Mystic River U-19’s successful tour of Ireland

By Dave Rudzinsky

Mystic River U-19’s Ireland Tour February 2012

The Young Mystics spent winter break on a rugby-filled tour of Ireland.  This was the second consecutive U-19 tour and it looks like it could become an annual tradition for the boys in blue.  George Hook and our friends at Irish Rugby Tours put together an amazing itinerary for the boys highlighted by 3 competitive matches with top Irish sides, 3 training sessions with professional coaches, 2 Pro 12 matches and lots of sightseeing opportunities.

The Team – This year’s tour party included 30 boys for 2 full sides.  We had players from 9 different High School programs (St. Johns Prep, Malden Catholic, Brookline High, BC High, Catholic Memorial, Arlington Catholic, Marshfield, Xaverian and Bishop Hendricken in RI).  We had 10 players who have played MYRO U-17 or U-19 Selects.  We had a couple of High School All American Candidates and we had a number of boys that have played senior club rugby for Mystic, contributing on both the A & B Sides. 

The Training and Preparation – The boys spent 2 nights a week for 6 weeks in the gym at Athletic Evolution working with a professional strength and conditioning coach.  The second half of each training was spent on rugby skills led by the Mystic U-19 and senior side coaching staff. 

The Rugby Tour – The first stop was Galway and upon arrival we got right to work training in the mud with the head of the Connacht Youth Development and Academies program, Nigel Carolan.   After cleaning up we attended the Connacht v Glasgow Warriors RaboDirect Pro 12 match which ended in a 13-13 tie on an exciting last second kick by the home team.  It was a great experience for the boys and especially those that had never seen a live professional rugby match. 

The next day we had our first match against a Connacht developmental side made up of select players trying to earn a spot on their U-18 squad.  The first half was very close and we dominated them up front.  We went up 3-0 on an early Chris Laughlin penalty.  Connacht responded with a converted try to make it 7-3 and then Mystic inside center Brian Reilly scored on a nice move to make it 10-7 in favor of the Americans.  Connacht responded with two more tries to lead at halftime 17-10.  The home team made some key substitutions up front which helped them run away with the second half for a final of 39-10.  Our B Side played well but were challenged to keep up with Connacht on the outside.    Following the match, the boys were treated to some pizza and presentations. 
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We spent a much needed day off touring the Aran Islands, and then we were off to Nenagh Ormond in Tipperary.  We were treated to a special GAA Hurling clinic where all the boys learned the game and were given an opportunity to try hitting the ball.  It was decided we stick to rugby and we went off to training at the local club with one of the Munster Rugby development officers and a former Ireland Junior coach.  The boys organized their own Team dinner that night to get together before the next match. 

The next afternoon the B Side played St. John the Baptist at Bruff Rugby Club in a light rain.  We were evenly matched against the younger schoolboys.  Mystics were much more physical and they were much more skilled.  We dominated them up front and our rucking was excellent.   Our backs managed to move the ball some and we ended up winning 12-10 on tries by Michael “Sergio” Cirbee and Connor Kilday with Jamie Santo breaking the tie with the winning conversion as time was winding down.  It was a great win for the boys and provided motivation for the A’s going into their night game v Nenagh Ormond U-19. 

The conditions at Nenagh were brutal as the mud was deep and neither team could really get their footing.  The Mystic pack absolutely destroyed the Nenagh scrum and we controlled the ball by rucking and keeping it in the forwards.  However neither team could do much with such a greasy ball and the game remained even for some time.  Nenagh were able to score by kicking the ball through and playing to the conditions.  It was a very physical battle with both teams defending well.  In the end Nenagh were able to capitalize on some Mystic penalties and end up on top 15-7.  Michael Sullivan scored the lone Mystic Try which was converted by Chris Laughlin.  The Mystic performance earned them much respect with the large Nenagh crowd as the match could have gone either way.  U-19 Scrum rules worked against the dominant Mystic pack as they were whistled multiple times for pushing past the meter and a half allowed.  After the match there was a presentation right on the field with local politicians welcoming us and then we were hosted at a lovely restaurant with food and entertainment. 

More sightseeing the next day as we saw the picturesque Cliffs of Moher.  Then we settled in Limerick which is known in Ireland as “The home of rugby”.  We had a great training session at Shannon RFC with their U-21 Coach.  Each training session on tour helped us build on our rugby fundamentals.  We started with a lot of work on rucking which proved to be our strength in all the matches.  For the second match we worked on our team defense which showed great improvement.  At Shannon we worked on attack and decision making combined with communication.  The next day was a recovery day spent in the SPA, shopping and attending the Munster v Cardiff Blues match at Thomond Park.  The buildup around town and at the stadium showed the passion Munster fans have and the16-13 victory sent the locals home singing. 

Our final match vs Thomond Rugby Club was another hard-fought and very close match.  Thomond kicked a second half penalty to win 3-0 but Mystic dominated almost all aspects of this game.  We controlled possession, dominated the scrums and owned the lineouts.  Our backs were able to break some tackles but we just couldn’t finish any of our moves.  The B Side came on and faced many of the same players and showed tremendous heart in holding them to a 19-0 final score.  We all moved into the clubhouse where the boys traded gear and enjoyed some homemade stew and presentations as all watched Ireland v Italy in the 6 Nations.   A busy week of rugby ended that night with a final Team dinner.

The Results – The Young Mystics really came together as a team over in Ireland.  They represented themselves, their families, Mystic River and USA Rugby with great character and strong rugby.  We should all be extremely proud of these young men and how they conducted themselves on and off the field.  Mystic Youth Rugby is all about Teamwork, Sportsmanship and Having Fun and this group really exemplified those principles!

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