Coming Home

So we're sitting in McDonalds having breakfast waiting for our flight. Again it seems there will be a delay as they are still loading the catering supplies for the flight. The topic of debate is varying between when you should sleep to avoid jet-lag (some very strange suggestions coming out) and how many times the boys can get up to Premium Economy to make sure Major Winter is OK having upgraded himself for the final flight.

Hong Kong U18 game

After the all round improvement shown in both St Augustine games we headed into the final game of the tour in a confident mood. The only area we weren't sure about was the effect the temperature and humidity would have on the boys. As it transpired these factors didn't come into play as the first 15 minutes were characterised by sloppy play from both teams. The starting XV failed to impose themselves despite being much stronger in the forwards. During the next quarter of an hour the boys started to put some phases together and looked likely to make the first breakthrough. However following an innocuous challenge, Charlie Kingham was taken to hospital with a knee injury that turned out to be a torn lateral ligament. Unfortunately this means he will be out until December.


Understandably this lead to the boys losing some of their focus. The second half was an opportunity to give the rest of the boys a run out and the changes meant it was difficult to get any real continuity going. Giving way two silly tries didn't help matters and although we scored one try following Miles Singleton's interception we were unable to get the second score. A final score of 12-7 to Hong Kong was a disappointing way to finish the playing part of the tour.


We had a chance to say thank you to our hosts and supporters who have been fantastic throughout the tour. We were also able to give out some awards to boys that have been particularly impressive


Most Improved Players - Jack Stevens and Hugo Chaplin
Best Tourist - Miles Singleton
Player of the Tour - Will Brown


Barney Savill and Rhys Hartley were also presented with a rugby ball each, signed by the entire touring party as a momento of their time at Felsted. Despite th results not going our way Steve, Chevs and myself have seen enough improvement to suggest this season could be very successful. The real test will come next weekend when the boys will be playing in the Brentwood pre-season tournament.

Hong Kong

Well, we've eventually arrived arrived here in Hong Kong on the final leg of our tour after the flight was delayed in Sydney.  We managed to keep ourselves amused, not least through the regular calling of 'Dead Ants'

Dead Ants on tour

 and following the very western feel to Sydney the culture here has surprised a number of the boys. On top of that they have had to get used to the climate here; most of them have experienced similar levels of heat at some point (32 degrees when we landed at 6.30pm!) but the humidity - regularly 90% or more - is something else.


We trained yesterday morning at the Hong Kong Football Club and within ten minutes the boys were struggling for breath and needed a drink. This was one of the main reasons for the session; to give the boys a taste of what it would be like playing in Hong Kong. It also gave us a chance to see which boys were able to maintain their concentration and focus in trying conditions. The selection for today's game has always been billed as a 1st XV for the first half and will offer some of the squad a final chance to put themselves in a position to challenge for a 1st XV spot in the Brentwood tournament next weekend and the Cooper's game following that.


Following the training session we were able to use the club's facilities to relax for the rest of the day. This included their fantastic outdoor swimming pool which had the dual benefits for the boys of being able to cool down as well as having the opportunity to meet new people. However there seemed to be a lack of confidence in actually approaching the two girls in bikinis and it was left to an old hand - Tom Hardy to make some introductions. Unfortunately his efforts came to nothing as Will Malins and Taylor Sexton ran away as soon a the photo had been taken!


Following lunch the boys took the opportunity to explore Hong Kong and most headed straight for the markets to try out their haggling skills. Some of them are obviously more adept at this particular skill, although everyone seems to have saved some of their money for these few days. 'Beats' headphones seem to be the purchase of choice amongst the boys and I am reliably told that getting a pair for under £50 is an incredible deal.

Are there any rules in AFL?

As part of our final full day in Sydney, we arranged for the boys to travel on the train (more public transport!) to the ANZ stadium - formerly the Olympic Stadium where Jonny Wilkinson kicked England to World Cup glory in 2003 - to watch the AFL (Aussie Rules football) game between Sydney Swans and St Kilda Saints.

Obviously being based in Sydney we should have been supporting the Swans and most of the boys were loyal in that rspect, with many of them buying hats, scarves and tops in the Swans' colours.  There were a couple of dissenters - Tom Kingham had looked at the recent league form and stated that St Kilda would win as they were placed higher in the table and Cy Weaver had faith in St Kilda repeating last year's championship winning form.  Unfortunately for both boys Sydney Swans completely outplayed St Kilda and came back from a half-time deficit to win by a clear 15 points.

The following clips might give you some idea of the game, although knowledge of the rules seems to be of secondary importance.  The important thing is that the boys enjoyed themselves and were able to relax after last night's exertions.

GB Aussie Rules team!!
Sydney Swans v St. Kilda re-start
Swans score & crowd goes wild

Match day v St. Augustine

So, we arrived at game day for what many perceived to be the hardest game of the tour.  The reactions of the Cranbrook boys when we said we were playing St Augustines did not fill us with confidence.  However we knew that we had not done ourselves justice in the Cranbrook games and the scores did not reflect the ability within the squad.  Steve, Chevs and myself discussed the possibility of going down to one fixture due to some injury concerns.  However we all felt that we wanted every boy to play and to give them the opportunity to wipe away the memories of the Cranbrook game - particularly the 1st XV.

From the outset of the 2nd XV game, it was obvious that the boys had taken the field with the proper attitude.  Tackles were made with real force and conviction, forcing the St Augustines players into mistakes.  A very strong drive in the first ten minutes saw the boys score a well deserved try.  Unfortunately there were mistakes and the boys were again shown how costly it can be to miss first-time tackles, particularly in the back line.  St Augustine's were extremely clinical in finishing their opportunities and produced some wonderful running rugby, particularly from their back 3 to end up as 44-7 winners.  Despite conceding several scores, the Felsted boys did not waver and their commitment continued throughout the game.

In the 1st XV fixture we were up against a very strong, motivated St Augustine 2nd XV as their 1st team were being rested in preparation for next week's New South Wales state final.  The boys produced their best performance of the tour so far both in terms of the quality of rugby played and the mental approach to the game.  The squad's biggest failing throughout the tour to date had been the number of 1st time tackles missed which consistently gave our opposition the advantage.  However in this game the boys turned it around and although Chevs was still not happy with the 11 missed tackles (5 of which lead directly to tries) the fact that the boys made 55 successful 1-on-1 tackles suggests they are moving in the right direction.  St Augustine's two late tries put a gloss on the final result (12-31) that did not reflect the game at all.  In fact after Taylor's try made the score 12-19, the momentum was on Felsted's side and many on the sideline believed that our boys would finish as the stronger team.

The reaction of the parents on tour as well as the opposition coaches also indicated an overall improvement in the play, as should be shown in the following clips from the games

Strong defence from 2nd XV


Attacking scrum
English weather
Browny's hand off
Taylor's try
Line out

This was definitely a performance that has given the boys a renewed belief in the style of rugby that Chevs is trying to get the school to play.  All tour the boys have been talking about the pace of the opposition and their ability to run the ball from all parts of the pitch.  In these games both squads showed that they understand what is required and are able to carry out their roles.  The task facing them for the remainder of this tour in Hong Kong and into next season is to show they can replicate the intensity and quality of the performances on ourn return to England.

Blue Mountains

After yesterday's disappointing fixtures against Cranbrook, this was another chance for the boys to be tourists for a day.  We arranged a brief tour of some points of interest in and around the Blue Mountains.

First fine of the day went to Steve Winter as he was unable to organise decent weather for the trip.  Consequently we set off in drizzle, which became proper rain as we approached our destination and meant that one of the trip highlights - the view from Echo Point overlooking the Three Sisters - had to be abandoned due to dense fog.

However he was not the only member of staff to receive a fine.  I was tasked with finding a suitable lunch venue with some very clear parameters - a log fire, large portions of food, wide selection of dishes, liquor coffees (for Mrs Le Chevalier).  Unfortunately I failed on all fronts, so we ended up in a pie shop that served no side dishes - chips, vegetables etc. leading us to fill up on cakes.  Personally I think it was one of the meals of the tour!

Chevs joined us in our 'Hall of Shame' during the evening as he took us to a restaurant that served everything we needed, except for beer.  Suffice to say that Steve's day was complete!

Anyway, back to the day.  Our first stop was Featherdale Wildlife Park where we were able - amongst other things - to pet Koalas, feed Kangaroos and scare the living daylights out of Will Brown by taking him through the reptile house.  I particularly enjoyed Will Hiett & Jack Stevens' attempts to communicate with the penguins (watch the video).

We then travelled to the world's steepest railway at Katoomba which takes you down several hundred metres through a natural tunnel in the cliff to the old Katoomba coal mines.  Once there we had several choices of route; those of us that took the 'lazy' route straight to the cable car or the medium-length journey through the miners' village were able to avoid the thnuderstorms and heavy showers.  However those that took the long route and saw everything managed to get caught in the downpours.  You have probably alreayd guessed that Steve was amongst those that were soaked to the skin!

Anyway, you can get a flavour of the Blue Mountains Tour by clicking here.

Match day v Cranbrook

Following the matches against Scots College, particularly the 1st XV game, we were confident of a successful day.  In the 2nd XV game, the boys did not disappoint, giving 100% throughout the game although they came up against a very determined Cranbrook 2nd XV filled with boys playing thier last game for Cranbrook.  The result was completely unreflective of the effort put in by the boys, but it did serve to remind everyone of the importance of making 1st time tackles.  We managed to use the opportunity to try out some new combinations, as well as trying some players in new positions.

Again there were some players who stood out and showed us that they are ready for the challenges of the upcoming season.  Here are a couple of clips from the game

Ollie Sullivan break


The 1st XV game initially held out out high hopes, despite the loss suffered by the 2nd XV.  However depsite some promising periods of play, the boys failed to get their approach right for any significant period of time.  Consequently there aren't too many clips that I can use from the game, other than the one below.  Suffice to say that the boys will need to play with a lot more conviction and consistency on Saturday if they are to present St Augustine's with any sort of challenge.

Line out play