Quill hoping Eagles move will be a feather in his cap

On the same day two Southern Hemisphere products turned to Ireland for international rugby exposure, an East Cork 22-year-old was belting out the Star Spangled Banner to mark his debut for the US Eagles after slipping through the net at home.

Youghal’s John Quill upped and left Ireland early in May after failing to impress Munster enough to win a professional contract. Like New Zealander Michael Bent and South African Richardt Strauss coming from the other direction, it has already paid dividends.

Quill, who qualifies through his American mother Eileen, was supported by video evidence and encouraged by coaching staff at Dolphin, who rated him highly in his two full seasons with the club. He sent his CV to Eagles head coach Mike Tolkin and the outcome was that he was offered a trial which led to his selection on the US “A” team, winning the first of two caps at that level against Canada and Argentina a month ago.