Touring for rugby teams is one of the sport's great traditions, so over Easter break, 39 players and six coaches headed across the pond from Xavier in New York City to the ancestral home of rugby, the United Kingdom.
The team left hoping to improve skills and play top-level matches, and they were not disappointed.
The tour itself was operated by Irish Rugby Tours, which plans out a team's competitions, their other rugby activities such as attending professional games or coaching sessions, and cultural activities.
By Michael LiVigni
This year, Xavier visited London, Bath, and Cardiff. As soon as the Xavier Knights left Heathrow Airport, they headed directly to the home of English rugby, Allianz Stadium. Following that the touring party moved on to StoneX Stadium, where they met members of the Saracens RFC coaching staff and enjoyed a training session.
“We worked on lineouts with the Saracens coaches,” said junior openside flanker Liam Averill, “and that helped us in the game against Hertford RFC.”
And the first tour match against Hertford in Ware, Hertfordshire on April 19 was a back-and-forth battle from the opening whistle.
“We were down and then tied at one point, 17-17,” said senior loosehead prop Nicholas Son. “This match tested the boys' mental toughness.”
“The Hertford match was a very tough one, but a fun one," added senior prop Christopher Lobo. "We played our shape well, and our aggression was better than in our match against St. Ignatius, which made this a good bounce-back from that loss.”
Hertford was a fast, strong team with excellent offloads. They spread the ball out fast, and the Colts took advantage when Xavier struggled to fold. According to Averil, the Knight's strategy was to try to punch holes in the middle of the Hertford lines and power through. When that did not work, Xavier went to the edges.
“Once we started getting it wide, finding holes, using dummies, and running our lines, the attack started coming together,” said Averill, who scored the Knights' first try.
No. 8 Rob Milacci added a second Xavier try, also converted by Edward Marquez-Miles, for a 14-12 halftime lead. In the opening minutes of the second half, Hertford scored, briefly giving them the lead, before the score was tied off a penalty goal from Edward Marquez-Miles. He added another penalty goal in the waning minutes of the second half before senior scrumhalf William Scariano wnt over to seal a 27-24 win.
“Being down and he match coming down to the last few minutes showed us that if we stick to our game plan and trust in each other, we could get the job done,” Son said. But the match left two Xavier starters, senior captain and inside-center Max Wyckoff and Nick Son, battered enough that they sat out the rest of the tour’s matches. The Knights then headed to a Sarecens/Gloucester match to wrap up the day.
After a stop at Stonehenge, the team headed to the storied city of Bath for a match against the Skillclub Rugby Academy. Skillclub is an organization created by Ellis Genge, Mitch Eadie, and Andrew Bell that focuses on position development for young players. As the Knights took the pitch, it was clear that while their opponents were skilled players, they had never played together as a unit. The result was a lopsided 55-0 win for Xavier.
“Their side didn't have much experience together,” said junior flyhalf James Allison, “and a few said they only played together for 40 minutes or so before the match.”
Despite this, the Knights learned a lot from their opponents, which is one of the main goals of tour.
If you would like to explore going on tour in just about any rugby country, contact Irish Rugby Tours at IrishRugbyTours.com
“They played wide and tested our defense, ensuring we were set,” said junior lock Gianny Jeudy, "and when we weren't set, they exploited the gaps, forcing us to adapt and figure out which gaps they were shooting for.”
Jeudy was especially proud that the match against Skillclub helped the Knights realize their team’s depth.
“We have people who can step up, fill in, and still have a fully functional 15 and a front pack,” he said. After the match, there was a friendly off-the-field chat with jersey swapping, while Ellis Gange, prop for the Bristol Bears and world-renowned player for England, looked on and chatted with the Xavier coaching staff.
