Athboy club players help Ireland to historic win
RUGBY LEAGUE
The Ireland Rugby League team made history by winning the u-19s European Rugby League Champion Shield after a gruelling week of games near Udine, Italy.
The Irish team contained a number of players who also turn out for the Athboy Rugby League side including Liam Hayes who is from Kildalkey, Jack Crampton (Edenderry), Ryan Walsh (Dunderry), Sam Webb Campbell (Rush) and Sean Treacy (Ballivor).
The Boys in Green made the play-offs where they played Italy and won 30-0. In that game Crampton was the Irish playmaker and he invariably took the right option to put his team-mates on the ball for his team's tries.
Walsh on the wing was another big player for Ireland with his runs off the back of the ruck. Those runs helped to put the Irish on the front foot and make big inroads into Italian territory.
Walsh was equally as good in defence with some big hits to make sure Italy didn’t find way along the wing and into the try-zone.
Next up for Ireland was Slovakia and they also proved to be a formidable challenge but in a different way. They were a strong, very physical side but Ireland displayed far too much guile and enterprise and ran out 42-0 winners.
Yet again the Athboy RL contingent had major roles to play with Crampton, Walsh and Hayes all starting while Webb Campbell and Tracey came off the bench to make their contributions.
Slovakia tried to use their size to break down the Irish resistance with Hayes and Campbell in particular absorbing many of the big hits put in by the Slovaks.
Crampton and Walsh ran riot in attack opening up the defence for tryscorers to get across the line. Walsh was substituted due to an injury with Sean Treacy replacing him on the wing.
Treacy was kept busy as the Slovaks tried to attack his wing as they thought he might prove vulnerable since he was new to the fray but the Athboy player stepped up to the challenge and defended well. The combined results meant that Ireland claimed the Shield. Success for the Boys in Green.
Overall Ireland played six games during the course of the tournament and the team's achievements clearly indicate significant progress was made. At the last tournament the Irish were successful in just one game.