Rugby Flyer by Gerard Siggins

Author:Gerard Siggins [Gerard Siggins]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781847178565
Publisher: The O'Brien Press
Published: 2016-08-23T04:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER 18

As the plane descended to land in London, Eoin peered out the window at the vast city below. He had visited one of his mother’s aunts here once when he was much younger, but they had travelled by ferry and car so he had never seen it from the air. He marvelled at the sights he knew so well from books and films, such as Tower Bridge and the loop of the Thames as it passed the Millennium Dome. The plane dipped low and crossed the docklands water as it jetted in to land. The airline was one of Leinster’s sponsors so the whole squad got a little bit of extra attention – the pilot even announced to the other passengers that they were on board and wished them luck in Twickenham.

‘It’s a bit like being a celebrity,’ said Killian, who had sat alongside Eoin and Charlie on the flight. ‘Maybe there’ll be champagne going home if we win!’

‘Champagne wouldn’t be much use to us, would it?’ asked Charlie. ‘I’d prefer another ten bags of those spicy peanuts.’

Parked outside the airport there was one enormous coach to carry Ted and the Leinster players, while Ted’s assistant Tony and the other coaches went off to collect their hire car. The coach poked its way through the busy streets past sky-scrapers and strangely shaped buildings that were taller than anything Eoin had seen before. Traffic seemed to go faster than it did in Dublin and the people looked even more hassled.

After well over an hour on the road the coach eventually pulled into the grounds of a very posh-looking school. The white marble pillars were far grander than Castlerock, and Eoin looked with envy at the shiny new swimming pool and sports pavilion they passed on their way up the drive.

Leinster were allocated two of the big dormitories and the boys were split into the teams on which they had been named back in Dublin. When settled, they walked over to the canteen and joined the queue for dinner. Eoin looked around the huge hall and caught a strange mixture of accents as the boys chatted. The bright pink tracksuits ensured that Stade Français stood out, but there were other groups that were vying for attention too with loud roars and laughter. A couple of the Scottish lads were wearing kilts and the Italians were trying to take photos of them on their phones.

‘Half the sides are here and half in another school up the road,’ said the cook as she doled out a bowl of steaming pasta. ‘I hope you enjoy your stay at our school.’

Munster must be up the road, thought Eoin, I’d have heard Dylan before now. He, Killian and Charlie looked for a bench together and sat down across from a bunch of players from Ulster.

‘Hiya guys, howya doin’?’ asked one. ‘We’re in a different group to you boys, aren’t we? We might get you in the final though – that would be some crack!’

He introduced himself as Paddy O’Hare from Enniskillen and he was sitting with his pal Sam Rainey from Belfast.

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