Irish Rugby Tours brought the USA and fans together. / Photos courtesy Irish Rugby Tours
When USA Women’s National Team (WNT) coach Pete Steinberg named his Women’s Rugby World Cup (WRWC) player pool, he stressed skill development and full-time training environments over playing games. And so the players took residence at the Chula Vista Elite Athlete Training Center for a month and extended its preparatory period with an Irish Rugby Tours-sponsored camp the week prior to the WRWC.
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“Irish Rugby Tours were delighted to work with the USA Rugby Women Eagles for the Women’s Rugby World Cup this month,” enthused Irish Rugby Tours Managing Director George Hook. “When Pete and I met in January, we discussed the possibility of a camp directly before the WRWC in Ireland and immediately we put our heads together on the planning for it. It grew from strength to strength. We both knew this was going to form an integral part of the preparations for the WRWC.”
Training pitches at the University of Limerick
Irish Rugby Tours greeted the USA at the Dublin airport on August 1, and then set the team up in Limerick, approximately two hours outside of the capital. There, the team took advantage of the University of Limerick Sport Arena’s National Strength and Conditioning Centre, a state-of-the-art weight training facility that is also home to Munster Rugby, the pool for recovery, the lush grass training pitches, among many more amenities. The Eagles received further aid during a warm-up match against an Irish Rugby Institute select side in Dublin, an outing hosted by Malahide RFC.
“Irish Rugby Tours have been critical in helping the Eagles prepare,” Steinberg confirmed. “With their sponsorship, and relationship with the University of Limerick, we have been able to give the players and team excellent support leading to the World Cup.”
Eagles on Inis Oirr
The extra time in Ireland also meant that players and staff could take a day to enjoy the beautiful host country. Irish Rugby Tours organized an outing to Inis Oirr, one of three Aran Islands in Galway Bay. The team explored castles and shipwrecks, took horse-drawn carriages, picked up some Gaelic, and enjoyed a spectacular view of the Cliffs of Moher aboard the Doolin Ferry.
USA props Hope Rogers and Catie Benson share their expertise with Morris U14s.
Additionally, Irish Rugby Tours served as USA Rugby’s official travel agent for the WRWC, and several touring groups took advantage of specially crafted packages that included access to Eagle practices and activities. The Pacific Mountain Rugby Conference all-stars on their first-ever tour was just one group that took advantage of these behind-the-scenes perks. Irish Rugby Tours has also been intimately involved with the Morris U14s tour and organized lots of face time with the national team. Senior women’s club Philadelphia, fresh off its stint at club 7s nationals, is now also Ireland-bound with the aid of the travel agency.
For each World Cup tour booked by an American club, Irish Rugby Tours made a monetary contribution to the Eagles’ expenses (read more).
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Having time to connect with the host country and interact with dedicated fans are enjoyable perks, but in the end, the USA was looking for payouts on the pitch.
“Well, after today, we can see all of the work coming to fruition,” Hook praised.
Hook was of course referring to the USA’s berth to WRWC semifinals. After banking bonus-point wins against Italy and Spain, the Eagles scored four tries against reigning world champion England yesterday (read more). Even though Thursday’s bonus point didn’t figure into the “best second-place team” decision (fellow second-place teams Canada and Ireland failed to earn bonus points in each of their three pool matches), the Eagles accomplished their goals and maximized their potential for advancement. As a result, the USA is guaranteed its highest WRWC finish since 1998.
USA Rugby CEO Dan Payne with Morris U14s
“We embrace our relationship with USA Rugby and can only see it growing,” Hook concluded. “We are passionate rugby people and passionate about the growth of the women’s game in the USA. After the performance by the women’s team this month, we have no doubt the game will now grow at a phenomenal pace.”
The USA is now relocating to Belfast for the final two matches of the WRWC. The semifinal against New Zealand will occur Tuesday, Aug. 22 and will be broadcast live on NBC Sports Network at 12:00 p.m. Eastern. The placing round occurs Saturday, Aug. 26.
Learn more about Irish Rugby Tours via www.irishrugbytours.com.
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