Emmet Riordantalks to King's Hospital's young star from Honduras who will be looking to win the Senior League final against St Gerard's of Bray at Templeville Road this afternoon.
FROM SECOND base on the baseball diamonds of Honduras to second centre on the rugby fields of Ireland, Ariel Robles has made a long journey in his young sporting life.
Brought up in the seaside town of La Sieba in the Central American country, the King’s Hospital student played football and baseball, his speed and hand-eye co-ordination helping him excel at the latter.
As an 11-year-old he represented Honduras at Under-13 level at an international tournament in Guatemala, before moving to Ireland a year later.
His skill with stick and ball first saw him excel on the hockey pitch for KH, but rugby eventually won him over.
Installed at fullback, Robles could use all his natural speed to great effect, while he quickly got used to the rough and tumble of a game that was alien to him at first.
“I didn’t know about rugby until I came over here but I think I have adapted pretty well,” admits the 18-year-old Leaving Cert student, who has made the move to centre in his senior year at the school.
“I played fullback for five years, this is my first year playing centre. I always wanted to be a centre, they have a big impact on the game. This year I got a chance to do it, so it’s good.”
Although King’s Hospital went out in the first round of the Leinster Senior Cup, beaten 20-10 by Gonzaga, the Palmerstown school will be looking to record a third victory in the Senior League final when they take on St Gerard’s of Bray at Templeville Road this afternoon (3pm).
Robles opened the scoring in their win over CBC Monkstown in the semi-final replay, showing his pace on the artificial pitch at Belfield to run in under the posts as they went on to secure a 22-7 victory.
Robles is joined in the King’s Hospital side by the talented South African-born brothers Peter and Brian Du Toit as they go in search of a first Senior League since 1997 and he believes the pair will play a key role this afternoon.
“Peter and Brian are both terrific players. We’ve trained hard, so there’s a good vibe going around about the game.”
Robles still keeps in touch with his baseball buddies back in Honduras, although he admits it’s a tough job trying to explain the finer points of a scrum or lineout to them.
“They find it a bit complicated, a bit odd with just a bunch of people running around and hitting each other. But they’re all happy for me that I’m doing well,” says Robles, who admits he has fallen in love with rugby since his arrival in Ireland.
“I like everything about it really, I’m a real sporty person and I would like to continue playing rugby when I finish in school.”
And although rugby’s standing in Honduras may be on a par with baseball in this country, he hasn’t ruled out the possibility of passing on his knowledge some time in the future.
“I haven’t really thought about it, but it would be quite nice.”
