The flight was a somewhat tedious affair given the lack of personal entertainment available to passengers beyond ''First Class''. A total of 8 hours sleep was achieved by the party as a whole during the flight between bouts of wriggling and consumption of immodium in some key areas.
TUESDAY 20th JULY (DAY 2)
(We are currently having probs uploading photos but will hopefully have this sorted out by tomorrow evening)
WEDNESDAY 21st JULY (DAY 3)
1st match up was the U14 A team who understandably started nervously. A try after 15mins from Sam Dudson settled the nerves and allowed UCC to dominate the game despite a strong opposition pack. Further tries came from Ryan Banks, Jamie McNaughton and Joel Braidwood which saw the final score finish 20-0 to UCC and, despite some chances going begging, a very pleasing win in the first game. Man of the match award was a tough call with honourable mentions going to Sam Borgogno for his superb lineout work and Sam Dudson for his sheer commitment but for his tireless work in the loose the honours went to Ryan Banks.
Next up were the U14 B team who had a strange start to their game. An early try from Issac Hill seemed to get us off to a great start but within 2 minutes of the whistle Captain Jamie Dobinson fell awkardly on his shoulder. A trip to hospital and an x-ray confirmed a fractured collar bone and an obvious massive disappointment for Jamie who has worked so hard for the tour; he will maintain his duties as Captain in future games but will have to influence the game from the sideline. To his credit Jamie didn't seem to feel any pain and is determined to make the most of the other aspects of the tour; the mark of a true Rugby tourist. Unfortunately loosing their Captian had a hugely detremental effect on the B team and by half time they found themselves 20-5 down. A stern half time talk saw a new team front up in the second half and UCC finally started played some excellent rugby resulting in tries from Jevan Mason, Olly McGeorge and a further 4 from Issac Hill. Josh Simpson slotted a further 3 conversions to confirm a superb turn around victory of 41-14 to UCC. Man of the match went to Issac Hill for his excellent 5 tries.
The final match of the day was the U15 game. UCC were very fired up and scored almost immediately with an Aaron Kingswood pick and drive try. Parrel Vallei showed the strength of their pack by scoring an almost identical try at the other end to level the score. This was the shock UCC needed and allowed them to settle down and play some fast, running rugby. Further tries came from Chris Jackson, Chris Nicholson, Josh Dowson, Johny Bainbridge and a superb hatrick from Cam Harris along with 6 out of 8 conversions from Ryan Martion to make the final score 52-14 to UCC. Man of the match was another tough call with honourable mentions going to Dan Richardson, Johny Bainbridge and Chris Watson but the honours had to go to Seth Norcott for his tireless hard work and commitment to the team.
Following the matches, our students were treated to a fantastic local drumming experience where everyone was allowed to join in followed by match presentations and a fantastic braii which left all the lads stuffed. The students then returned back to their host families for the second night of their first South African billet whilst the teachers waited in anticipation for the elusive taxi driver "Tingo" to return them to their hotel in Capetown - the back of an old pickup truck eventually helped the 8 bodies needing to return to the hotel, solving the dilema of the 4 seater taxi that eventually turned up an hour and a half late thanks to Mr Threlkeld's questionable organisational skills!!!!
THURSDAY 22nd JULY (DAY 4)
Another beautiful day beckoned in Capetown as we headed to the picturesquel ''Hout Bay'' for the brief boat trip round ''Seal Island''. The sea was as flat as a pancake, (much to Mr Ellery's relief) for the 1 hour visit. Mr Threlkeld enjoying a ''Titanic'' moment at the prow of the ex-trawler, as the wind wipped the sea into his beaming face. The students then disembarked to the sound of traditional drumming and hawking of wares by the streat traders eager to ply their trade to 53 excited and pocket money laden UCC students. Little did they expect the haggling skills of ones so young . . . . . . . . . . .
The next stage of the trip saw the party head via Chapmans Peak, to Simon's town and the destination of ''Boulder Beach'' and the native penguin colony. This was followed by a stop at a restaurant on the beach at Fishhoek (for some lunch this seeming to be the most attractive part of the day !).
The afternoon brought a check in to the ''DeWaal - Garden Court Hotel'' in downtown Capetown. Within 10 minutes of arriving the boys shocked the coat wearing staff by gracing the outdoor pool in significant numbers. They simply couldn't believe people would willingly go for dip outside in winter on a 'chilly' 20 degree day.
The boys are currently 'enjoying/abusing' the ''all you can eat'' buffet in the hotel restaurant, perhaps the hotel staff could be in for yet another shock . . . . . . . . . . . . .
FRIDAY 23rd JULY (DAY 5)
After a full breakfast at the hotel the touring party boarded the coaches and headed to Langa township where we enjoyed an escorted tour of the townships four different types of development. The visit was certainly an education as the boys experienced the sounds, sights and smells of the local culture. Following the tour we were treated to a superb lunch at Lelapa Cafe (formerly Sheila's Cafe) accompanied by some amazing local music which left everyone to the point of bursting! After lunch we headed to Excelsior High School for our second round of matches.
1st up were the U14b team who faced some extremely athletic and determined opposition. For much of the game UCC held their own but struggled to contain the opposiitions pace men who ran in 5 tries. Issac Hill scoring the only try for UCC to leave the final score 35-5 to Excelsior. Man of the match went to Captain Ged Key who led by example with a huge work rate and continual determination to the cause. Olly Tallis also had an excellent game.
Next match on was the U14a team who had the benefit of watching the previous game and could structure their game accordingly. Playing a year older than them, the UCC team fronted up superbly against an obviously bigger team and actually dominated up front. Keeping the ball away from the pace out wide of the oppositon, UCC made slow but steady pressure round the fringes which pulled in more defence allowing us to spin the ball wide and attack via the backs. The game was extremely close with Excelsior scoring first to make it 5-0 and then UCC replied through Ryan Banks to leave it at 5-5 at half time. Despite alot of UCC pressure, the Excelsior defence held strong and the second half finished without further score. Final score was a hard fought 5-5 draw. Man of the match could have gone to anyone of the lads who all were superb but Sam Borgogno showed massive courage and work rate to scoop the honours.
Final match of the day was the U15 who were playing Excelsior U16's. Unfortunately this game was runied by a very one sided ref who failed to grasp the concept of the offside line when it came to the opposition. To the credit of UCC we kept our heads (on the whole!) and perserved with an almost impossible task. Tries came from Josh Dowson (2), Chris Jackson and Cam Harris along with a conversion from Ryan Martin. Unfortunately Excelsior were well organised and athletic and ran their own tries. This, along with the dubious ref, left the final score at 22-32 in Excelsior's favour which left our boys very upset and emotional. Man of the match was a very deserved Dan Richardson who carried ball and hit rucks all afternoon.
After the fixtures we were all treated to a sit down meal at the school where match presentations were carried out before returning to the hotel for a well earned rest.
SATURDAY 24th JULY (DAY 6)
SUNDAY 25th JULY (DAY 7)
At Hermanus the boys and staff wandered around the town and took lunch at the quayside whilst scanning the bay for whales....
After lunch we boarded the coaches for a nearby sandy beach where the boys stripped down to their shorts (much to the amusement of the locals who were walking their dogs whilst decked out in their winter finery due to the 'excessively cold 24 degrees !?!). The chaps then proceeded to play 30 a side rugby across the beach, much to the angst of a few local families trying to enjoy a sunday picnic and quality time with their children !
MONDAY 26th JULY (DAY 8)
We were rudely awoken at 6.45 this morning by the hotel telephone service and the group slowly staggered across the hotel campus towards the breakfast room for the full buffet service. Temperatures were much cooler than Cape Town as we are up in the Stellenbosch hills and we certainly felt a little cold for the first time on tour !! This mornings unlucky recipient of the 'Special Award' was a certain Juhn Errington who had disgraced himself at the previous hotel (enough said !). After brekky we made our way by coach to the centre of Stellenbosch to the Rugby Academy where we were met by the coaches... The boys were split into three or four groups and spent the rest of the morning skills training. We retired at midday for a pasta and salad lunch at the hotel before setting off for our third set of fixtures at Swartland High School.
The 'special award' was officially handed over at the start of the journey and Aaron Kingswood gratefully took the baton and appeared to be more than happy to slip on the pink gear. Most of the chaps then dutifully fell asleep on the 1 hour coach ride to Swartland which is in the Western Cape and set in beautiful rural scenery. When we arrived we were amazed and stunned with the facilities at the school and the first team pitch and stadium would grace any rugby club in the UK. First team on at 3pm was trhe U14B who were raring to go after the frustrations of last week. The pack quickly asserted themselves and Jevan Mason scored within the first 5 minutes. This was followed by two good individual tries by Sam Dudson and a fourth by Steven Cherry who was dominant in his fly half role today.... In the second half Joe Westerman and Steve Crewe both went over with none of the tries being converted the final score was 30 points to nil and a fine win for the boys... Man of the match deservedly went to Brad Quail who was immense in his ball carrying duties at Number 8.
Next game on was the U14A's which kicked off at 4pm as the temperatures started to drop... The forward encounter was very tight with no quarter given as the rucks were very keenly contested. The first half saw neither side score until the penultimate minute when the Swartland boys touched down out wide to make the score 5-0 at the interval... The second half saw both sides enjoying long spells of posession but tghe inventive home side scored a further two tries from kick nd chase opportunities to make the final score 19-0 to Swartland High with the UCC player of the match Fraser Warren for his tireless efforts in the back row..
Final match on at 5pm in the main arena was the U15 game which promised to be a thriller with the UCC boys looking to get back to winning ways after last Friday.. We kicked off and Swartland forwards dominated the early contact situations and kept posession well feeding their very impressive half backs. The fly half probed the UCC defence with some searching kicks and one cross field chip was enough to put their right wing into the corner for the opening score... 5-0 to the home side... Within the next fifteen minutes the second row and full back for Swartland had crashed over to make the score 15-0 which was a fair score given the dominance of the home side... The UCC boys got together and Ryan Martin and one or two other voices 'rallied the troops' and this appeared to have an immediate effect on the boys who responded with some strong forward play and great continuity to allow Josh Dowson to score in the left corner and Ryan Martin converted tomake the score 15-7. The UCC barrage continued and after many phases of play and posession, Scott Lancasterburst through two tackles to make yhe core 15-12.... At half time we agreed that the game was there for the taking if the momentum could be maintained. The second half was a tremendous battle and not for the faint hearted as either side pressed their respective opposition goal kines... Then from a scrum in the Swartland 22 Dan Richardson broke left and ghosted over and scored under the posts and with a Ryan Martin conversion the score moved on to 19-15. The final 15 minutes saw the home side press the UCC line with a succession of penalties but the most passionate and resolute defence held firm and the final whistle a]saw the UCC chaps delirious with happiness and celebrations lasted some time after the whistle... A great game which brought out the best in both sides.... After the matches the Swartland staff heald a Braai for the UCC party in the rooms above the stadium and at 8pm the touring party headed back to Stellenbosch and the Protea Hotel to prepare for the flight to Jo'Burg and the next stage of our adventure in SA....
TUESDAY 27th JULY (DAY 9)
Another glorious day today, even at 7am when we all had to be up for breakfast prior to the 11am flight from Capetown to Johannesburg. Issac Hill had the pleasure of the pink outfit today, punishment for forgetting his No 1's at yesterdays fixture. After a smooth checkin onto flight SA326 the touring party injoyed an hour looking round the shops in Capetown airport prior to boarding what turned out to be a fairly bumpy flight to Jo'Berg, much to Mr Ellery's delight! Upon landing we collected our baggage and met our new coach drivers who transported us to Eldoraigne High School where we were able to enjoy watching the local U14, U15, U16 and 1st XV sides play before meeting our new hosts and departing for an early night in preparation for an early start at school tomorrow . . . 7.30am!
WEDNESDAY 28th JULY (DAY 10)
The staff and students met at school at the unusually early time of 7.30am and checked the welfare of a few of our slightly ill boys who were complaining of a poor tum and headache. We then played a little social softball on the school playing fields befroe boarding the coaches at 9.30am and heading for Pretoria Zoo. On arrival we enjoyed n informative and educational talk/guide to the zoo before wandering around the very extensive grounds to meet all of the inmates. Meanwhile Mr Threlkeld was enjoying his birthday present, namely an hors ride on a golf buggy around the tracks of the zoo. We dined at the restaurant in the site and then headed back to school to prepare for our games v Eldoraigne. Having listened to the chat about their squad's season (particularly the U14 outfit who were ranked in the top 6 in SA) the boys were a little intrepid about the forthcoming challenge. The rumours were accurate and UCC found themselves having to defend against an extremely well drilled, athletic and pacey side. Despite superb heart from the UCC lads, who never once let their heads drop, the Eldo side proved too strong and finished the match 72 points to the good. UCC were unlucky not to score on a couple of occassions but unfortunately couldn't penetrate the Eldo defence. Final score 72-0 to the home side. Man of the match went to Jamie McNaughton for his tireless defence. Next on were the U15's who were set on avenging the U14 defeat !! The Eldo side were again very impressive displaying power and pace and tremendous organisation. At half time the scoreline was 5-0 to the home side which was furthered by another try early in the second half. Cameron Harris responded with a long range score evading two would be tacklers. Eldo finished the game with a flourish and scored one final try to make the final score 17-5. Man of the match for UCC was Cameron Harris !! Afterwards the boys returned with their very generous hosts whilst the staff enjoyed fine hospitality with the home staff. Breakfast the following morning was to prove a real challenge at 6.30am !!
THURSDAY 29th JULY (DAY 11)
The party left for Lesedi Cultural village at 8am. Waving a fond farewell to our hosts amidst yawns and bleary eyes. The journey gave the boys a chance to see the vastly different countryside of Gautang Province. The village was entertaining and gave the party explanations of the last few centuries of South African history upto and through the apartheid era and upto the present day. The film and dance shows were entertaining, as was the walk throught the main 4 tribal villages, though the visitors were particularly excited by the performance of Steve Hather when challenged to a bout of traditional ''stick fighting'', he promptly stripped to the waist before setting about the local expert with gusto, to gasps of admiration from ourselves and the coach load of Korean tourists treated to the display.
From Lesedi we headed on to Alan Glen High School in Roodepoort North West of Jo'burg, where our boys were met for their last billet.
FRIDAY 30th JULY (Day 12)
The staff met up with the students at Allen Glen HS at 8am and headed off towards Gold Reef City Theme park. En route we stopped at a shopping mall allowing the students for another shopping opportunity and then headed onto Gold Reef City to enjoy some superb rides in a deserted theme park due to the (cold?!) weather. After the fun and games of the theme park we boarded the coaches and headed back to Allen Glen for our final rugby fixtures. U14s were up first and after the disappointment of Wednesdays' game were desperate to finish on a high. The first twenty minutes UCC started slow but soon settled into their stride and played some excellent flowing rugby. Tries came from Tom Coulthard, Ryan Banks, Brendan Ferguson, Liam Robinson, Issac Hill, Olly McGeorge, Steve Cherry and 3 conversions from Sam Dudson saw the final score 41-10 to UCC - a fantastic performance by the U14s to finish a superb tour. All the boys did themselves proud and todays Man of the Match could have gone to anyone of the squad but for his excellent work at No6 it had to go to JJ Key who has played excellently all tour.
At 5.30pm as the sun set over Jo'Burg in the background, the U15 squad were tunnelled onto the pitch for the final game of the tour. The game was a tense forward battle for the firts ten minutes before tyhe UCC side began to assert their authority and launched their potent back line. The rest of the half saw some of the most attractive rugby of the fortnight with the ball being spun around at tremendous speed ensuring that the pace men were unleashed upon th opposition try line. The crowd were entertained royally and appreciated the open and attractive rugby being played by UCC. Inthe second half the home side called upon a few older players to stem the flow of the UCC attack and only one more try was scored with two from the opposition. The try scorers for UCC were Cameron Harris (3), Ben Lydon (1), Harlan Corrie (1), Terrence McDonnell (1), Dan Richardson (1) and Josh Dowson (2) with Ryan Martin converting 2 and Ross Jackson 4. The final score was 57-13 and a great way to sign off the tour... Man of the match was shared between Cam Harris and Josh Dowson with the opposition nominating Ross Jackson for a special award due to his free flowing and attack minded rugby.
After the matches we retired to the school hall for a Braai and presentations with the Allen Glen boys and staff before retiring for the evening....
SATURDAY 31st JULY (DAY 13)
Afterwards they retired to the pool side for an hour of recreation before assembling for coffee and biscuits in reception prior to the first game drive.
We met our game rangers outside at their 4x4 vehicles and boarded them in groiups of 8 or 9 ! The first drive yielded buffalo / elephants / rhinos / giraffe and hippos and numerous antelope along the way and the boys certainly bonded with their drivers during the afternoon. Tomorrow we will be woken at 6am for our second of four drives which will commence at 6.30am and take us to the area of the reserve where the lions should be found !!
This evening we enjoyed a wonderful African Buffet which was held outside around a roaring fire in a traditional Boma. This was followed by traditional Zulu dancing and singing around the fire (including some guest performances by members of the audience ..... Mr T Threlkeld provided some memoarble moments doing his impression of some 'dad dancing')..
As I write this the boys are all snoring loudly having been completely worn out by the packed itinerary, dreaming of the remaining big five to be seen tomorrow.... or possibly just another 'all you can eat buffet' !!!
