Monday 4 August 2008

The final night out


The final night out


The final night out


The final night out


The Prize Winners


Player of the tour: Danny Gallindo

Players Player of the tour: Will Denham
Best Tourist: Tom Harrison
All recieved an engraved tankard.

Sam anf John in court


The Paarl Derby


20,000 - 30,000 spectators before kick off for the school boy game.

The Leopard Centre


Boschendal


Boschendal: The lads walk off their lunch with a stroll around the lake


Boschendal: Best food of the tour


Boschendal


The ifnal day of the tour took us to a vineyard out towards Stellenbosch called Boschendahl. The vineyard was situated in an orchard with mountains and forests in the back drop.


They were greeted with sherry (for adults) and grape juice for the lads before enjoying an amazing buffet.


As you can see the lads were quite at home in a psoh restaurant.

"Dance off" with Milnerton


The hosting finished with an impromptu dance off with Tom Rowan and one of their guys.

More goodbyes at Milnerton


Lads exchange gifts

The Milnerton lads were given out tour ties and it was a great touch to see them all turn up to school the following day proudly wearing their MFG tour ties.

Danny with their big prop "Juicy".

All smiles in the background!!

Lads say goodbye to Milnerton


We picked up the team at 8:00am in the morning and they were buzzing about the great night they had had with the Milnerton lads. Tom Rowan had a danceoff with one of their guys before we got on the bus.

The staff enjoying cocktails


Whilst the lads were being hosted the staff had time to relax and enjoy the Cape Town night life.

Sunday 3 August 2008

Final Post

A few parents have asked if the blog is temporary - as far as i know it is a permanent site that can be read and added to in the future.

I would like to sign off with a huge thanks to the staff who came on the trip who were great travel companions and provided a lot of fun and laughter for the lads.

Thanks also to all the staff and families who hosted out lads in South Africa. Without exception the lads enjoyed all three of their billets and the South Africans displayed a huge amount of generosity. They opened up their homes to the boys and treated them as their own for 2-3 days and for that we will always be very grateful. Their rugby was always very fast and very hard and we hope one day to have a rematch with on British soil where we can repay the favour.

I would also like to commend the players for doing the school, their country, the coaches and most of all themselves proud. They were superb on the field and very disciplined and behaved off it.

One final plea to the players would be to keep the momentum going next year where the Yorkshire Cup has to be the primary goal. Nothing would give me more pleasure than to hear that you had won the county cup at Under 16's in 2009. The way we played in South Africa makes it a very realistic prospect.

Thanks for all the wonderful memories over the last five years. As strange as it may sound I am glad that I am leaving the school as I couldnt think of a better way to go out. Good luck to you all for the future, both on and off the rugby pitch.

Mr Sprott

The Final Day

I seem to have lost the cable that links my camera to USB - if anyone finds it in their bags please let me know and then i can upload the last of the pictures.

The final day was relativley uneventful. All the lads who were found guilty in the tour court completed their punishments. The highlight was Jordan Lowther who spat his dummy out at The Paarl game in front of hundreds of bemused onlookers.

On the way to the game we were also interviewed by South Africans sports channel. That makes it 3 tv appearances for the tour (Coronation Street, Western Province game on Sky and this). The show (called "Classic Clashes") is due to be aired on monday but you can watch it online at www.superschools.co.za or you may be able to catch it on utube.

The match however was far from a classic as both Paarl Gym and Paarl Boys engaged in a droll kicking duel. The spectacle was amzing though as 20-30,000 people descended on the stadium to watch the main event (the Under 19's game).

From there we went to the airport and had an overnight flight back to the UK - all safe and sound back in Mirfield by 11:30am.

Friday 1 August 2008

Last day: Paarl Derby

For the fianl day i have managed to get tickets for the Paarl Derby. This is a school fixture between the state school Paarl Gym and the private school Paarl Boys. Both are in the top 10 schools in South Africa.

We are going to watch the under 15's game where i have been told there will be a crowd of 20,000 - bit more exciting than the Castle Hall vs MFG derby!!

Tour Court

As is customary the tour finished with a tour court.

Briggsy was up again for being a disgrace to touring. At every game or functionhe has managed to look scruffy and has lost most of his kit around South Africa. Aaron is obvioulsy unable to look after himself so as punishment he will be dressed by the staff for the final day. Keep an eye out for what we make him wear when i manage to get some pictures on.

Ben Booth And John Hall was charged with never scoring a try. Ben is one of the best players on tour and in recent years but has failed to cross the white wash. John despite his size has also never scored. Ben gave a stirling defence about judging his performance on tackles not tries but it was to no avail as both were found guilty. A race was et up with the loser having to buy the winner a gift. Ben lost!!

Lowther was charged with being a baby for spitting his dummy out against Manneberg and refusing to play. He was targeted by their players and offered little protection from the ref so walked off refusing to play the 2nd half!! His punishment will be to have a dummy which he must spit out on the trigger word "Mannenberg"!

Penultimate day

On Friday we visited a vineyard and had a fantastic meal in the beautiful surroundings of Boschendal. We also went to the leopard centre but the ques were too big to have photos taken with them.

On the final evening we all went out with shirt and ties to one of the best restaurants on the water fron, Belthazars. The lads were suitably impressed with the quality of the food and a good time was had by all.

Milnerton hosts

We picked the lads up after a three day hosting in Milnerton (most of whom were hosted on their own). Everyone had had a good time and the Milnerton boys had gone to a lot of effort to keep them entertained. They had all been ice skating and the cinema. Lots of gifts and emails exchanged before we got on the bus.

Definatley the best billet yet and a lots of new friends made.

Awards

The Player of the tour went to Danny Galindo for five consistently high performances. Lowther and Briggs were runners up.

Players player was close with Jamie M getting four votes, Harry 8 votes and Will Denham 12 votes. Will has impressed all with his fitness and aggression this tour.

Best tourist runners up were Conor who has been good fun all tour. Harry for being a good role model on and off thepitch. The winner was Tom Harrison who has embraced all part sof touring and been good fun through out.

All three players recieved silver engraved tankards.

No Photos

This comp doesnt allow uploads so will have to put final installment on when i get home

Thursday 31 July 2008

Player and Players Player

Check back tomorrow to see who won the trhee awards
1. Best Tourist
2. Player of tour
3. Players Player of Tour

Review of performances

Sorry - no photos of the game as Oliver was cameraman and didnt take any!!!

Tom Harrison
A superb tour both on and off the field. Life and soul of the party and performances full of heart and aggression.

Simon
Played some great rugby and worked hard. Got a lot more game time than i though he would do as a result of five consistently high performances.

Harry
A favourite for player of the tour. Huge tackling, solid scrummaging and a never say die attitude.

Kyle
Had his problems with injury but was massive when he was on the field. Had his best game vs Mannenburg when he returned to the field to stabilise the scrum.

Danny Galindo
Another favourite form Player of the tour. Excellent tackling notably a huge hit on the try line against Milnerton full back. Very effective in loose play as well linking up forwards and backs.

Jamie Mason
Worked his socks off and got lots of votes in the Players Player of the tour. An unsung hero.

Ben Booth
No tries for Ben (again!!) but five performaces full of running and big hits. The tackle on Bergvleits big number 8 was a text book challenge for how a small guy stops a big guy.

Sam Sessions
Excellent leadership all tour. Got the lads up for games and led from the front. Didnt get his hands on the ball much but won lots of turnovers and made lots of tackles.

Sam Womersley
Was kept on his toes from John Handscomb but rose to the challenge. Excellent distribution from Lowther as well as solid defence. This tour saw a return to the Sam Womersley of old after a quiet year.

Jordan Lowther
A great tour. Every opposition coach mentioned him and Briggsy as the star players. Moments of magic throughout the tour and some very big hits. Got the backs firing and was instrumental in everything good we did.

Sam Codman
Solid defence and excellent with the ball in hand. Ran straight and hard and was unlucky not to be amongst the try scorers.

Aaron Briggs
Top try scorer with 6 tries in 5 games. Also played his 100th game for school. The game against Mannenberg was his finest game but he played a huge part in all five.

Oliver
Scored the crucial try vs Mannenburg and cut Bergvleit to pieces in the opening minutes. Was injured for the alst game but played his part in the first 4.

Antony
Scored the try of the tour when he took a reverse flip pass from Briggsy to score in the corner. Always a threat with the ball and scored 2 in 4 games.

Matty D
pLAYER CENTRE, FULL BACK AND FLY HALF and gacve solid performances in each one. A constant threat in attack and solid in defence.

Will Addy
Missed the first three games with inury but played his part in a great defensive display in the 2nd half against Bergvleit.

Will Denham
A great tour. One of the best players - not just becasue of his age but because of his ability. He rose to the challenge and will be a favourite for Player and Players Player of the tour.

Matty T
Switched from forwards to backs and scored his first ever try against Mannenberg. A raw talent but showed the desire to learn and improve.

Conor
Not in the starting XV in game 1, but forced his way into the starting team in game 5. Got the wing spot on merit after a number of fantstaic performances. Conor socred a great try against Bergsig and was the best defensve winger on tour.

John Handscomb
Played a big part in the tour by providing competition at 9 with Sam W. John got as much game time as Sam and was instrumental in all our wins. Likes to play the game at pace and offers a more maverick approach to scrum half. A tour to be proud of.

Tom Rowan
Still learning but again played very well. Looked more at home at full back where he made a couple of try scoring tackles. Kicked the ball back well and has certainly cemented his place in the starting XV next year.

Josh W
Played prop and was up against some very tough opposition. More than held his own and worked hard to get around the pitch. To top it all there were a couple of trademark Womersley dummies to bore us all with in the changing room afterwards.

John H
Played his best ever game against Manneberg. Drove it in well and won a couple of turnovers before limping off. Even though he was injured for the last two he was great support fot he lads on the field.

Garry
Scored a cracking try against Bergvleit showing that if he gets the ball in space he can be a real danger. Overcame adversity to have a great tour.

Adam Irving
Played far better rugby than i have seen before. His head can go down easily but not on this tour. Worked his socks off in all the games and was very strong in the lineout. A great tour from Adam.

Kris Beckwith
Missed games with sun burn and injury but played his part when he came on notably in the lst game agaisnt Milnerton where he put in some fine tackles.

Ben Maney
Again inury kept him out of a few games but he had a great game against Manneberg. His highlight was a huge double hit with Harry on their centre on the try line. I was all ready to walk behind the posts when i heard the crunch and saw Ben drive him back five yards.

Billetting at Milnerton

Most of the lads have had to be hosted on their own which is daunting but character building prospect. The Milnerton lads seem very lively and good fun and seem to getting on with lads famously. They have all gone ice skating and are now meeting up at the cinema today.

After the match we gave them all ties and it was great to see them all wearing them with pride the next day at school.

The lads have all come back with a variety of tales from their billets - but without exception they are all having fun. Im sure the whole experiennce will be great for their confidence and maturity.

Game 5. Milnerton 5 22 MFG


MFG made it 4 wins out of 5 with a faultless display against Milnerton.


Playing with the wind Milnerton opened the scoring with a rolling maul over the line. MFG fought back straight away and a huge tackle by Jordan Lowther on his opposite number set the standard. He was penalised for a spear tackle but it certainly sent the message out to the home team.
Great defence kept Milnerton at bay and Briggsy equalised by bouncing off both props before beating the full back.
The second half was all MFG as we crossed the line three times in the last 8 minutes as Milnerton tired. Antony socred the second finishing off a fine backs move. Sam Womersley marked a superb game by sneaking over from short range. The final try came from Will Denham who was sensational. At 13 years of age he was the youngest on the field but definatley the best. He made more tackles than i can recall and won at least 4 turnovers.
The lads were overjoyed at the end and proud to mark the end of an era with a fine win. It was my last game with the lads and I was proud that it was marked with one of their best performances.
As always the South Africans were tough but very fair. They were amazing hosts and very generous in defeat. That was only their 2nd defeat all season!!

Fryer and Conor - the romantic couple!


Fryer and Conor take a lovely picture of them under the rainbow. How sweet!!

More whales


Mixed reaction to the whales


Some of the lads were bowled over by the huge breaching whales. Not Jordan Lowther who was heard to say "we drove 2 hours for that - Im off to KFC". On that note the lads all piled into KFC to stare at chicken for an hour!!

Whale watching


Today we went down to Hermanus to see some whales. Just as we arrived the rain stopped, a beautiful rainbow appeared over the sea and a large Right Whale appeared straight in front of us.

The whale lept out of the water and rolled around allowing the lads some great photo opportunities.

Error in fitness test results

Mr C has asked me to correct an error on the fitness test results. On the 10 metre sprint he actually came 2nd and not 3rd.

In case you were wandering there isnt any change to the bench press result - I still won that.

Tuesday 29 July 2008

Joe Rocthell doing a hand stand


Its been great having Joe, Steve and Andy on tour with us. As well as three extra pairs of eyes they have added lots of humour and banter.


Joe is an ex stduent who is only 21 but is very confident and good with the lads. He took charge of the Bergvleit game (picking and organising the team) and gave speeches and presentations to their players at the end.

Dolphin Hotel


Our new hotel backs onto the beach and overlooks Table Mountain. The view is amazing and we enjoyed a game of rugby on the beach before dinner.


As always the hospitality of the South Africans is excellent. At Bergvleit we were taken out to dinner by their Head of PE (Les Ryan) who was superb. It would be great if we can repay the favour one day and Les may bring out cricket or football teams in 2010.

Sports Institute


Team picture after the bleep. Its just as much a test of attitude as it is fitness. Conor got to level 12 but was pushed all the way by Lowther and Driver.

Bleep test


Conor wins the dreaded bleep test.


The centre has amazing facilities and all the players will recieve a report with advice on how to improve their weaker areas of fitness.

Mr Sprott wins bench press


Sorry - couldnt resist it!!


110 kg on their and made it look light as a feather. Mr Fryer came 2nd and Joe 3rd with Lowther, Sess, Will D and Tom H the best students.

Sess leads the team out at Newlands


Stadium tour was pretty good although the lads were tired after a nights billeting. They returned from their hosts with various stories about what they had been upto. Tom Harrison, Josh W, Will D and Kris B all were given money by their host. The mother was a lovely lady that came onto the team bus for a hug with the lads. Good on Josh and Tom who gave her a nice cuddle whilst Kris and Will looked suitably embarrassed!!!

Garry Savage scoring 2nd try vs Bergvleit


Garry is pretty rapid and if he is put in space he is hard to stop. Lowther had a great game at 10 and created lots of chances for the backs who were clinical in the first half.

Under pressure in the scrum vs Bergvleit


The forwards have been tested up front on tour but the work at Ossett RUFC on scrummaging and with Joe R on the lineout has paid dividends and we have more than held our own on 1st phase ball.

Tom showing off some dance moves on a large stone!?


The lads eating at Cape Point - the most amazing view of the coastline


Sports Testing at the Newlands Institute

Today we went to Newlands for a stadium tour and fitness testing. The tests consisted of Strength (Mr Sprott won with a bench press of 110kg with Mr Fryer 2nd). 10 metre sprint (won by Joe Rotchell with Antony Smith 2nd). 40 metre sprint (won by Aaron Briggs with Mr Christian 2nd). Bleep test (won by Conor with Driver 2nd). Push ups won by Mr christian with Lowther 2nd. Agility won by Lowther with Briggs 2nd.

All the points were put into a score and the fittest player was calculated. It pains me to say it but the winner was Mr Christian with Lowther 2nd and Driver 3rd.

Bergvleit 5 29 MFG

The first half was all MFG as the forwards created good ball for the backs to cut loose. The backs were superb with great line sof running from Hallas, Smith, Codman, Briggs and Savage. Tries from Savage, Briggs (2), Smith and Eastwood set up a 29-0 lead at half time.

At half time we rang the changes and got everyone on the pitch. Bergvleit battled hard and came into the game and won the half 5-0 despite some good attacking play from both sides.

Man of the mathc was Adam Irving and Harry Eastwood who both worked their socks off for the full 60 minutes.

Our record is now 3 wins and 1 loss. The lads are playing the best rugby I have seen them play and are really rising to the challenge. I have been told our hardest game will come on Wednesday against Milnerton. We are pretty injury ravaged with Booth, Codman, Taylor, Hallas, Maney, Hall, Savage, M Thompson all with injuries that may keep them out.

The lads at The Cape of Good Hope


John meets Danny Best


You can go half way round the world and still bump into friendly faces. We all bumped into the Bests on the peninsula tour - I think Danny wished he hadnt!!

That seal paid 15 Rand to have a picture with Mr Christian


The lads on the boat to Seal Island


Peninsula Tour

I am struggling with pictures so will have to settle for news and pictures later.

The lads enjoyed a tour of the Cape Peninsula starting with a boat trip out to Seal Island. We then went on to Cape Point and the Cape of Good hope. From there onto Boulders Beach which is full of penguins.

The walk was very picturesque and we saw lots of wild life like baboons, zebra and Ostrich.

The lads had dinner at Cape Point with the coastline stretching off behind them.

Sunday 27 July 2008

Will having the time of his life!!


"Top bombing" by Sprott and Christian


Day 8 - Bergvkeit school


After a day of shopping and sight seeing we transferred to Bergvleit school for two days hosting.

Well done to Ben Booth, Jamie Mason, Will Addy, Harry Eastwood and Sam Sessions who voluntered to be hosted on their own. The rest billetted in pairs.
The staff transferred to a fabulous guest house over looking Table Mountain. We all jumped in the pool, used the trampoline and drank port in the garden to warm up. The owners are really nice people and have booked us in a restaurant for the evening.

Table Mountain


Mr Fryer, Christian and Sprott with Table Mountain in the background


Tom and Will at Signal Point


Unfortunatley the cable car to Table Mountain is closed for repairs so we cant go to the top. We could walk up but this idea didnt go down to well. Signal Point however does offer great views of Cape Town.

Harry and Ben finding Nemo


We visited an Aquarium today which had penguins, sharks, rays and lots of other weird sea creatures.

The lads at The Waterfront in Cape Town


"I want that one"


John has taken to a wheel chair as a result of his injured knee. We arent too sure if there is anything worng with him - just think he likes being pushed around.


John has a badly bruised knee and nothing more serious. Unlikely to play the next two games though which is a shame.

Mr Sprotts birthday


The lads were kind enough to club together and buy me a hat for my 33rd birthday. That night we went out to a steakhouse for some fantastic food.

Saturday 26 July 2008

Adam Irving

Just an update on Adams punishment. He had his wallet taken off him for being a mug. It was returned this morning to him but within 5 minutes the staff thought it best to take it back off him.

Adam purchased a bottle of orange juice for 15 rand when there was free (and nicer) orange juice sat right next to it!! Obviously more work is needed.

The Blog

Apologies for the numerous spelling mistakes. Im not completly illiterate - I only have a set time on the comp and havent got time to check it - also the "f" and "d" button dont seem to work every time.

Hope your enjoying posts. Lads are having a great time. One week gone one week to go!

Will cheering on Western Province


A big squad has been essential. We have lost Will, Kris and Josh to sunburn over the last 3 games. Will Addy has really struggled with his shoulders. John Hall has hurt his knee and is looking doubtul for the remaining two games.
Kyle's shoulder is causing him problems as well.
Nothing for any parents to worry about just general wear and tear on a rugby tour.

The local kids keep Mr Chistian entertained.


Mr Christian showing off!!!

Newlands Stadium