Chaos unfolded the instant we approached the desk, with it soon becoming apparent that every single member of the tour party had been booked onto the plane not once, but twice. The rumours of an exta seat proved to be untrue; instead we were greeted by Japanese-water-torture-cell-esque conditions upon boarding the plane, far from ideal for an 11 hour flight.
Nevertheless, we disembarked the plane in high spirits and soon found ourselves on our second coach within 24 hours; the Rugby Performance Centre (RPC) awaited.
Upon arrival, the players were given a tour of the facilities before being able to truly appreciate the prospect of sharing a room with 29 fellow squad members. A training session soon followed, after which we witnessed a somewhat unexpected role reversal: inebriated fathers paired with relatively restrained offspring.
A trip to Paulus Joubert School was in line for us as we awoke, one that would prove to be perhaps one of the most important and memorable of the tour. The ensuing game was played with almost super-human intensity, as our host's back-line displayed immense pace and skill, not to mention support from the entire surrounding village.
We eventually ran out 10-7 winners, Dan Nottage scoring Chester's sole try and Will Hyde being awarded man of the match. What unfolded after the game was truly humbling. We dispersed our unwanted kit amongst our opponents - the reason being that they simply did not have enough of their own - and were met with truly humbling elation.
Our second BBQ in the space of 4 hours awaited us as we returned to the RPC; a night out was set to take place...
No comments:
Post a Comment