Orphans take shine to tourists

Irish rugby players were an immediate hit when they visited a Bucharest orphanage yesterday.

Emerging Ireland skipper Dominic Ryan and colleague Michael Bent visited an orphanage that houses several hundred children along with two other players from the remaining teams in the IRB Nations Cup.

The Irish met around 50 youngsters aged between three and 15 and were taken with the reception as they handed out small gifts.

It was the light side to a 10-day sojourn in Bucharest where all the emphasis has been on rugby.

Manager Joey Miles explained: “They brought in these kids and it was remarkable. They’re all local Romanian orphans, some of whom are up for adoption within Europe.

“I met one sweet little girl of only about three and she is looking for parents. They were lovely kids.

“The Romanian players were there and explained to the kids what us guys were about and what we do.

“They all, for some reason, gravitated to the Irish players and that was delightful. We spent an hour with them and overall it was heartening.”