Special group of players

RUGBY: EAGLES ARE ONE OF 34 DISABILITY TAG TEAMS VERY ACTIVE IN IRELAND

With laughter, a rap dance celebration but still a competitive edge, tag rugby training sessions for players with special needs serve a greater purpose than personal glory.

The De La Salle Palmerston Eagles are a far cry from the days in Ireland when those with autism, Down’s Syndrome and other disabilities were kept out of sight.

“I had a Down’s Syndrome uncle and he was kind of half hidden away from the rest of society,” Dermot Hickey said while watching his son “Fast” Eoin train along with 17 other male and female players.

“Nobody acknowledged they were there. Nothing was happening, and now this is happening. It’s fantastic.”

Ranging in age from the midteens to 60, the players are put through their paces by Dave Hicks, head coach since the team’s inception 10 years ago.

The Eagles are one of 34 disability tag teams in Ireland, part of the Irish Rugby Football Union (IRFU) Spirit Programme.

In fact, there are six mixed ability sides – De La Salle will send its team, The Vikings, to next year’s World Cup in Cork.

While they train on a crisp Sunday morning, able-bodied players wander past to their sessions at the club situated in the foothills of the Wicklow Mountains south of Dublin.

“Coming to the club expands their social capital and contacts outside of their inner circle,” Hicks said.

“Of course the game is important but also it is about social inclusion, which is more important.”

Gesturing to the neighbouring pitches, he said: “Take those kids there – they probably never met special needs people before and didn’t know how to react to them.

“We bring them (the able-bodied players) on to play against us and that expands their social capital.”

Hicks raises money for the trips for away matches through quiz nights while the IRFU and the elite Leinster club provide equipment and kit.

He says he does “not need to know” what the conditions of the players are as “I’m not their doctor”.

“They are here to play and enjoy rugby and I want them to be happy smiling faces at the end of a session,” he said.

“It’s a big deal for me but it’s an even bigger one for them.”

Hicks, nearing 70, may be modest about his importance to the Eagles and Vikings, others not so much.

“Dave is an extraordinary man. He would give you the shirt off his back,” David McKay, the IRFU Disability and Inclusion Officer said. –