U11’s take the field at Thomond Park

U11’s take the field at Thomond Park – Report By Gerard Sugrue

We’re standing in the players’ tunnel under the west stand of Thomond Park – lined up behind me are our U11s  – excited, and anxious … through the narrow tunnel exit you can see and hear crowd – keen and eager.

Wait, wait, wait….. checks calendar – it’s April 1st…. but no this is for real. The gate opens and we’re told to go. We race out of then tunnel and suddenly we’re playing at Thomond Park in front of 28,000 people….

Hold it there….. let’s step back a little. How’s this happening?  Killarney RFC got an invitation from the Munster Branch to bring our U11s to play in an exhibition game at the halftime interval of the European Champions Cup quarter final between Munster and Toulouse.

We arrive early – at Thomond Park with the  team kitted out in Killarney RFC’s  black-and-red – we’re stopped by inquisitive folk – where, what, when, why…

We’re told to arrive at Door 19 – yes, we’re going in the Player’s Entrance under the West Stand. Everyone gets a wrist band – so we can come and go (last time I had a wristband like this I was in the mosh pit when Springsteen played Thomond). We’re shown to our dressing room – yep, we get a changing room…..

We’re briefed on what’s going to happen. We’ll get reserved slots on the terrace, at the 30 minute mark we’ll go back to the dressing room – put on the boots, find the mouthguards, as soon as the players leave the field at half-time we’re straight on. A coach has to run out onto the pitch first to lay down the cones for the playing area. I’m an expert at distributing cones – so I bag that job.

Fully briefed we head to the terrace to watch the pre-match entertainment and the first half of play.

First half of the Munster-Toulouse game is tense, the crowd howls when Toulouse No.8 isn’t red carded for his late, high tackle on Williams. Doyle further displeases the crowd by taking an endless amount of time to award Ryan’s try. When we’re called to get ready,  Munster have only a small lead.

Now we’re standing in the tunnel – I’m at the head of the line with a fistful of cones. Half time whistle blows, the gates opens and we’re out onto the field. I sprint onto the pitch. It probably looked like jogging to the crowd (still probably quicker than Census Johnston later on ….)

And we’re instantly  into the game – playing to U10 rules – there are no scrums, rucks or line outs – play goes rapidly from side-to-side and end-to-end….

 

We’re having the best of the play. The crowd gets involved…a murmur of anticipation grows as a Killarney player makes a line break, handing off a tackler,  he steps off his right and is approaching the tryline …..the crowd noise grows (ooooooooooooh…)  but no, he’s collared a metre or two short and the crowd lets out a sigh of disappointment (awwwwwwwww!).

 

So far there’s no score.  Castleisland make a break but a massive effort means they’re held up over the line.    The kids throw everything into it but after 10 mins the ref blows with no score. Our short interlude on Thomond Park is over – we run back to the tunnel to crowd applause.

Getting back to our positions – Munster are now 21-9 up – we missed CJ’s try. JP Doyle is roundly boo’ed for awarding a try with what seems to be a blatant forward pass – the booing stops for Doussain to take the conversion. It resumes full-throatedly immediately afterwards.

The game is now tight – 8 points in it. Then Doyle awards Munster an easy penalty – Bleyendaal slots it. An 11 point lead with 6-7 minutes left… that’s enough. Two late tries flatter Munster but they are deserving winners nonetheless.

As we leave Thomond and walk back to the bus, we realise Shane Horgan is walking behind us – Shaggy is happy to take a few photos and accept praise for his sister’s television programme!

We arrived back to Aghadoe at  midnight but for this group of players they can always tell the tale that they played in front a full house at Thomond on 1^st April – and it was no April Fool….