The French call their U13 grade, “Benjamins”, but I’ve no idea why. Never thought to ask either.
We entered two teams in the competition with one being the perceived stronger of the other. This was the cause of much debate among the coaches as it likely does in every club. When competitive rugby kicks in, the cruelty of assigning players to A and B teams comes into focus. We are blessed with a large squad but can only put 15 players on the pitch at any one time. Players are understandably disappointed, especially just after coming through the non-competitive, mini rugby ranks. It’s a big discussion point and I’ll come back to it again.
So, with two Irish teams registeredalong with fifteen French teams, the format was decided by the organisers. Matches were to be 9 minutes in duration on half a standard pitch. Five-person scrums were non-competitive with the remaining six players lining up in the backs (it was very much like the U11/U12 laws we employ here).
When we had a chance to look at the draw for the group stage, two names hopped off the page - Stade Francais and Racing Club de Paris. This is without even mentioning the regular winners and tournament favourites, RC Massy Essonne.Gulp…We’re not in Kansas anymore, Toto.
The first of the Cill Dara teams found the going tough and were unfortunate to draw Massy in their group. Nonetheless they played with great heart and determination in every game which would later prompt the tournament organisers to choose them from among the 80 teams present for the competition’s coveted ‘Fair Play Trophy.’ Having lost more than they won, their heads were down at the end of the day but it’s amazing how the award of a trophy can change a group’s dynamic. It was a relief for us coaches too as we didn’t want any child going home with unhappy memories of such a unique rugby experience.
The other Cill Dara team performed really well and came through their group as the top second-placed team in the tournament, having lost only to the mighty Racing. This qualified them for the quarter final of the competition’s top tier and a crack at the so-far unbeaten, R.C.P.XV. The Kildare boys raised their game to a new level and won by a single try. This was apparently a huge shock judging by how the losing French coach gathered his distraught players in a circle and admonished them for losing to an Irish team on French soil. It was bizarre and a little unsettling to watch 12 and 13 year-olds get up from a coach’s talk in tears. Thankfully not a sight I’ve ever seen in Ireland, nor hope to.
A semi-final against “that” Massy team was next. The skill level displayed by the French boys in the semi was breathtaking and belied their U13 status. Passing moves that straddled the length of the pitch. Ball moved around like it was a hot potato. Despite keeping the score to 0-0 until the final three minutes, bravery and tenacious defence was not enough and Massy scored two late tries to gain a place in the final against Racing.
These two finalists were a step above anything I’ve seen at our grade in Leinster but something that we could easily aspire to. The match ended in a draw and the winner’s trophy was shared.
The day was not over for Cill Dara however as we now faced the host club, CA Orsay, in the 3rd/4thplay-off in front of a partisan crowd. Despite conceding the first score, the Irish boys fought back and scored two fantastic tries, including one that had French flair written all over it. The sound of the final whistle prompted an Irish pitch invasion and generous applause from the French spectators in the stand.
So the Cill Dara RFC Under-13’s came home from the Orsay Tour with a bagful of wonderful memories and two French trophies to add to the Under-13 Leinster Plate they won in May. More importantly, they proudly represented their club, their province and their country with distinction. Let’s hope the bonds form as a squad carries on into next season. We do lose some of our players to rugby-playing schools in September but more about the pros and cons of that particular rule in my next post…(part 3 next Wednesday)
Robbie Doyle is the head coach of the Cill Dara RFC under-13 squad. An ex-player with Bective and Co. Carlow, Robert refereed for ten years in Leinster, three of which were spent on the IRFU Referees Panel. Now coaching youths and minis in his local club, Robert hopes to continue in the game as a coach, progressing as far as possible. He is also a freelance historical writer in his spare, spare time.
© JL Pagano 2012
