The Under 12’s had an amazing tour to the Isle of Wight Festival of Rugby over the bank holiday weekend.
Our hosts at PGL site Little Canada were great, with activities like abseiling, archery and rock climbing available for all.
The festival site was blessed with sunshine, making the DJ, bar and various food vendors all the more enjoyable.
We started the weekend strong, winning all of our games on day one, and making it to the Isle of Wight Cup Final on day 2, finishing in second place overall for the under 12s.
The boys came away extremely proud of their achievement, rightly so, and celebrated with well deserved pizza, candy floss and ice cream
Under 13’s were also on tour but in Chichester – we had both glorious sunshine and rain but it didn’t dampen the spirits.
We were up against teams that had 2 and 3 squads in their age group – we only had 2 subs!! The boys played really well but unfortunately they didn’t win – but we are so proud of them as they showed great team spirit- the squad bonded, the parents had a few beers and everyone is excited for another tour next year!
U14’s – Knowing London’s Bank Holiday weekend would be dreary and wet, 25 of the U14’s decamped to the Isle of Wight rugby festival. The rain of the A20/M25/M3/A3 disappeared as the players and parents boarded the ferry, eagerly looking forward to the delights of PGL bunk bed accommodation. With the matches perfectly scheduled in the afternoons, the coaches and parents gradually arrived and convened in the bar, enjoying the evening entertainment, whilst the boys were boys! Preparation was by way of football, basketball, climbing and zipwire at PGL, followed by lunch at the parents pop up stall.
The Isle of Wight’s mini climate meant the Factor 50 was applied, with nowhere to hide from the sun. Group matches against Vectis, Farnham and Esher left us in the Challenge Cup for the Sunday. But by no means were the boys beaten. Their courage, fight and hard work meant they more than matched the opposition.
With the boys playing Manhunt (hide and seek in old language) and rehydration required, another late evening of fun endured.
With renewed vigour on Sunday, the boys put themselves into the final, beating Farnham’s other team; but the cup was not to be ours. Despite a valiant effort, a very good Leicester Forest won – and back at PGL the squads mixed and swapped shirts, hats and used socks. Some ventured home early, but the parents group chat messages shared memories and thanks – and various lost property! A point to note. Two of our opponents were short of players and some of our players ‘volunteered’ to help out and get extra game time – with the organisers giving a special thanks for our sportsmanship.
And so, for the stragglers, it was back to Blighty and its wind and rain. No U14 tour will be complete without Harry being with us. This year, and thanks to kind sponsorship arranged by parents, every one of the 34-strong squad was given a ‘tour’ kit (which will probably be seen at training next season) – all emblazoned with Harry’s number 95. The final words are a blend of words from two parents/coaches: “Being part of this special group is a real privilege and I feel very lucky to have the chance to coach the boys and enjoy the friendship of the group.…the boys improved hugely over the weekend, played some superb rugby under pressure, adapting and showed great spirit. No heads dropping. They worked until exhausted. Perhaps going to sleep before 2am could help with a 5% improvement, but then it’s a tour. I think the balance wasn’t too far off. Great fun!”
