Lion cubs on trip of lifetime
‘‘For many of [the players], New Zealand is the epitome of rugby. The boys have aspired to be here.’’
The Lions might be the talk of the town, but a band of Irish rugby players is making a big impression at clubs around Wellington.
While the Ulster junior sevens team’s tour might have been somewhat overshadowed by the British and Irish Lions, the parallel tours are no coincidence.
The touring party of 14 under11 players and about a dozen coaching staff, parents and supporters touched down in Wellington on Monday for a week of rugby.
As well as playing four matches in Tawa, Wellington and Lower Hutt - including a match against Wellington RFC billed as the ‘‘Mini-Lions versus the MiniAll Blacks’’ - coach Roger Alexander said part of the tour was about the boys experiencing the excitement of a Lions tour in New Zealand.
Alexander said a tour of New Zealand was the trip of a lifetime for any rugby player, and the boys were excited to be playing and experiencing rugby on the other side of the world.
‘‘If you were to push a pin through the ground here, it would come out somewhere near Ireland. You can’t get any further away.
‘‘For many of [the players], New Zealand is the epitome of rugby. The boys have aspired to be here.’’
The players were drawn from the Coleraine, CIYMS and Ballymena clubs and the tour was supported by Ulster Rugby and the Irish Rugby Football Union who were keen for the boys to be ambassadors for the Irish game.
Their schedule included matches against Tawa, Hutt Old Boys Marist, Wellington and Petone.
The tourists spent six months raising $35,000 for the trip which they did by bag packing at supermarkets, holding raffles and through corporate sponsorship.
The team was also given permission by Richie McCaw to hold the Irish premiere of his documentary, Chasing Great, to help raise funds.
A special moment for the players was having their jerseys presented by Willie John McBride, an Ulsterman and 1971 Lions player - the only Lions team to have won a series in New Zealand.
Despite the tour being very much focussed on rugby, Alexander said it was more about giv- ing his lads some life experience.
‘‘It’s about getting the boys to meet other people and experience the culture. An experience like this breaks down barriers and teaches them there is no such thing as ‘can’t’.
‘‘Being kids, of course they want to win, but for me, it’s about these guys creating a bond for the rest of their lives.
‘‘We have boys from different social backgrounds and different religions, and rugby really neutralises [those differences].’’
Socialising with their opponents after the games was as big a part of the tour as the time spent on the paddock.
Before leaving Ireland, the team also fundraised for The Royal Belfast Hospital for Sick Children and Wellington Regional Children’s Hospital, raising $2000 which went towards a chair-bed that enabled parents to stay by their child’s side when staying at the hospital.
Alexander said the team wanted to leave behind a legacy of good will in both countries.
The tourists head home this week.