Spier Raptor and Bishop's Game

Today started with a trip to the Raptor centre at Spier which proved to be a massive success. The boys were allowed to cuddle owls, stroke a kite and then had a show from a Poorly behaved Buzzard! There were so many different types of bird to see and the raptor show was very interesting and entertaining at the same time. It proved to be one of the boys favourite sessions so far.

After a burger lunch we travelled to Bishops school in Cape Town. Bishops is a beautiful school with lovely grounds and the pitch that hosted the first ever game of rugby on South African soil, it was also the site of our last chance for victory.

The Bs opened the day by again playing some excellent rugby and going toe to toe with their opposition until late in the second half when the Bishops boys scored a couple of tries and stretched the lead. Again Matt Thomson played well but Finnian Young stole the show with 2 we'll taken scores.

The As were then presented with the opportunity to win our final game on tour, an opportunity they took with both hands. We started quickly with Max running for a long distance try that was soon added to by Luca Boyd. Bishops then picked up their game and combined with some interesting refereeing decisions we had a game on our hands. We led at the half and turned with the wind at our backs ready to finish the game off. Bishops decided to make that as hard as possible with some excellent rucking and tackling to keep themselves in the game but after some concerted pressure we scored our third try to stretch our lead. Immediately following the kick off we made a mistake and Bishops scored a reply making the score 19-10. That was how the game finished with our boys celebrating a hard earned win. Well done lads, we were all very proud to see the great performance from all of the boys and the win on South African soil was the perfect end to the rugby on tour!

Fish and Chips

Camps Bay

Camps Bay and the Waterfront

We spent the morning having a nice relaxing swim in the water off Cape Town today at the surfers hot spot of Camps Bay. The beach was made of clear, white sand and the sun came out for a bit to give us a heat approaching the mid twenties. The boys used this time to swim in the sea, play rugby and generally mess around.

After this we travelled to the waterfront for a fish and chip lunch and some shopping. It didn't take long for the boys to find the nearest sports shops and Stormers rugby shirts and Kaizer Chief football shirts were quickly flying out of the shops.

The Spier Raptor centre and our final game against Bishops are planned for tomorrow so the boys were quickly sent off to bed to rest and prepare.

Rondebosch

Rondebosch Game

The boys played their second game of the tour under searing heat in conditions as alien as can be for an English team. Rondebosch welcomed us to their extensive facilities and proved to be fantastic hosts with food and an after match function organised for our visit. The warm welcome did not extend to the pitch though as our boys fought hard but were ultimately conquered by a tough and clinical group of players. Both our sides fought well with the A's especially making for an extremely competitive day.

The B side played first and started very brightly Matt Thomson and Dan Owen playing well and carrying the ball strongly. Approaching half time we conceded a try that proved to be vital, the first half was close and at 12-5 we were keeping it tight through a Mickey Reynolds score. However a laboured attack from our back line was intercepted with the Rondebosch winger running home untouched. This knocked the stuffing out of our lads and the second half proved to be damage limitation,the hosts confidence grew and ours waned the weather also tired us immensely, this led to a final score of 44-5.

The As played afterwards and worried the hosts from the start our physical pack and direct running led us to get into scoring positions but with some basic errors and clinical finishing we found ourselves behind at the half. After the half the weather and a few unfriendly decisions took their toll as a couple of scores increased the gap between the teams. We did finish on a bright spot with Dan Owen stepping up from the 2s to score the final points of the day, we lost 29-14. Again the back row of Walker, Chen and Aldred played very well and are developing into fine rugby players.

The final game of the tour is on Tuesday against Bishops who are supposed to be the toughest of the lot, the boys have developed and learnt so much so far we're hoping for further progress and maybe even a win!! 

Kusasa Township

Kusasa Township

Township and Camps Bay

Today we all had a massively unique experience that most people will never have and that will stay with us forever. Today we went to the Kusasa Township just outside Frandschoek. We saw lessons, sang songs and played rugby with the students of the school. The township is as you would expect, a poor place to bring up children, no clean water, no sanitation, little food and shelter from corrugated metal. The metal roofs we were told heat up the shacks to unbearable heat in the Summer and maintain no heat for the winter. 

Saying that the main feeling was one of enjoyment, spending time with the students you realised how happy they were in their lives we were only too happy to help where possible but the pleasure derived from just our presence was heartwarming. 

We spent time with the nursery school age too which was another experience, I walked through the gate to the school and before I could say hello I had 2 young smiling faces grabbing my legs and asking for a hug. The boys were amazing, to watch them interact with the older students, to try and speak their language (very hard!) and discuss Manchester United was great but the nursery was special. Within minutes the boys had children on their shoulders, running around playing football, taking pictures and giving cuddles. It was fantastic. It served as a reminder how good our boys are and how they are a credit to all involved, we as staff were very proud. As you will see from the pictures it was all smiles.

The afternoon was spent in Camps Bay, think the South African Malibu or Manly beach. The boys had lunch and walked around for a bit seeing the amazing beach and landscape! All under the gaze of Table mountain. Tomorrow the boys go to South African school and then play their school mates in the 2nd game of the tour.

Rugby vs SACS

Pitch Side Views

Travel and the First Game

It was another early start for our intrepid explorers today as we had the mammoth task of 6hrs travelling before our first game in Cape Town.

The travel went smoothly after stopping off for a much needed burger and chips lunch. South Africa again provided the scenery and the boys relaxed for the majority of the journey.

When we arrived in Cape Town we negotiated our way through the narrow streets of Newlands to find SACS for the first game. When we arrived the first thing that struck us all was again the beauty of the setting. I have played in many sporting ties in many countries across the globe but staring at Table mountain I must say this tops the lot.

The games were tough and physical but our lads didn't shirk anything with the A's losing by a solitary score 5-0. The B's found the going slightly tougher losing 22-0 after the hosts realised their new winger  was actually the quickest sprinter in Cape Town for his age and as we all know in sport speed is key.

The boys were excellent all day from manners off to the effort and performances on the pitch. Special mention to Jack Aldred and Ben Walker who were excellent for us today. Well done to both a well earned Boerworst awaits!

Tour Court Session

The George Peninsula

Elephants

The Matriarch and the Boys

Pigs can't fly but today I did see a Walrus in the air

Today we had our last day on the George peninsula and started with a 2hr journey to the Tsitikamma Canopy. Again more beautiful scenery welcomed the boys and kept the staff interested, limitless mountains, bottomless valleys, long golden sands and 30c heat topping up the tan from previous days! It seems South Africa was at the front of the queue when God handed out landscapes.

When we arrived at Tsitukamma we were warmly welcomed and soon flying through the trees on a zip wire attached by 3 metal cables. The boys quickly adapted to the height and were soon spotting birds and chameleons at 30 metres high! All the boys revelled in the challenge and our very own Walrus ( Filip Warwus) was happily doing monkey impressions through the foliage. In a rather surreal setting the boys then proceeded to have an impromptu training session outside a traditional tribal gift shop, another first!

This was followed by a quick lunch then off to the old town of Knysna and the Elephants. When we arrived the boys fed the Elephants and had their pictures taken stroking them. The Elephants had slightly dodgy table manners and ate everything we offered them as if they never ate. It was a very unique experience and all the boys were surprised by the roughness of the trunks and the hairiness of the ears! They did have one similarity though as the guides told us that even when washed it takes the African elephant about 2 minutes to get dirty again 'not a problem' cried Tom Gallop 'I can do it in less than that'. God bless you the Gallop Family!

Ostrich Farm Frolics

Ostrich lunch

The Little Karoo Valley

How long does an Ostrich live and can you have a Concert in a Cave?

Day 3 began with another early start and a bus ride through more breath taking scenery to the Cango caves.

This massive cave complex took 2hrs to explore and was extremely narrow in places. The boys took this with ease and left Mr. Manley and Mr. Walsh to ponder the best way to negotiate broader shoulders and tiny gaps! 

The boys also learnt the difference between stalactites and stalcmites and heard the history of the complex. The main cavern room was used to hold concerts up until the 1994 and held 2,000 people! 

After that we travelled to an Ostrich farm and had a hearty lunch of Ostrich steak, salad and chips. Following that the boys met a few Ostriches, fed them, sat on them and 4 of the boys where lucky enough to have a quick ostrich race! The weather was lovely today and helped to put a nice bonus on the day, don't worry sun tan was applied! 

Tomorrow we travel to Knysna to meet the Elephants and a Tree Top Canopy tour at Titsikamma.

Oh and an Ostrich lives for 50-70 year or in the case of the ones that end up on our plates no more than 14 months.

Kudu, Calamari or Ostrich?