Irish-born pals in rugby showdown

Rugby took fly half Shane O’Leary from his native Ireland to France. Thanks to his mother’s New Brunswick roots, it has brought him to Canada.

And strangely enough, he now finds himself pitted against a former Irish teammate wearing American colours as Canada and the U.S. battle this weekend for a Rugby World Cup berth.

Cork- born O’Leary and Dublin- born AJ MacGinty faced off at fly half last Saturday at Hamilton’s Tim Hortons Field when the two North American rivals played to a 28-28 draw in the first leg of their Rugby World Cup qualifier.

“We were laughing about it,” O’Leary said. “Two boys that were born in Ireland, playing across from each in a game, two mates. Mates off the field, but you’re never mates on the field.”

MacGinty, now with England’s Sale Sharks, used to play for Connacht Rugby in Ireland where he and O’Leary duelled for the No. 10 shirt. They even roomed together for a while.

MacGinty, 27, qualifies for the U.S. through residency rules having lived in New York and studied at Life University in Georgia.

The 24- year- old O’Leary qualifies for Canada because his mother was born in Campbell ton, N. B. His grandfather, a doctor, came to Canada to work and had three kids before moving the family back to Ireland when Shane’s mother was a toddler.

The return leg of the World Cup qualifier goes Saturday at Torero Stadium in San Diego with the winner slotting into Pool C at the 2019 World Cup in Japan, along with No. 2 England, No. 8 France, No. 9 Argentina and Oceania 2.

The loser has two more chances to qualify, first via a playoff with No. 18 Uruguay and second via a world repechage.

Canada is currently ranked 23rd in the world while the U.S. is No. 17.