Ex-Fede Awaits Arrivals from Swords!

By Robin Kiely

SWORDS RFC fly out to Mallorca this week for their annual end of season tour and welcoming them will be a South American ‘old boy' of sorts. While Leinster fans continue to marvel at the wonder that is Felipe Contepomi, folk connected with the old Aer Lingus side still talk about the impact of another Argentinian playmaker.

Fede Sarnovich graced the playing pitches of ALSAA for three seasons at the turn of the decade and is looking forward to reacquainting with his old team mates. It was an injury, sustained ironically at the Airport ground, that led to Fede pulling on the green and navy shirt. ‘I played five minutes of sevens rugby for DIT at ALSAA before tearing my left knee ligaments,' Fede remembers. ‘It was my first five minutes of rugby in Ireland. ‘I limped for some months around Dublin's pubs and when I was fine to play again I asked some people if they knew any club in the north side, as I had settled down in Santry.

‘I think I asked five or six guys and all of them told me to go to Aer Lingus RFC. ‘Good people and a decent level' was the usual comment and that was enough for me.' The club may compete under a different name these days, but the camaraderie, player-oriented ethos and touring tradition remain to this day.

Many of Fede's former teammates still line out for the side today, including coach Tony Lawless and current president and outhalf, Richie Cowman, who will more than likely mark his ex-colleague. Indeed, Fede took the number 10 jersey from Cowman on a couple of occasions, as the cold weather took its toll on the South American.

‘I've always played fullback and I was handed the number 15 shirt for some games, but I froze up in the Irish winter,' Fede continued. ‘So I told the captain about some previous days of glory as an outhalf. I had some chances there, but my lie was soon discovered!'

Fede also had the added responsibility of place kicking, and while some of his efforts were ‘marvellous', as always, it was ‘the one that got away' that still sticks in his and his Swords mates' minds. ‘Everybody remembers one at Seapoint. We scored a late try under the posts to draw a hard game.

‘I kissed the ball, placed it on the tee and missed the posts by four or five metres on the left. I've tried to reproduce that kick many times, but I couldn't.' These days, Fede lines out for Rugby Club Ponent, a multinational side based in Palma, who will face Swords next week. Ponent are currently in the play-offs for the Spanish Second Division - equivalent to Leinster J1 - so the tourists can expect a tough battle.

That said, with high temperatures forecast, it is the off-field action that Swords and their host are most looking forward to. ‘I am looking forward to the boys coming over, but my girlfriend doesn't share my joy,' joked Fede. Looking back to his days ‘in the green', Fede remembers them fondly. ‘From a social approach, it was time spent with great people I met at the club. From the sport side of the story, I remember the Winters Cup quarter-final against Terenure and the final against Belvedere at Donnybrook.

‘We lost, but we fought hard until the end.' In recent years, Swords have travelled as far as San Francisco, San Diego, Newcastle and Edinburgh, and a trip to Dallas is already on the cards for next season. As the Greens begin to pack their bags, bound for the Spanish sun, they will surely have a few special deliveries for their own ‘Fede-ex'.