A 50th Anniversary for a club is an important thing, and you want to recognize it some way; for the South Jersey Rugby Club, a tour seemed right, and it turned out better than they could have hoped.

South Jersey’s Bob Carr wanted to take the men’s club on tour to celebrate its 50th year, and the women’s team, not as old but just as committed, would be part of it to. 

But the question was, do you organize the tour on your own or get help.

Read More About Team Tours With Irish Rugby Tours Here>>

“I’ve done it before an it is a lot of work organizing a tour; getting guys to hop on a variety of flights, finding the opposition. Even for smaller trips it’s a lot of work,” Carr told Goff Rugby Report.

So Carr asked around, and the people at nearby Rowan University told him to use Irish Rugby Tours. Rowan had toured Ireland and loved the experience.

“They said Irish Rugby Tours had done a great job, and they did for us, too; it was well worth it to have them do the work,” said Carr. “If we had done it on our own, maybe we would have been able to set something up—maybe. But with Irish Rugby Tours, once we landed in Ireland we didn’t have to do anything in terms of organization. They took care of it all.”

The key was also to find the right competition, and that’s one of the areas where IRT excels. 

“We didn’t bring our strongest side—we had eight or nine of our first-side players—but they matched us up with really good opposition,” said Carr. “We lost the games but we were in every game. We didn’t get blown out, and we had a chance late to take the lead.”

That was for the men’s team. For the women, finding those sort of nailbiters was a little tougher, but it was strong opposition. The women won their games relatively comfortably—by 20 points or so.

“What was great about that was they played well and this was their first international match,” said Carr. “When you go on tour, your team comes together. You learn more about each other, and you bond with your opponents. Each team we played gave us a great party afterward. They hosted us, brought us back to their clubhouses—something we don’t really have in the USA. Players who are still relatively new to rugby saw what is possible and how it is in other nations.”

And Irish Rugby Tours was there all along the way, setting up the games, setting up sightseeing and social events, and even the entertainment. 

“Ray O’Grady with Irish Rugby Tours was great,” said Carr. “We set up Irish music for each after-party, got us tickets to an international match. He made sure we had a great time, and we did.”

Next up for South Jersey? The Women’s team will soon celebrate its 10th Anniversary. They are already looking at their celebrator tour, and maybe, if they’re nice, the men’s team can tag along.

For more on taking your team on tour, contact Irish Rugby Tours at www.irishrugbytours.com.