Tuesday, April 12, 2011
Sunday, April 10, 2011
Tour Blog- Chepstow-Stratford-Rugby-London
As we head towards the back straight of the tour we have started to see a few of the more sickly of the boys struggle to fight off a few nagging viruses. Jake left an impressive pavement pizza outside Millennium Stadium in Wales and Nick is walking very gingerly after many visits to various toilets throughout the UK. Look out his soon to be published traveller’s guide Bogs of the British Isles. As these two convalesced on the bus the rest of the group visited the site of the 1999 World Cup; the impressive Millennium Stadium in Cardiff. The tour of the stadium impressed on the boys the proud traditions of Welsh rugby as we visited the dressing rooms, national honour boards and press room and stood next to the hallowed turf of the pitch. Two Speeds Nishioka, sporting a rather fetching ginger moustache and eye catching peacock coloured dress( after a Kangaroo Court session), fittingly sat in the same chair as Queen Elizabeth does when she attends the rugby.
The match against Chepstow was our first one in wet conditions. Despite the sleet the boys played manfully and dominated their opposition. Forwards once again were able to secure possession and drive forward and our backs ran some good lines and held on to the ball in the slippery conditions. All Saints ran out winners to the tune of 26-12. The try scorers were Jordan White, Mitch White, Izaac Johnson, Dalton Cole and Luke Alker three conversions.
Special thanks must go to the Chepstow coach, Andy Clark whose hospitality and genuine rugby passion ensured a meaningful and memorable experience for the whole All Saints squad in this wonderful part of the UK.
We departed Chepstow and made our way to Shakespeare’s birthplace, Stratford-upon –Avon. On the way we made a quick stop at Tintern Abbey. Wordsworth’s words about this tranquil and beautiful Norman abbey are quite apt;
These beauteous forms
Through a long absence, have not been to me As is a landscape to a blind man's eye: But oft, in lonely rooms, and 'mid the din Of towns and cities, I have owed to them In hours of weariness, sensations sweet, Felt in the blood, and felt along the heart; And passing even into my purer mind, With tranquil restoration: -- feelings too Of unremembered pleasure: such, perhaps, As have no slight or trivial influence On that best portion of a good man's life, His little, nameless, unremembered, acts Of kindness and of love.
The boys were able to recharge their batteries a little during our stop over in Stratford upon Avon. With nothing planned, we explored the birthplace of Shakespeare at our leisure. Wayne, who seems to be a little indifferent about Cooky’s company these days, did a runner only to be found outside Shakespeare’s cottage. An emotional reunion transpired and we headed towards Rugby.
Gold Coast weather greeted us at Rugby as we visited the place where it all began. The boys were fortunate enough to have a tour of the historic Rugby School and a game of touch on Rugby Close where William Webb Ellis picked up a soccer ball and ran...no wonder everyone wanted to kill him! Mr Bale’s competitive streak was exemplified by a 30 metre footrace with the boys. Jack Jeffress showed some toe but after breaking at the start and manhandling other runners Mr Bale prevailed. Mr Nolan surely was just being sporting in not winning. Both have only stopped limping three days later. A friend of Mr Bale’s hosted us for lunch in the curiously named Cock Boarding House; the room could have been straight out of Dead Poet’s Society or Harry Potter. At this point our group is sounding like a touring party of emphysema patients barking and wheezing constantly. A questionable diet of processed pork, tomato sauce, chips and concentrated sugars might have something to do with this epidemic.
Kick off against Lawrence Sheriff was at 2:30 and conditions certainly favoured the tourists with wide azure skies and 23 degrees. After a very sluggish warm up and a cracking start by the local boys the All Saints team eventually woke up and at times, played some of their best rugby on the trip. The lines ran by the boys were incisive and direct and the forwards once again stood up and dominated a larger pack. The boys racked up 36 points to 17. Try scorers were; Daniel Browne, Brendan Solia, Dalton Cole, Jordan White, Kyle Alford and Daniel Reptis. Luke Alker; three conversions. We took off for London early the next morning. Dalton has obviously made a big impact on his mates here as the bus departed for London without him. Kim Chang, official tour head counter has a lot to answer for!
In London we have seen; Buckingham Palace , London Eye, Greenwich, Greece, China Town, Tower of London, the British Museum and a walk through one of Soho’s more lively districts. The boys looked like a prep class walking 4 abreast on the footpath in a very tight formation.
We are all exhausted and are looking forward to a Monopoly tube challenge Sunday morning before departing. See you all at home Tuesday.
Tuesday, April 5, 2011
Monday, April 4, 2011
Sunday, April 3, 2011
In Transit to Wales!
After an early departure from Durham, the tourists travelled around 700 kms south to the border town of Chepstow in south east Wales. On the way we stopped in near Birmingham to watch West Bromwich Albion take on Liverpool FC. The atmosphere was like State of Origin but a lot more dangerous. Liverpool fans only could only sit in a designated area surrounded by 40 police. As tempting as it was, the teachers resisted making the boys wear red shirts in the West Brom section and we even advised Lachlan to leave Wayne on the bus (Wayne was devastated). The passion that exuded from the fans was fanatical and in our case quite literal. Every time the gents behind us shouted obscenities at the opposition they showered us with sputum. Some of the insults were hilarious but cannot be repeated here! After the game (which was won by West Brom Baggies) we left the stadium and boarded the coach. We happened to be parked alongside the Liverpool fan coaches and as a result, received a police escort out to the main motorway. Many kind locals came out to wave us goodbye and wish us all the best with their middle fingers and other lurid gestures.
After nearly being sunburnt at the football match, we arrived in a very chilly Chepstow at around 7:30 and the boys departed with their billets. On Sunday we toured an old coal mine at Blaenarvon. The boys were told how the mines were the backbone of employment in this area but when the closed in the 1980s due to cheap coal imported from Australia, the local communities collapsed into cycles of unemployment, poverty and dependence on welfare. The boys were taken 100 metres under ground to a relatively shallow mine and exposed the hard toil performed by very tough and proud miners in times past. All the guides had worked in the mines before they were shut down and could talk about relatives and friends who had died in accidents or from the diseases brought on by inhaling coal dust. Conditions in the mines were obviously very cramped and all but Daniel Browne had to stoop in the various tunnels. (Daniel needed a booster seat at go karting too!)
The boys were able to attend a Magners League rugby fixture between the local Newport Dragons and Treviso from Italy. Eight internationals played and Newport ran out winners. Many thanks must go to Andy Clark from Chepstow for a cracking day.
The boys have adapted well to a constant rotation in billet families but a change in rooming arrangements with the teachers has turned a little sour. Updates will follow!
Friday, April 1, 2011
Game 3 - Durham, Holy Island
Mr Bale’s incoherent ramblings about all things English have finally subsided as we spend our third full day on English soil. Remarkably, we encountered our first rainy day on tour on the way to England. It certainly made our visit to Holy Island and Lindisfarne atmospheric and we could imagine St Cuthbert and the monks shivering within the freezing walls of the priory and ever wary of attacks from Vikings and other marauding tribes. Due to the tides that flood the causeway to Holy Island, the touring party could take two extra hours to rest their battered bodies and Mr Bale some time to reflect on how he got his reading of the tide times so wrong.
Leaden skies accompanied us all the way to the Northumbrian capital of Durham or Der-Ham as some of the less astute members of the touring party might pronounce this. Once again, the boys met their gracious host families from the Durham school and later enjoyed some Nando’s and time to wander this beautiful cathedral and university town with their billets. Wayne is still spending all of his time with Izaac and by his current form, will spend a few more days in Izaac’s company.
The next morning the Durham teachers showed us around the Harry Potteresque Durham School. It boasts the fifth oldest rugby club in the world and a chapel that commemorates the school’s Old Boys who fell in the Great War and World War Two. Later that morning, we took the boys to a local go karting track to sort the men from the boys. Mr Golder’s sluggish form around the course earned him last place out of thirty drivers. Two Speeds Nishioka wasn’t much quicker and managed to collide with every barrier and other driver on the track; we all should be wary if he ever manages to earn his Ps in the years to come. Izaac spent 10 minutes wedged under twenty tyres and needed five track officials to pull him out. Daniel Browne and Mr Bale proved the most aggressive drivers and our tour leader was the only driver to manage to get red-carded on the day. Kane’s speed on the rugby pitch was emulated on the kart track as he recorded the fastest lap.
Blue skies greeted us as we arrived back at Durham School for a three o’clock kick off. The starting team has been affected by a growing injury list and as a gallant Kane Fitzgerald left the field with a fractured wrist, our lack of backline depth was further exposed. The All Saints team managed to secure around 70% of the possession but failed to score points. Being camped in the opposition’s 22 for multiple phases on three separate occasions only yielded three length of the field tries to the Durham boys. Basic deficiencies in catching, drawing and passing and maintaining sufficient depth lost us a game that we should have won. On a positive note our scrum was the best it has been and even shunted our opposition back for the first time on tour. Kim Chang’s and Nick Stephen’s rapid improvement in this area was crucial to the scrum holding its own. Jake Power scored one try and Luke Alker one conversion as we went down 19-7. Mr Nolan took Kane and Matt to the hospital and Kane has had surgery on his wrist. Both are now back with the touring party.
On Friday the boys explored the cathedral that houses the remains of St Cuthbert and St Bede. Built by the Normans 900 years ago to stamp their authority on the region, the cathedral is still the most imposing of structures. Dalton, Hiro, Daniel and the teachers ascended the 350 stairs to the top of the cathedral. Fortunately for Mr Golder, this toil was successfully sidestepped as he kept a bedside vigil at the hospital with Kane. Lachlan Cook has mastered the Geordie accent in our short stay. Tomorrow we head towards Wales and attend West Bromwich versus Liverpool on the way.