The story of Day Two...

Another early start saw Ireland 1 playing at 8.30am. We were rewarded with a slightly improved breakfast with some ham and cheese added. Happy days! A good start to what was to prove a long and tough day, much like day one. Added to difficult games against stronger teams was the heat factor – it was in the high 20s from early in the day until late in the evening. There’s very little shade to speak of and we suffered as a result. We also began seeing some injuries creep in, with Richie Eyres the main sufferer (a stomach/rib injury) along with many little niggles, from cramps to turned ankles and back again.

Now for the games…

Ireland A
Game One: Austria
We began well – fired up and with the D ready to go. It was similar intensity to the Germany game and earned us lots of possessions in the first few points. The Austrians struggled with out front up but our O was ominously misfiring. It was partly to the pressure exerted by (yet another) poachy zone and often from trying to force the issue in long, tiring points. We worked the disc close to the endzone but suffered from white line fever and poor shot selection. Soon a tight game turned into a not-so-tight game and Austria began to strut. Their offence (and in a way their zone D) was anchored by Jakob, a player with big throws, a calm head and a strong aerial presence. Most points went through him and a lot of our long shots were stopped by him. Overall, a good performance against a decent side. Marko smells

Score: 6-15
MVP: Tom Matthews




Game Two: Hungary
This game was a dog fight from the start with tight calls, physical D and lots of turns. Crucially we scored the first point (incredibly, the first lead of either team over the week) and looked strong, especially on offence when we were converting relatively easily. However, the length of the points began to take its toll and errors crept in. The Hungarians had a very aggressive front up force (with a fair share of bumps) that disrupted the handlers and got turns near our line. These were duly converted and they took a 6-3 lead at half (a suitably low score in such a dogged half). The second half saw a zone D come on, something we’d struggled on the previous day. We used 4 handlers but their force again pressurised us. We were rattled and began to play with less vigour and belief. Soon a tight game slipped away and we lost by 9 despite the promising start.

Score: 6-15
MVP: Yasin Mammeri (hammers)




Game Three: France
France are an excellent outfit – a true team, clearly playing together often (apparently made 3rd in YBN) and used to tough moments together. Their offence was based on their handlers who used low break throws to generate long looks. The disc moved very quickly, preventing us from fronting properly and their cuts were decisive and fast. On defence it was a poach system against which or offence was stronger – we were learning! The problem was that when we got our turn we tended to choose the wrong option, be it a risky throw, an over throw or a lack of communication. It wasn’t our best performance and the French were firing (they went on to surprise GB 1 in the quarters and then Germany in the semis!), so in the end they ran our strong winners.

Score: 3-15
MVP: Cian Keogh (Torres)

Game Four: Poland
The fourth game of a long day saw Ireland 1 record a historic first win at Junior level. It was a relatively pressurised first half as we knew we could win the game against a younger, less experienced opposition. Poland is newer to the Ultimate scene than Ireland with this being their first ever foray into international competition at any level. They have a small team who play a fast offensive game but weren’t a match for our pace or height. Despite a nervy first half – expected to win, pressure showed with uncharacteristic forcing of the issue. We called a time out and had a chat about our focus, our D and soon took control of the match. The second half was a much improved affair as the D shut down their long game and we used quick pick ups off the turns to score our points.

Score: 15-3
MVP: Toby Morgan

Ireland B
Game One: Latvia
Coming into this game we knew we were facing a team worthy of a quarterfinal place. We’d seen them involved in a thriller against Finland (nor finalists!) on day one, that they narrowly lost 13-15. They are a tall, aggressive and huck happy team who rely on aerial prowess as much as anything else. The game opened with lots of turns as we put in our best defensive performance yet. No throw as unchallenged and the front force was blocking lots of hucking options. Unfortunately the hyped up D spread to our O and we turned too easy, too often. Quick turns were punished with long shots and soon we were chasing the game. We scored a couple before half but not enough. The O struggled under their zone, got through the cup several times but wrong shot selection hurt us. The Latvians favoured a side stack that negated any breakside and we coped well against it. We were outclassed though and the second half saw the opposition score heavily. A tough game.

Score: 3-15
MVP: Eoin Barry (Sticky)




Game Two: GB 1
GB 1 were a class act. They have strength in depth and play an expansive offence using breakside a lot. On defence they came down with a lot of the 50-50s and forced hard. In the first half, whenever we turned GB punished with a score in the first one or two passes. This was partly our fault as we started the game somewhat flat. It was also their offence, naturally enough. The second half saw our work rate upped, we got in their faces, pressured them and got plenty of turns. The team showed fantastic character not to let heads drop and dig in the second half but it was a mismatch and GB ran away with the game. It’s important to note that despite being heavy favourites, obviously stronger and quite dominative GB showed us respect and displayed excellent spirit. There wasn’t any showboating and they punished when they could. We were surprised not to see them make the final later in the week.

Score: 1-15
MVP: David Ferris

Game Three: Italy
Another game that began close but fast breakside offence and a big front up force caused us problems throughout. The Italians became more relaxed as the game wore on and began treating it as a fun game. They are a good side and with their tails up we couldn’t keep with them. Added to that, the conditions were tough – high 20s/low 30s and no shade in sight. A frustrating game that we would’ve loved to replay.

Score: 3-15
MVP: Cathal Tuffy



After the games we had time to relax a little with a nice big feed (the dinners have been superb – pastas, meat, vegetables – everything you need after a tough day) before heading home to get ready for the Amusement Park! Yes, you read that correctly  We all showered, changed and of to Prater Amusement Park – a huge fun fair not far from the tournament HQ. We went on bumper cars, we got scared on rollercoasters (well, I didn’t, they scare me too much to go on them) and then found the go kart track. €4 for 3 minutes of racing each other in petrol-fuelled karts – genius! For the record, Orgy (Brian) is the fastest, Shimbo is the most dangerous (broke a wheel on his kart on lap one!) and Hogie (captain!) is the slowest. Well, him of Podge, hard to tell. I cant drive and apparently looked like a kid in sweet factory – full of smiles and excited. It was amazing. A fun night and good wind down after another day of heat, fights and lots of losses.