isn’t the most important thing.’
Eoin blinked as Ted revealed his thinking. It was a strange way to approach the tournament – surely an international trophy was worth winning?
The teams lined up and began a practice game, which was refereed by Ted. It was a very stop-start affair as he frequently held up the action to explain what would have been a better move, or to call the forwards coach onto the field to iron out an issue in the scrum.
But within half an hour both sides had started to gel well and had put some nice moves together. Eoin was working well with his scrum-half, a St Xavier’s player called Páidí Reeves who was very quick around the back of the scrum. Killian came on as a replacement at full-back for the second half and showed great pace when he got the ball.
Ted whistled for full-time and called the players together.
‘Right, men, that was a very useful exercise which has cheered me up quite a bit. We have a good bit of work to do, but you are a talented bunch and I can see where we are going with you now. With a bit of luck we could have a very enjoyable week in London. Now get your showers in and I want you all out here intwenty minutes dressed in your Leinster tracksuits for the journey. It’s important when we travel together that we look like a united team.’
C HAPTER 18
A s the plane descended to land in London, Eoin peered out the window at the vast city below. He had visited one of his mother’s aunts here once when he was much younger, but they had travelled by ferry and car so he had never seen it from the air. He marvelled at the sights he knew so well from books and films, such as Tower Bridge and the loop of the Thames as it passed the Millennium Dome. The plane dipped low and crossed the docklands water as it jetted in to land. The airline was one of Leinster’s sponsors so the whole squad got a little bit of extra attention – the pilot even announced to the other passengers that they were on board and wished them luck in Twickenham.
‘It’s a bit like being a celebrity,’ said Killian, who had sat alongside Eoin and Charlie on the flight. ‘Maybe there’ll be champagne going home if we win!’
‘Champagne wouldn’t be much use to us, would it?’asked Charlie. ‘I’d prefer another ten bags of those spicy peanuts.’
Parked outside the airport there was one enormous coach to carry Ted and the Leinster players, while Ted’s assistant Tony and the other coaches went off to collect their hire car. The coach poked its way through the busy streets past sky-scrapers and strangely shaped buildings that were taller than anything Eoin had seen before. Traffic seemed to go faster than it did in Dublin and the people looked even more hassled.
After well over an hour on the road the coach eventually pulled into the grounds of a very posh-looking school. The white marble pillars were far grander than Castlerock, and Eoin looked with envy at the shiny new swimming pool and sports pavilion they passed on their way up the drive.
Leinster were allocated two of the big dormitories and the boys were split into the teams on which they had been named back in Dublin. When settled, they walked over to the canteen and joined the queue for dinner. Eoin looked around the huge hall and caught a strange mixture of accents as the boys chatted. The bright pink tracksuits ensured that Stade Français stood out, but there were other groups that were vying for attention too with loud roars and laughter. A couple ofthe Scottish lads were wearing kilts and the Italians were trying to take photos of them on their phones.
‘Half the sides are here and half in another school up the road,’ said the cook as she doled out a bowl of steaming pasta. ‘I hope you enjoy your stay at our school.’
Munster must be up the road, thought Eoin, I’d have heard Dylan before now. He, Killian and Charlie looked for a bench together and sat down across from a bunch of players from Ulster.
‘Hiya guys,
Eoin blinked as Ted revealed his thinking. It was a strange way to approach the tournament – surely an international trophy was worth winning?
The teams lined up and began a practice game, which was refereed by Ted. It was a very stop-start affair as he frequently held up the action to explain what would have been a better move, or to call the forwards coach onto the field to iron out an issue in the scrum.
But within half an hour both sides had started to gel well and had put some nice moves together. Eoin was working well with his scrum-half, a St Xavier’s player called Páidí Reeves who was very quick around the back of the scrum. Killian came on as a replacement at full-back for the second half and showed great pace when he got the ball.
Ted whistled for full-time and called the players together.
‘Right, men, that was a very useful exercise which has cheered me up quite a bit. We have a good bit of work to do, but you are a talented bunch and I can see where we are going with you now. With a bit of luck we could have a very enjoyable week in London. Now get your showers in and I want you all out here intwenty minutes dressed in your Leinster tracksuits for the journey. It’s important when we travel together that we look like a united team.’
C HAPTER 18
A s the plane descended to land in London, Eoin peered out the window at the vast city below. He had visited one of his mother’s aunts here once when he was much younger, but they had travelled by ferry and car so he had never seen it from the air. He marvelled at the sights he knew so well from books and films, such as Tower Bridge and the loop of the Thames as it passed the Millennium Dome. The plane dipped low and crossed the docklands water as it jetted in to land. The airline was one of Leinster’s sponsors so the whole squad got a little bit of extra attention – the pilot even announced to the other passengers that they were on board and wished them luck in Twickenham.
‘It’s a bit like being a celebrity,’ said Killian, who had sat alongside Eoin and Charlie on the flight. ‘Maybe there’ll be champagne going home if we win!’
‘Champagne wouldn’t be much use to us, would it?’asked Charlie. ‘I’d prefer another ten bags of those spicy peanuts.’
Parked outside the airport there was one enormous coach to carry Ted and the Leinster players, while Ted’s assistant Tony and the other coaches went off to collect their hire car. The coach poked its way through the busy streets past sky-scrapers and strangely shaped buildings that were taller than anything Eoin had seen before. Traffic seemed to go faster than it did in Dublin and the people looked even more hassled.
After well over an hour on the road the coach eventually pulled into the grounds of a very posh-looking school. The white marble pillars were far grander than Castlerock, and Eoin looked with envy at the shiny new swimming pool and sports pavilion they passed on their way up the drive.
Leinster were allocated two of the big dormitories and the boys were split into the teams on which they had been named back in Dublin. When settled, they walked over to the canteen and joined the queue for dinner. Eoin looked around the huge hall and caught a strange mixture of accents as the boys chatted. The bright pink tracksuits ensured that Stade Français stood out, but there were other groups that were vying for attention too with loud roars and laughter. A couple ofthe Scottish lads were wearing kilts and the Italians were trying to take photos of them on their phones.
‘Half the sides are here and half in another school up the road,’ said the cook as she doled out a bowl of steaming pasta. ‘I hope you enjoy your stay at our school.’
Munster must be up the road, thought Eoin, I’d have heard Dylan before now. He, Killian and Charlie looked for a bench together and sat down across from a bunch of players from Ulster.
‘Hiya guys,
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