Duffy & 5 Nations

I did the unthinkable on Saturday. I entered the Duffy as a member of the UCD A team. The team was myself, Conor, and Big Eoin. Originally I was on the B team with Niall and Shane. I was fine with that; 3 ex-Salle guys getting together under the UCD banner. Unfortunatly Chris Hegarty pulled out, and I received a call from Captain Owen on friday night to say I was up on the A-Team. I think everyone in the room must have got a dig in.

Still we did quite well. We were beaten, in the final, by a far-superior team from Leipzig, Germany. On the way there, we got past Cavaliers (not too much trouble), Pembroke (a close match), and the Salle (a really close match). Let me tell you, it's a good thing we had Conor on the team. Eoin and I were really were just to trying to loose as few points as possible.

I really enjoyed myself. I reckon that after the 5 nations is over and done with, I'll put down the sabre for a while and get back into epée training.

...

On the subject of 5 nations, I got my official notice that I'd be on team. So that means lots of sabre for the next few months. I think I'll make this 5-Nations my last one: You know? One more, for the road. Then, as I mentioned above, I can put down the sabre for a while and start just fencing for fun.

...

One more thing. I was coaching the UCD girls team on Sunday for the ladies compmetition. Like their male counterparts, they came 2nd. However they fenced a much better final, loosing only 45-40. They were beaten by a much more experienced Phoenix club, but technically they all fenced really well. If they keep up the work, that same team will be back to winning next year.