‘That’s just brilliant!’ roared Dylan, drawing a puzzled look from Devin, who was packing his bag.
‘Go on, reply,’ urged Eoin, ‘You’re already hours late!’
Dylan wrote back to say ‘yes, please’ and shut down the computer. The two younger boys waited while Devin locked up.
‘How’s the rugby going you two?’ he asked. ‘I heard you’re on the Ireland team Eoin – I hope you don’t forget we want that Junior Cup back here next year too.’
Eoin grinned. ‘No fear of us forgetting that. There’s four of us in and around the Irish squad, that’s more than any other school in the country. We’ll be getting the best of training over the next while so I’m sure we’ll be able to turn it on for the likes of St Osgur’s and Ligouri College.’
Chapter 20
While Dylan went back to the room to tell his pals the news, and to phone his mum, Eoin decided to go for a brisk walk. He was keen to complete his project as early as possible so as to free up time for rugby, and he wanted to get his thoughts in order. He plugged his earphones in, switched on some music, and rambled down towards The Rock.
Eoin liked this part of Castlerock more than any other, and not just because it was where he often met the ghosts. There was an atmosphere about the place that was almost magical, and he found it a good spot to go to think. He burrowed his way through the bushes and came to the clearing beside a tiny stream. He hopped up onto the rock and closed his eyes.
As he worked the project through in his mind, deciding which books he had to read first and which leads to chase up, he heard a rustling among the undergrowth.
‘Hello?’ he called.
‘Young sir?’ came the reply, as William appeared in front of him. ‘You’re the boy from Ormondstown aren’t you?’ the newcomer asked.
Eoin nodded. ‘Yes, and you’re William Webb Ellis.’
‘Ah yes, you had the book with my story in it. What a strange turn that was.’
Eoin told him he was writing an essay for school about Will’s role in the birth of the sport of rugby.
‘About me? That’s quite extraordinary. What could you possibly find of interest in me?’ asked Will.
‘Well, the books aren’t sure what you did and why the game grew up around the incident. I’d like to ask you a few questions about it…’
‘Gosh, it was such a long time ago,’ replied Will, ‘but fire away.’
Eoin thanked him and paused as he worked out what he needed to know.
‘Could you tell me about what Bigside was like as a sport, and maybe tell me some more about what happened on the day you ran?’
Will smiled and began his story. Eoin had a pencil stub in his pocket and started scribbling notes down on the back of a sheet on which he had been selecting his own Ireland Under 16 team.
‘It was a rough game, with up to fifty players on each side. Some of the chaps didn’t care about the sport, they just saw it as an excuse for some bullying and score-settling. You would often have cracked shins and ankles from playing.
‘There weren’t many rules of Bigside, but when you caught the ball you could move backwards with it as much as you liked as the other team couldn’t come any further than where you had caught it. When that happened a player usually kicked the ball as far as he could, and that’s how most goals were scored.
‘That day I was too far from goal to try a kick, and the other side seemed a bit disorganised, so I just hared off in the direction of the goal with the ball under my arm. They were so shocked they didn’t do anything about it till it was too late and I ran in through the goal.
‘I got a fierce ragging from the chaps, and the masters didn’t like anyone interfering with one of the great traditions of Rugby School, but after a few days it was all forgotten, or so I thought. I went off to university and played a little cricket, and later joined the Church. I had little time for games then, although I would read the reports in The Times. I retired to the west of France and that’s where I died and am buried.
‘And that’s where I thought I would remain for eternity until my spirit was stirred into life some weeks back and I found myself back in Ireland in the very place where I had spent some of my youth.
‘It seems to me more than a coincidence that I find myself meeting up with you at your home and now at your school. Perhaps you could be the key to the mystery of why I have come…’
Another rustling sound came from the bushes, and Eoin turned to see Dylan climbing through.
‘How are ya, Eoin, I thought I might find you here,’ he grinned.
Eoin turned back around, but found the ghostly pioneer of rugby had disappeared.
‘Ah Dyl! That was bad timing. He was just about to tell me why he was here…’
‘Who?’ asked Dylan.
‘William… I’ve found another ghost, or rather he’s found me. He invented rugby.’
‘Is he the lad that Dixie was telling us about?’
‘Yeah, he came to see me in Ormondstown, and now he’s turned up here. I’m doing my project about him so it’s been pretty useful. He’s very upset about something and I think he was just about to tell me when you came barging in.’
Dylan shrugged. ‘Sorry buddy, but I can’t keep track of all your dealings with the spirit world. Now, fancy going for a jog? I have some serious fitness programme to get through just to be on standby.’
Eoin sighed and tucked his notes into his pocket. Dylan was a great friend but he did have a habit of turning up when he wasn’t needed.
Later, back in the dorm, Alan was the most excited of them all, despite being the only resident who wasn’t about to be sized up for a green jersey.
‘This is so cool!’ he gurgled. ‘Three Irish internationals and the hero of Leinster’s joint interpro win. We are officially the most talented dorm in all of Castlerock.’
‘Hero of what?’ laughed Dylan.
‘Well if it wasn’t for my skill with addition and subtraction those Connacht lads would be champions,’ sniffed Alan.
‘You did indeed play an important role,’ grinned Eoin, ‘but to call yourself the hero…’
‘Yeah, it was my break and killer pass that set up the try, not your stubby pencil and paper,’ chuckled Rory.
Alan frowned. ‘Oh well, I’m sorry you don’t appreciate my efforts…’
‘Hang on, hang on,’ laughed Eoin. ‘I just said you did play an important role, but we still had to score the points out on the pitch.’
‘All right, Al,’ laughed Dylan. ‘I’ll give the IRFU a shout and get them to organise you a special green and white calculator, and maybe a pencil set.’
‘Would you?’ asked Alan earnestly. ‘And maybe an official hoodie too?’
Dylan roared with laughter.
‘I will not, you eejit,’ he laughed. ‘I’m barely getting a shirt myself.’
Eoin grinned at Alan. ‘Look, your calculations were brilliant, and they definitely helped. I’ll ask Ted can you have a role with Leinster – maybe keeping note of who plays for how many minutes, and who scores, kicking percentages and all that. All the big teams have a guy to do that for them.’
‘That would be amazing,’ said Alan. ‘I sort of do all that anyway,’ he added as he produced a notebook full of numbers and names.
Eoin riffled through the book, astonished at the detail Alan had gathered on all the games he had watched.
‘Here, what’s my place kick percentage?’ he asked.
‘Off the top of my head … 91 per cent inside the 22 metre line, 65 per cent outside. And 0 per cent inside the opposition half.’
‘Ah, but that was a tactical move,’ laughed Eoin, remembering the crucial last play in the European final at Twickenham the summer before. ‘And we scored from it!’
Chapter 21
The boys in what Alan continued to call ‘the most talented dorm in Castlerock’ were kept busy over the next few weeks. Every Sunday morning was spent at Ireland training, but they also had to complete a daily p
rogramme of stretching exercises and sprints with a five kilometre jog every second day. The school’s Junior Cup team had training three afternoons a week, as well as games once a week. Fitting in school work was hard going for Eoin and his pals, but the teachers made sure they didn’t slip back.
Eoin was keen to finish the history project before the Under 16 World Cup kicked off, but soon realised that he had little chance of doing so. William’s explanation of how Bigside worked was very useful, but he needed to get some more details on what Rugby School was like at the time, and what William had done with his life. He also wanted to know what William remembered of Ormondstown.
But every time Eoin swung by The Rock the rugby pioneer was nowhere to be seen.
‘I haven’t seen him for weeks, Eoin,’ said Brian, who appeared at The Rock one Saturday morning. ‘He was in a very strange mood when I last saw him. I tried to ask him to explain what he was doing here but he cut me short. Quite rude he was, to be honest.’
Eoin sighed. ‘I know what you mean. He’s an odd fellow, but perhaps people behaved differently two hundred years ago.’
Brian grinned. ‘I’m over one hundred years old!’ he chuckled.
‘I know, I know,’ spluttered Eoin. ‘No offence, honestly, but you’ve spent a lot of time with people in the twenty-first century so you know how we do things nowadays…’
Brian laughed out loud. ‘OK, Eoin, stop digging. William is just a bit odd. He’s very preoccupied with something and maybe he doesn’t trust us enough to share it just yet. If and when that happens, he will. So don’t worry about things you can’t have any influence on and concentrate on things you do – so tell me what’s happening with this Irish rugby team…’
Eoin nodded in agreement.
‘Well the tournament is coming up fast – the last full training session is tomorrow, then the opening ceremony is on Friday. We play next Saturday morning. Will you be floating along?’
‘I might just,’ laughed Brian.
‘We’ve a decent team, some excellent players when you put them all together. Over the last few weeks Neil has had us going through all the moves and assessing what we need to work on. We haven’t even played a practice match, which has slightly concerned me as we don’t know how he’s thinking about selection. I really hope we have one tomorrow.’
Chapter 22
Eoin got his wish. It was a frosty morning when the final training session began and, after the usual stretches and exercises, Neil called the group together.
‘Right lads, thank you all for coming today and this is the last time we’ll all be together as the final 32 will have to break off for the tournament. I’ve invited along all the players I asked to be on standby, and I will probably be promoting one or two into the full squad as I’m unhappy with the fitness commitment shown by some of you. Today will tell a lot on that score.’
Eoin looked across to Dylan who was trying not to grin but had a most determined look on his face.
‘We’re going to measure and test you first, then break into sectors and go through some moves. But this afternoon I’ve invited along a school side to play you in a practice match,’ explained Neil. ‘I’ll tell you more about that after lunch.’
After the bombshell about late changes to the squad the training session was a nervy affair.
‘It’s like a trial all over again,’ gasped Sam during a short break.
‘I know,’ replied Eoin, ‘You can see how some lads have got very nervous.’
‘I’ve dropped the ball twice,’ groaned Killian, ‘I’d say I’m in trouble.’
At lunch – two bananas and a bottle of water – Neil addressed the troops.
‘Right, first of all I’m going to announce a team that will start the game at 2.15pm. We see this as the likely starting team to face New Zealand, and we will allow you to play for at least an hour as a unit today before we bring on any replacements. Having said that, there are still quite a few positions where we aren’t 100 per cent certain so don’t be complacent if you’re in the first XV, and don’t be downhearted if you’re not.’
Neil read the team out: ‘Backs … Peak, Nowak, O’Hare, Bourke, McGrath, Madden, Rainey. And the forwards … Nolan, Brady, Young, Savage, Savage, Deegan, Bermingham, Steenson.’
There was a gasp when he read the name of the first prop out, as James Nolan from Dunboyne had previously been a standby player. All eyes turned to the boy who everyone was sure would be the loose-head.
‘OK, so you will have noticed we’ve made a big change,’ explained Neil. ‘And while I’m sorry to have to do it, we did set reasonable fitness targets which weren’t met. James has impressed me today and I’m now sure we have the best front row possible.’
Adam, the boy who had been dropped, bit his lip and bowed his head. Eoin was gutted for him as he was one of the friendliest in the squad, but he had noticed that he wasn’t keeping up with the pace.
‘The game will be kicking off shortly, and we’re taking on a schools’ team from Dublin. They’re nothing special, I believe, but they’re bigger and heavier than you, which will give you some idea of what awaits you with the New Zealanders.’
Neil pointed behind the boys, where the opposition was warming up. They were wearing black shorts but also had some familiar green and white shirts and, to Eoin, there were a few familiar faces.
Devin Synnott gave him a wave.
‘We’re playing the Castlerock College senior cup team,’ announced Neil. ‘So give it your best.’
Chapter 23
Eoin gulped. The Castlerock team were two, some even three, years older than the Ireland boys and most of the pack towered over even the Savage brothers.
‘This is a bad idea,’ muttered Paddy. ‘They’ll kill us.’
‘They’re no great shakes as a team,’ Eoin told them. ‘But they’re very physical. Keep your wits about you at all times.’
Neil called his squad back for one last announcement. ‘Also, I’ve decided to go outside the provincial captains for this team as I want to go with someone who I’m certain will be a first choice and play all the games. I’ve been impressed with his leadership all season and want you all to give your full support to Charlie Bermingham.’
Eoin stopped dead in his tracks. He was delighted for Charlie, but what did Neil mean when he said he wanted someone who was certain to be a first choice? Was his place in danger? But to who? It had to be the Connacht out-half, Joe Kelly. He hadn’t faced any serious rivals for his place in any team since soon after he took up rugby.
Charlie looked shocked as he turned to Eoin.
‘Captain? Me? I can’t even tie my shoelaces without checking on YouTube. He’s got to be joking.’
‘No way,’ said Eoin. ‘You’re a leader, everyone says that. You know how to get the guys going and everyone looks up to you. I’ll work with you on the calls but take it with both hands and enjoy it.’
‘This is so wrong Eoin,’ said Charlie. ‘What does he mean, is he going to drop you?’
‘I don’t know, it was as much a shock to me,’ he admitted.
The referee blew the whistle to get the players settled and they all moved into position ready for Eoin to kick off.
The ball hung in the air while the Ireland forwards chased its path. Oisín Deegan leapt to collect it, but was floored by a huge Castlerock prop who crashed into him as he fell.
‘Whoa!’ called the ref, who instantly blew his whistle. ‘This is a friendly match, organised to help warm up these boys who will represent Ireland next week. That was a dangerous move and if it was a proper match you would be cooling your heels on the sideline for ten minutes,’ he nodded at the Castlerock prop.
‘Now cool it down and remember why you’re here. Any sign of aggro and you’ll be off. We don’t want any unnecessary injuries.’
Eoin’s face didn’t move, but he smiled inside with gratitude at the referee’s good sense.
And as Eoin had said earlier, The Castlerock boys weren’t a very g
ood side. Neil was happy that the forwards were getting a good testing, losing most of the set-plays to their bigger, heavier opponents (although the giant Savage brothers did their best to compete) but redressing the balance by battling well in the rucks.
Sam was a bit loose in delivering the ball out to Eoin, who therefore had less time to get it moving than he had with Rory at scrum-half. He liked Sam a lot, but he hoped Neil had noticed this and would make the obvious change.
The Ireland side had two seriously quick wingers – Kuba Nowak from Connacht and Ollie McGrath, who Eoin had played against a couple of times when Castlerock met Belvedere. With such pace, it was important to give them as many chances as they could to score so Eoin got his backs running regularly and played some neat cross kicks, which led to a try apiece.
At half-time Eoin got a pat on the back each from Kuba and Ollie, and the team were buzzing from the battle which they were leading easily.
‘OK, don’t get too excited you lot,’ grinned Neil. ‘As I said they’re nothing special and I expect you to run in some more tries as the game goes on. We’ve battled well up front and I was especially happy with the way James fitted in.
‘But, Eoin, you’ll need to get the ball away a lot quicker against New Zealand,’ snapped Neil. ‘The Castlerock wing-forwards are slow, but you can be sure they won’t be next weekend.’
Eoin was stunned at the criticism, but just nodded. He couldn’t complain about Sam – but to be blamed for the slow ball really annoyed him.
Chapter 24
Eoin was still grumbling to himself when the second half kicked off, but he tried to fight the negative feelings that he had. He was convinced he would be replaced shortly and became even more desperate to improve and impress the coach.
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