While England won 43-29, Luke Carty can reflect positively on a memorable Independence Day as the young Athlonian put in a fine performance for the USA Eagles at Twickenham on Sunday.
Carty opened the scoring with a splendid penalty to give the American side an early lead but some poor defending by his teammates helped the hosts to a healthy 26-3 halftime advantage.
However, the Eagles put in a spirited and much better organised second half display that yielded four tries, three of which Carty converted to bring his points tally to nine on the day. USA outscored England 26-14 in that second period with Carty playing for the full match.
It was a massive step up for the Barrymore man, who was still playing with Buccaneers last season, but he looked composed and busy throughout. His performance will have instilled further confidence and self-belief in his play and it will be highly interesting to see how he fares against Ireland on Saturday night.
It would be even more intriguing if brother Jack was his direct opponent at the Aviva Stadium (kick off 7.15 pm ) but the Carty family and all at Buccaneers are mightily proud of Luke’s rapid progress since he departed Connacht.
Bealham Try For Ireland
Congratulations to Finlay Bealham who marked his 15th Ireland appearance with his first international try in the 39-31 victory over Japan on Saturday.
Meanwhile Ireland U20s ten match winning sequence came to an end when going down 24-15 to England in their top of the table Six Nations Championship clash at Cardiff Arms Park.
Gallant Ireland missed out on a losing bonus point in the dying moments when they rashly attempted a drop kick conversion of Eoin de Buitlear’s try.
Both young Buccs, Shane Jennings and Oisin McCormack, were in the wars against a much physically bigger side. Jennings returned to the fray after a Head Injury Assessment but McCormack’s injury early in the second half looks like ruling him out of Wednesday’s tricky test against Italy (kick off 2 pm ).
We wish both Shane and Oisin a quick return to fitness and hope that Ireland get back to winning ways against Italy who have been improving noticeably at U20 level in recent seasons.
Golf Classic On July 20
Buccaneers annual golf classic, which was cancelled due to the pandemic last year, takes place at Glasson Lakehouse course on Tuesday, July 20. The course and facilities there are in top class condition. Entry fee is €240 per team of four (a discounted fee of €200 applies for starters before 11 am ) and last tee time is 4pm.
Contact the club’s Administrator Geraldine at 0861732711 to book your team and, of course, the earlier you book the better chance of getting your preferred tee slot. It is short notice for this year’s Golf Classic but, hopefully, the support and entry numbers will again be good.
Lions Visit On July 24
The British and Irish Lions media team will be attending Buccaneers club on Saturday, July 24, the day of the first test against South Africa. This is a follow up from the piece they screened last year as Robbie Henshaw is again in the Lions squad.
They wish to capture the atmosphere at Dubarry Park and in The Bounty on the day when some our minis and youths players will be going through their paces for the cameras. It promises to be an exciting occasion and further details will be available shortly.
Meanwhile, on the domestic rugby front, the fixtures dates have been announced. The Connacht Leagues commence in mid-August while the All Ireland League kicks off on the first weekend of October. The actual fixtures schedule will be released to the clubs shortly.
50/50 Draw
John Ruane is the latest winner in Buccaneers RFC 50/50 Draw and his prize is €157. Thanks again to everyone who is supporting this fundraiser.
