Read Online Rugby Spirit by Gerard Siggins - Free Book Online

team?’ he asked.
    ‘Well, it’s one of the teams that came after me,’ he said. ‘That’s the Lansdowne team of 1981. They won the Senior Cup out there to complete a three-in-a-row. Fantastic team, a tough bunch led by a giant of a man from Kerry called Moss Keane.’
    Eoin thought Brian looked a bit young to remember that, but let it slide.
    ‘I don’t know how I got in here. I’m lost,’ he explained.
    ‘Sure you’re always getting lost,’ laughed Brian. ‘Areyou here for the game?’
    ‘Yeah, my dad’s upstairs,’ explained Eoin.
    ‘How’s the rugby going for you,’ asked Brian.
    ‘Great … well, no, terrible really,’ said Eoin. ‘I’ve been picked for the A team for the cup match, but none of the players want me to play. The game is in the morning and I’m thinking of going sick.’
    ‘Don’t be daft,’ said Brian. ‘What’s the worst that could happen?’
    ‘We could lose, and I could be blamed again,’ said Eoin.
    ‘Teams lose all the time, and it’s always someone’s fault. They’ll get over it and so will you. You have a chance here to show what you can do at a higher level than ever before. You have to take it. How have you been playing since I saw you last. Did the tackling improve?’ asked Brian.
    ‘It did, actually,’ said Eoin, ‘I worked out when it’s best to dive and where to hit. I made a couple of cracking tackles in the last game.’
    ‘Great, so just keep doing that. Are you playing full-back ?’
    ‘No, inside centre. And the out-half hates my guts.’
    ‘Hmmm, that could be tricky,’ said Brian. ‘Just make sure you’re always there to receive the pass, even if itnever comes. Now, you better get back to your seat or your dad will be wondering where you are. Good luck tomorrow and don’t forget to drop back and say hello.’
    Eoin was just about to thank Brian when he heard the door open behind him.
    ‘Who are you?’ asked a steward, ‘And how did you get in here?’
    ‘I got off the lift at the wrong floor,’ explained Eoin.
    ‘Who were you talking to?’ asked the steward.
    ‘Just Brian there,’ said Eoin, turning to point at the Lansdowne player, but only finding thin air.
    ‘There’s no-one there,’ said the steward.
    Eoin was puzzled. Where could Brian have gone so quickly? He hadn’t heard any move from the sliding glass door out into the arena.
    ‘He was here a second ago – he was wearing Lansdowne gear.’
    ‘Well he’s not here now,’ said the steward, looking at Eoin as if he were mad.
    Eoin made his way back to the lift, and up to his seat on the top deck.
    His dad was relieved to see him.
    ‘What kept you, I was starting to worry?’
    ‘Oh, I met a couple of school mates. We just got chatting,’ he said.
    The game had already kicked off and Eoin soon got wrapped up in the excitement. Munster’s powerful forwards dominated early on, but as soon as Leinster got the ball back out of the set plays there was a tingle of excitement around the stadium. The home team had a star-studded back line and they waltzed through the Munster tackles time after time.
    With just three minutes left Leinster led 24-22 and Eoin could hardly bear to watch.
    The Munster forwards were moving slowly up-field, inching the maul towards the Leinster 22. The blue flankers kept charging in, but the men in red held firm. Eventually the maul was felled and the referee awarded Munster a scrum.
    The stadium clock showed there was less than a minute left in the game when the ball came back out of the scrum on the Munster side. Eoin noticed that Ronan O’Gara had stepped back a few yards and was wiping his hands on the back of his shorts.
    ‘They’re going for a dropped goal,’ Eoin said to his dad.
    His dad smiled back. ‘You seem to know your stuff,’ he said.
    Sure enough, Tomás O’Leary spun the ball out to the Munster No.10. Time seemed to stand still as hedropped the ball to the ground. In the instant it hit the turf, O’Gara’s powerful boot