The University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee Lady Panther Rugby Football Club traveled to Ireland over winter break to tour and compete against local Irish teams. Their 11 day trip began on Jan. 9, when they flew from Chicago to Dublin.

Their first stop was in Belfast in Northern Ireland. The team stayed at Stranmillis University for the first six days of their trip. Their first match was against a combined team from Queens and Jordanstown University.

Despite a wet and muddy field from rain the night before the girls pulled through and won their match 20-15. Their second match that day was against Cooke University. This top division team was a tough match for the Panthers and though they put up a good fight, Cooke came out on top at the end, with a 10-0 win.

The next couple days provided the girls with a chance to do some site-seeing around Belfast as well as attend the first match of the Rugby Heineken Cup. There the girls got to see the men’s professional Ulster rugby team play, which was a real treat because the team donated a lot of money to the Lady Panthers for their trip to Ireland.

The Ulster men won the match and will continue on in the Heineken Cup. The girls also got to have a special training session with the Ulster men, which was definitely one of the highlights of the trip.

On Jan. 16, the team traveled to the town of Armagh, which is south of Belfast, but still in Northern Ireland. There they played a challenging match against Armagh University. Although they didn’t win, the girls enjoyed a fun after match with the Armagh team and spent the next day relaxing and exploring the city.

The final two days of their trip were spent in Dublin where they went on a tour of the Guinness Brewery and enjoyed the other sites and shopping that Dublin has to offer. On their last day the team got to play the Ireland National team, who were ranked 10th in the world going into the last World Cup.

The Ireland team had much more experience than the Lady Panthers and this match was by far the most challenging. The girls gave it their all, and even though they didn’t win the match provided a great learning opportunity.

The Lady Panthers headed back to the states on Jan. 20. Overall they played very well, gained priceless experience and made memories that will stay with them for the rest of their lives.

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