At the end of the 2017 school year, University of New England (UNE) coach Ashley Potvin-Fulford held an interest meeting with players: Who wants to go on tour? The squad responded with a collective “aye,” and the process of organizing an international trip for 30 people began. NCAA and varsity programs are allowed to tour once every three years, and so this outing had to be done right, and that’s why Potvin-Fulford looked toward Irish Rugby Tours (IRT).
Potvin-Fulford explained that there was always interest to tour, but when the team was a club program, energies were placed on fundraising for the regular season. When the athletic department added women’s rugby as a varsity sport, it covered expenses, and thus reopened the conversation for tour. Many team fundraisers followed, as well as opportunities for individuals to bank their own monies, and 27 players signed on.
Potvin-Fulford, a Norwich University alumna, had never toured herself, but knew what she wanted to cultivate for her players.
“I knew I wanted to provide a positive rugby experience, but also wanted a positive cultural and team-building experience as well,” Potvin-Fulford explained.
Potvin-Fulford and IRT built a spring break tour for March 2018 and it included three games, training sessions with renowned coaches, a Six Nations match, trip to the Aran Islands, coasteering (swimming, scrambling, jumping along the coast in wetsuits and helmets), plenty of sightseeing, and some unexpected additions.
Competition wise, the Nor’easters faced Trinity College first, established an early lead, and held on for the win as the Dublin squad rallied late.
“It was the second day of tour so it was a nice way to kick things off,” Potvin-Fulford said. “The second match against Connacht senior women was rainy and cold. They were fantastic competition for us. We lost that match but it was a great experience for my team to play against a very experienced and skilled squad.
“Going to Ireland and having the results we did, it was a huge confidence boost,” the coach added, “and affirmation that what we do day in, day out works against local teams and overseas opponents.”
Both matches included the hospitality for which rugby nations are known, and Potvin-Fulford indicated that the time spent mingling with their Irish counterparts was a big highlight of the trip. With that said, the crowd favorite was the Six Nations match at Aviva Stadium, where Ireland beat Scotland 28-8.
“One of the things that I really appreciated about the tour, my players were completely immersed in a culture where everyone knows rugby,” Potvin-Fulford said. “In the USA, you catch people here and there, and you have your rugby circles, but [rugby people are] farther in between. Our bus driver knew every Ireland player 1-23, and the same with the tour guide. It was so cool to be immersed in a culture where rugby is so in the forefront and equivalent to a major sport here.”
UNE was supposed to play a third match but weather conditions threatened to cancel it. So IRT looked to fill that gap on the itinerary.
“They asked if we’d be interested in marching in Limerick’s St. Patrick’s Day, if they could get a spot,” Potvin-Fulford said. “‘Absolutely!’ We were fortunate enough to be the only American group to march, and it was a nice way to cap off the trip – especially since it was the same day of the Six Nations final.”
UNE was in the middle of it all, as Ireland beat England 24-15 for the Six Nations Grand Slam.
As soon as the team returned to the U.S., Potvin-Fulford received an e-mail from one tour-goer who had to work extra hard fundraising to afford the trip.
“They were so excited they were able to make it happen, that the experience was so worth the effort [to get there],” Potvin-Fulford concluded.
For more information on Irish Rugby Tours’ offerings and services, visit www.irishrugbytours.com.
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