The Eagle Impact Rugby Academy team in Ireland returns home with a series win, after closing out the three-game trip with a victory over Ulster Academy on Friday.

EIRA had defeated Ulster in a very close, three-period, open-sub game before losing to Leinster in a three-period, open-sub game in which Leinster ran out three completely fresh 15s in each stanza. But in the final game, the teams played two 35-minute halves and more regular sub rules. The EIRA coaches had made it clear that everyone had been competing for starting spots for this final game.

"We knew we'd been competing for positions in this game," said flyhalf Mike Weir (Doylestown, PA), whose kicking game on a windy day was a big factor.

"This game was either lose and go home 1-2, or win and go home happy," said flanker Alex Cleary (Chuckanut, WA). "It was tough for everyone because we've got so many good players, and guys who can come off the bench and there's no change in how we perform."



The game started very tight and Ulster led 3-0 going into halftime. But Sean Nolan intercepted a pass to go in for a crucial score, and Weir's conversion made it 7-3 for EIRA. Ulster scored right after the break, and the teams traded tries, with Ulster finally nudging ahead thanks to a couple of penalty goals.

"The Irish forwards they were super annoying," Cleary said with admiration. "They are so good at holding us up in the tackle and really good at getting us to commit some penalties. I should know -- I got a yellow card in the game. Their defense was really good but at the end of the second half our forwards kind of cracked them."

"We needed to have a good kicking game as a team," Weir said. "We set our goal of playing most of the game in their half partly because their flyhalf was a very good kicker and if we got penalized in our half, they'd score. We needed a good chase on our kicks and we got it. We'd get our clearance call, and I would try to find the corners while our wings chased. Then we'd have a secondary line, and the guys did so well with that they couldn't really do anything except try to kick it back."

James Reid scampered over to help give EIRA the lead late in the game, 29-24. But Ulster still had an opportunity to come back. This was where the EIRA players needed to close it out.

"Coach John Banarhall told us to keep out heads on," Weir said. "We've been working a lot with Coach Darrel Knowlton on mentality, and when we huddled after James Reid's try we went through our terms. Keep a blue head, cool. And we did. They had us on our 22 for five minutes, but even with a penalty they had to tap and go if they wanted to win. We held them."

The 29-24 victory sealed a successful tour of Belfast and Dublin, and showed, as Nolan had hoped to do so earlier, that these American kids knew what they were doing.

Nolan, Reid, Mateo Gadsden, and Jordan Wander all scored tries, and Weir converted three (his other hit the post) and added a penalty goal.

"This has been a great experience," Clear said. "I have never been in environment where I've learned so much. The best rugby I've played has been on this tour, by far, and it really helps to have these players around me. It's been amazing."