Rugby Flyer Read Free

don’t think it’s very funny,’ snarled Dylan.
    ‘Scout’s honour,’ said Eoin. ‘I swear I didn’t do it. It’s fantastic news!’
    Dylan stopped, not sure whether to smile or not. He had been so convinced it was a mean trick that he had never considered that it might be true.
    ‘Let’s check it out,’ said Eoin. ‘Come in here and we’ll ring the Munster branch.’
    They dialled the number on the letter and a nice lady answered the call. Dylan explained who he was and how he wasn’t sure if the letter he had received was a hoax.
    The receptionist asked him to wait and returned a minute later, laughing, to say that the letter was genuine and that he was to send a reply today.
    Eoin grinned and patted him on the head. ‘And you from County Louth – I wonder do they know that at all?’

C HAPTER 4
    T he friends threw themselves into rugby practice with renewed energy, going through drills they had learned in school from early morning until it was too dark to see anymore. Eoin wore out the instep on his right boot with the number of kicks at goal he took.
    One afternoon during a rare break in training they lay on the grass, staring up at the clouds drifting past.
    ‘It’s gas, isn’t it, that we’re going to be doing the same thing but for different teams on opposite sides of the country at the same time?’ said Dylan. ‘I wonder is this leading to some sort of interpro Under 15 competition. I’ve never heard of such a thing.’
    ‘Nah, the Munster lads wouldn’t be let near Dublin in case they got frightened by all the traffic,’ laughed Eoin.
    ‘Have your laugh, Eoin,’ grinned Dylan, ‘but at least I’ll be able to wear my red Munster shirt with pride around Ormondstown after the weekend. You’ll have toput yours in the back of the wardrobe for ever more. Don’t even think of wearing that blue one around the town!’
    Eoin’s face fell. Dylan was right. He started to think how much easier it would have been if Munster had called him up. He loved the red jersey that his grandfather had bought him which, although it was getting a little tight, he wore more often than any other item of clothing he owned.
    He didn’t have much time to worry about what he would be wearing that autumn, though, as they were interrupted by a familiar voice.
    ‘Hey, lads, you don’t look like you’re training that hard. I wonder would Leinster give me a trial too.’
    Dylan and Eoin clambered to their feet to greet their best friend from Castlerock College.
    ‘Alan!’ they shouted together. ‘What are you doing here?’
    Eoin’s mum appeared at their friend’s shoulder.
    ‘Alan’s mum rang me last week and said he was a bit bored with the summer and suggested we take it in turns to host you all for a few days’ sleepovers. I thought I’d keep it a surprise!’ she said.
    ‘Ah, that’s brilliant, Mam,’ said Eoin.
    ‘So what have you been up to, Alan?’ asked Dylan.
    ‘Not much. It’s a bit boring up in Dublin. All my mates are in Irish college or away on holidays. I was playing tennis with myself up against a wall for about three days when Mam came up with this idea.’
    ‘I’ll leave you to it,’ said Eoin’s mother, ‘dinner will be around seven o’clock so no visits to the chipper!’
    ‘Thanks, Mrs Madden,’ said Alan, ‘I’ll keep them all straight and working hard at the rugby.’
    The trio laughed – Alan was an enthusiastic player but wasn’t very good at all. While Eoin and Dylan had leapt forward through the age groups and were now stars of the Castlerock Junior Cup team, he was still struggling to hold his place on the 14Cs.
    They sat around the field chatting for a while, before Eoin and Dylan resumed their session. Alan was happy to help out running after balls and collecting them from the ditches as Eoin took his pot-shots at goal. It was good to be around the guys again.
    With meal-time approaching, Alan kept checking his watch and Eoin got the message.
    ‘That’s