Eagle Impact Rugby Academy kicks off its hugely ambitious summer with a two-game series in Ontario this week.

EIRA is a program started by former High School All-American head coach Salty Thompson, with the backing of Robin Reid, and was designed first of all to help players develop basic skills by running a regular series of basic skills sessions. 

That grew into finding the best of those players involved to create select sides. Now what we have is a de-facto national development touring side. And while several other programs do something similar, nobody does it to the scale of EIRA. There are EIRA regional teams (Midwest, Southern California) and teams that draw from around the country.

This team in Ontario is the latter—close to a national-level U19 team that will take on Ontario U19s in two games this week.

The full squad is below.

The EIRA program will also tour British Columbia in early July, playing the BC U6s and U17s. The EIRA U18s will travel to play BC a few days later, plus a touring school from New Zealand. 

Meanwhile, another EIRA group is set to tour Ireland in July, playing teams at the U16 and U17 level from Connacht, Leinster, and Ulster. And they're not done. Late July sees a four-team trip back to Ontario to return to the University of Guelph. There, EIRA U15s, U16s, U17s, and U18s will play their Ontario counterparts.

Overall, even before EIRA sends a team to the NAI 7s, Eagle Impact will have fielded 10 different teams to play 20 games against international opposition. It will be, with the NAI 7s, experience for about 250 players.

"It's a stretch," EIRA coach Brendan Keane said. "But if you don't stretch and test your muscles, they won't get stronger."

Here is the full roster: