After leaving Ayr the tourists headed to the east coast and the brooding Scottish capital, Edinburgh. We checked into the YHA and took a stroll towards Princess St. James White showed a more flamboyant side when he paid a visit to one of the more theatrical districts of Edinburgh on the way. Izaac Johnson had a heart felt reunion with Wayne after he was abducted from the YHA toilet. In the evening the boys went underground in the old town on a guided tour of Edinburgh vault; an area that had been lost for hundreds of years and rediscovered in the 1980s. The guide was able to tell us about various gruesome executions, punishments and the devastating effects of the plague. This proved inspirational for the coaching staff that later convened the first sitting of the Kangaroo Court. Misdemeanours such as lack of punctuality, slow wittedness and the inability to keep possession of gear were dealt with swiftly by the Honourable Judge Golder. As a result, the folk outside Edinburgh Castle and along the Royal Mile were entertained by the Australian Rugby Boys’ Choir and the All Saints break dancing posse led by a more than capable Kane Fitzgerald and an enthusiastic Jack Boenke.

After the castle tour we headed to North Berwick Rugby Club and had a decent two hour training session to work on our scrum and backline cohesion in particular. Mr Golder and Mr Nolan showed they have lost none of their skills in a devastating five minute rugby rampage and are now just starting to walk without noticeable limps. The boys were picked up by their billet families and spent their first night in the beautiful North Berwick.

The next day we headed back to Edinburgh for shopping and sightseeing. Later that day we prepared for the second tour game against North Berwick. Brett and Sharon Boenke were a welcome addition to Jim, our bus driver on the sidelines as members of the All Saints supporters’ group. The locals proved a very physical and abrasive opponent; just the challenge our boys required. After twenty minutes scores were level at seven apiece but as our injury toll grew and the North Berwick boys ground on, they were able to open up a significant lead. To our credit, the boys maintained intensity in defence and the physical contest right until the final whistle. Many boys finished the game playing in unfamiliar positions but showed Australian ticker and never gave up. Jake Power and Jack Boenke were our try scorers and Luke Alker slotted two conversions. The final score was 32-14 to North Berwick.

Many thanks go to the North Berwick coach, Dougy Walsh, club stalwart Ken McCauley and the billet families for their warm hospitality. We really appreciate the way they have embraced comparative strangers from across the world. We have much to learn from the club culture and tradition demonstrated in Scotland.

Mr Bales’s absurd diatribes about English sporting prowess and the temperate English climate are increasing and signal our proximity to the English border. The boys are sore and weary and Izaac has his passport ready for the border crossing as we head for England and the sacred ground of Lindisfarne and Durham later today. Thanks for following the blog and please keep posting your comments. Thanks Neil McCallum; we have booked Jazz in for some counselling when we return to All Saints!

Edinburgh Shenanigans

Good Morning parents

We will follow up with an written update very soon.

Story 2 - more adventures

Game 1 vs Ayr

Day 3 - Glasgow

Saturday 27th March

After resting weary bodies and sore limbs the boys looked refreshed as we met at Ayr Rugby Clubready for a day in Glasgow. The wonderful hospitality of our hosts has humbled the boys. Mr Bale commented at the post match get together at the rugby club that the welcome that players receive at rugby clubs around the world is one of the magic aspects of our game. Thank you to the people of Ayr; we hope we can reciprocate your hospitality on the Gold Coast one day.

The boys had a few hours in Glasgow to take in the sites and do some shopping. Nick Gentle and Lachlan Power proved the canniest of bargain hunters travelling thousands of kilometres across the world to one of Britain’s great cities to purchase Queensland State of Origin jerseys. Dalton made two special friends introducing Wayne. Jordan Weir picked up a free Hare Krishna CD for a mere $5 donation! Kyle Alford gets the award for the tourist who could most easily blend in with the locals.

At three we watched the Ayr Seniors play the Glasgow Hawks who seemed to be fielding a couple of extras from Braveheart. Moree raised Damien Kelly or Skippy captained the Ayr boys to a fine win. Mr Golder started reminiscing about the glory days and how he might be able to carve the Hawks up himself. Unfortunately he would have no chance in pushing big Skippy off the wing so he could seagull there himself. The infectious, sheep like call of Ayrrrrrr the boys invented I’m sure will be utilised by local supporters in the future.

The first sitting of the Kangaroo Court will be held today as we proceed to Edinburgh. There should be no shortage of candidates as the unwarranted confusion at pick up time distinguished some of the duller tools in the touring toolbox. Messers Weir, Reptis, Power and Power are a concern.

Scorers from the first game are as follows;

Try Scorers;

Daniel Reptis 3

Rory Hannagan 1

Jordan White 1

Luke Alker 4 conversions

Photo Story

Day 2 - Laggan Outdoor Centre & Game 1 Ayr Rugby Club

All boys arrived at the Ayr Rugby Club rested and well at home with their billets this morning; Hiro and Matt particularly so, after a night in a castle! The boys went to Laggan Outdoor Centre through amazing countryside, electro-static roads and warm milky sunshine, and were able to take part in archery, clay-pigeon shooting, sledging (not the verbal kind) and reverse four-wheel driving. Lachlan Cook proved a very careful driver and Jazz and Lachlan Power accomplished archers. Jake Power’s relationship with his Pokemon has yielded results; his coordination with gun and bow was unsurpassed and he proved his ability to live off the land if necessary. Wayne was unfortunately rushed to hospital with severe internal injuries after he was brutally run over after being flung from his sledge travelling at over 2mph; thankfully the car crash forced social services to re-evaluate his carers and has since moved to Dalton Cole.

Despite one or two travel sick tummies, the boys tore into the evening game with much enthusiasm. Faced with temperatures of just 4 degrees, All Saints fared well against a considerably larger pack and finished the first third one try ahead after Nicholas Gentle & Jake Power punished a tardy backline defence with some breath-taking attacking breaks through the middle.

In the second 25 minute period, Ayr started strongly and began to exert in a number of key areas. The scrum began to take a battering, missed tackles and energy sapping mauls took its toll and saw Ayr dominate proceedings. Our own inability to win first phase ball and numerous simple ball handling errors saw Ayr capitalise on easy field position. ‘Ball killing’ tactics in the ruck were greeted with some fiery northern hemisphere ruck action to the bodies of numerous ASAS players; this made for some interesting dialogue during the game! Despite the onslaught, All Saints worked hard to keep the score to a respectable 17-10 after 50 minutes.

A rousing end of half speech from Golder saw a complete role reversal; a re-invigorated pack met the muscle from Ayr with vengeance and worked hard to secure first phase set-piece in the scrum and lineout. Men running hard in numbers to the ball gave James White plenty of options at half back and for the first time in the game, the Ayr pack struggled with the sheer pace of the Saints ball runners and toiled backwards for long periods. In particular, Daniel Reptis enjoyed a fine third exploiting the tired Ayr defence finishing with three well worked tries whilst Kane Fitzgerald showed his worth in typical fashion with some bone crunching defence and even a side step to avoid a collision! A final score line of 33 – 22 does not reflect the intensity of the game but considering the travel, time zone difference and cooler playing conditions, Saints can be delighted with their first win on tour! It is very important to secure a first win on tour and despite not playing anywhere near their best, a win is still a win!

A 2 course meal and presentation from coaches and captains followed the game. All members of the touring party were blown away by the hospitality displayed by not only the billets but the Ayr Rugby Club. Man of the match awards were presented to Daniel Reptis and Jake Power and accompanying that, Ayr bestowed gifts of their club training shirts, in a gesture that truly exceeds the typical boundaries of good will. It never ceases to amaze me how such generosity can be shown by what can only be described as strangers through only a common passion for rugby. We have been truly overawed by the welcome we have received at Ayr and have enjoyed every minute of out stay thus far.

Today, we will nurse any minor injuries and then travel back to Glasgow where we will watch Ayr as they take on Glasgow Hawks in a local derby. We will also have lunch in the CBD explore a few more of the local attractions. Until tomorrow, enjoy the video and log in again soon.

Video and photos of yesterdays game will be uploaded soon.

Video 1

Tour Diary 1 - In Transit

Tourists in Transit-Day 1

The languid Brisbane sun glared through the glass at the Airport and illuminated a very dapper touring group. The boys’ immaculate dress attracted the attention of other patrons at the airport and was a credit to the All Saints Community. Luckily they did not witness Luke Alker’s spelling of Astralia on his departure card or Mr Bale’s rousing speech to a mirrored reflection of the team. His authority still remains unquestioned despite this ludicrous error.

Last night our touring party enjoyed the company of the All Saints French Tour before landing in the busy and cosmopolitan Dubai Airport. Some of the boys displayed remarkable aptitude to sleeping in awkward positions and managed a few hours of sleep on the way. Being Rugby lads, it was imperative that no physical contact should occur whist sleeping. Many slept bolt upright and with one eye open as a consequence.

The allure of duty free shopping was too hard to resist for some; Jake Power is now the proud father of a Pokémon DSI game. The brightly coloured and jaunty moving images kept him thoroughly occupied on the Dubai to Glasgow leg of the trip. Mr Nolan flaunted hid single status by purchasing state of the art headphones on which to listen to any type of music that matches his RM Williams boots.

Mr Golder had a close scrape in customs with his swollen bag of exfoliating cream and other such manly products and Izaac Johnson attracted the attention of security officials resulting in an explosives check.

Two speeds Nishioka was the first tourist to lose his passport for a very nervous 20 minutes and as a result is now tending to Wayne the Wombat, thankfully, with a fresh pair of underpants. Kim was relieved to hand over marsupial duty of care at this juncture.

Our lost property update after the first 24 hours includes; one identity and emergency contact card; one beanie and two school ties. All items may be purchased at bargain prices on our return.

A stupidity log is being maintained throughout the tour and is obviously occupying a significant amount of time at this point. Harsh but fair punishment will be metered out for the more absurd offences by a quickly convened Kangaroo Court. Damian Boulton packing over 60kg into 3 full size suitcases and forgetting numerous items of tour apparel will be high on the agenda.

Departure - now!

Bags are packed, travel mode is making QCS training very irritable for the tourists and long studs have been purchased for the boggy terrain in the U.K. The boys are all amped up for some big games against some big boys after our convincing first win over Ormiston College last Friday, by the sounds of the boys singing ‘we’re not gonna take it’, by the Twisted Sisters on the trip home from Brisbane we are in for one interesting tour. Thus far, Bale has called out to the boys in a mirror, Two Speeds has lost his passport, Izaac was checked for explosives, Golder pack his exfoliating pack and Wayne has been introduced to numerous people. There is the last call for flight EX435 - Im excited, lookout Dubai!

Passport Check

Gents, before you leave home in the morning, please ENSURE you have your valid passport amongst your gear!!

One More Sleep

Here we go boys, Pack your bags (Don't forget your toothbrush).  Don't forget to leave space in your bags for presents for your parents and favourite teachers.  Good luck   Be safe.  Listen to Mr Bale.  :o)