‘I don’t care that you missed your opponent,’ he told him. ‘There’s no room for that thuggery in the game.’
The Kiwis were stunned, in one moment of madness they had been reduced to fourteen men and also needed to replace one of their best players. Eoin beckoned the Ireland team to huddle around him.
‘OK, we can win this now. They are going to be in disarray for a few minutes so let’s hit them hard and get the ball out to that wing where they won’t have cover.’
The new prop wasn’t as big, or fierce, as the original selection and James drove hard at the next scrum, and won the penalty. It was outside goal-kicking range, but Eoin had other plans. He signalled he would kick to touch down the right wing but at the last second switched direction and speared the ball towards the opposite corner. The move had been fruitful for him earlier in the competition and this time it worked a treat. Kuba came racing up the wing, collected the ball and sprinted for the line. He was held up just short but turned and fed the ball back to Sam Farrelly who was following up well and the centre crashed over for a try.
The cheers could have been heard out in Castlerock, Eoin reckoned, and he was still on a high when he slotted over the conversion to give Ireland a three-point lead.
There was more than ten minutes left for Ireland to defend the advantage, and it turned out to be the longest ten minutes of their young lives. They tackled and chased, heaved and fought and never allowed the Kiwis to even get near their twenty-two.
‘Keep your discipline, keep your shape!’ roared Charlie, and his team never let him down. The final whistle came and Eoin sank to his knees, before he was submerged seconds later under a sea of muddy green shirts.
Just as the aftermath of the Pool defeat to New Zealand was a blur to Eoin, so was the next few minutes – but in a much nicer way. Everywhere he turned there was a smiling face and someone who wanted to hug him or thank him. He made his way over to the New Zealanders and shook each of their hands, even that of the prop whose nose was now swollen enormously.
‘Sorry you got the biff, mate,’ he told him.
‘Yeah, me too,’ came the reply, ‘but fair dues, you really showed us how to battle. Well done.’
Eoin grinned and turned to face the grandstand. He spotted his parents and Dixie, who was accompanied by Mr Finn, and returned their wave. He also noticed something strange about the platform where the two trophies now stood. Besides the six security guards who stood watch, there were two other men hovering nearby. One wore a black, red and yellow hooped shirt, the other the clothes a man might have worn two-hundred years before.
Brian and William lifted their arms in salute, wide grins lighting up their long-dead faces. William pointed to the trophy that bore his name and mouthed ‘Thank you’. Eoin gave them a thumbs up and turned to rejoin his delighted friends.
TURN THE PAGE TO SEE MORE GREAT BOOKS ABOUT EOIN MADDEN AND HIS FRIENDS
RUGBY SPIRIT
A new school, a new sport, an old mystery…
Eoin’s has just started a new school … and a new sport. Everyone at school is mad about rugby, but Eoin hasn’t even held a rugby ball before! And why does everybody seem to know more about his own grandad than he does?
RUGBY WARRIOR
Back in school. Back in sport. Back in time.
Eoin Madden is now captain of the Under 14s team and has to deal with friction between his friend Rory and new boy Dylan as they battle for a place as scrum-half. Fast-paced action, mysterious spirits and feuding friends – it’s a season to remember!
RUGBY REBEL
Discovering History - Uncovering Mystery
Eoin Madden’s been moved up to train with the Junior Cup team, which is hard work, plus there’s trouble in school as mobile phones start going missing!
But there are ghostly goings-on in Castlerock – what’s the link between Eoin’s history lessons and the new spirit he’s spotted wearing a Belvedere rugby jersey?
RUGBY FLYER
Haunting history, thrilling tries
Eoin and his new friends are taken on a trip to Twickenham to play & watch rugby. There, he meets a ghost: Prince Obolensky, a Russian who played rugby for England, scored a world famous try against New Zealand in Twickenham and later joined the RAF and died in WW2.
About the Author
GERARD SIGGINS was born in Dublin and has lived almost all his life in the shadow of Lansdowne Road; he’s been attending rugby matches there since he was small enough for his dad to lift him over the turnstiles. He is a sports journalist and worked for the Sunday Tribune for many years. His other books about rugby player Eoin Madden, Rugby Spirit, Rugby Warrior, Rugby Rebel and Rugby Flyer are also published by The O’Brien Press.
Copyright
This eBook edition first published 2017 by
The O’Brien Press Ltd,
12 Terenure Road East, Rathgar,
Dublin 6, Ireland
D06 HD27
Tel: +353 1 4923333; Fax: +353 1 4922777
E-mail: [email protected].
Website: www.obrien.ie
First published 2017.
eBook ISBN: 978–1–84717–943–2
Text © copyright Gerard Siggins 2017
Copyright for typesetting, layout, editing, design
© The O’Brien Press Ltd
All rights reserved.
No part of this publication may be reproduced or utilised in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording or in any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher.
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