South Africa Tour 2008 Diary

Sunday 20th July.

Arrived safely and checked into Breakwater Lodge Hotel in Cape Town. The flight was on time and we have had a brief tour of the city and been to the top of Signal Hill; unfortunately the cable car up Table Mountain is undergoing routine maintanance so we could not go to the top.

Hot with clear skies so we are just getting ready for a trip to the beach to let off some steam and then we will be going down to the waterfront for supper.

We have 43 very tired boys, so it will be early to bed – we hope!

Monday 21st July

We spent this morning on the beach at Camps Bay after a huge breakfast and a good night's sleep for all. The sun was has been shining and all 43 boys spent a few hours training and enjoying paddling in the waves. A light lunch followed and then preparations for the first matches on tour. We arrived at Bishops at two o'clock and it was clear that all of the boys were pretty nervous. The seconds played first – in the first half they only conceded one try, but in the second the strength and skill of the opposition showed and we conceded a further four tries with no reply (0-35). It is never easy to travel thousands of miles from home to play rugby and having only arrived the day before it was a big ask for the boy to play for 50 minutes. The commitment that they showed was truly remarkable and the score line really does reflect just the last 5 minutes when the tank was running on empty! The first team played next and conceded two tries in the first half. The Bishops centre caused us problems all afternoon with his power and pace and he was the difference between the sides in the first half. After half time we started to exert a lot of pressure in the forwards with some ferocious counter rucking but despite Alex Harmer scoring a well deserved try we were unable to draw level. Both Piers Chen and Jordan Fowler came very close but the Bishops defence was resolute and would not let us cross. The final score was 14-7 but as the boys gathered round for a post match chat they knew that they had given their very best – I was certainly very proud of all of them.

Bishops kindly put on a post match function with food and drinks for boys and parents and then we headed back to the Waterfront for more steak and ribs! TJ Worrall Thompson and Henry Ellis devouring a 400g steak and 9 ribs each!!

Tuesday 22nd July

An early start today with alarm calls for the boys at 7 and then on the coach and off to Hout Bay for 8. After a short drive the boys and staff went out on a boat visiting the seals at Duiker Island.

Most of us enjoyed taking on the surf on the way, though the sight of Captain Griffiths behind the wheel gave some cause for concern! Safely back on dry land we then set off to Cape Point to visit the lighthouse and make the most of the photo opportunity there.

We then walked off our lunch (burgers and milkshakes went down well) by climbing to the lighthouse itself, taking care to look out for baboons along the route, though the Funicular proved a popular option also. The animal theme continued with a trip to visit the penguins at Simonstown, after which the boys joined in with the local dancers on the way back to the bus.

As the afternoon drew to a close we then made our way to Muizenberg for a short training session, and some of the boys managed to spot a whale out of the window as we drove around the beach.

At 21km long, the boys' faces fell when told they were to run to the end and back, so their relief was easy to see when told it was to be more focussed on skills! A good workout followed before we headed back to Cape Town to clean up, pack bags in preparation for staying with the parents of Wynberg boys tomorrow night and beat the now familiar path to Spur steakhouse for the evening meal.

Wednesday 23rd July

Very difficult to wake some of the boys this morning! Both Gaby and I had raw knuckles by the time we managed to rouse two of the rooms. Our tour of the Langa Township followed the usual huge breakfast.

We were split into two groups for the tour and spent two hours walking around the township, visiting one of the local ‘artists’ (Head of Art, Mr Clements is dubious!) who paints using coloured sand and glue. The highlight was lunch at Sheilas, a restaurant opened to encourage the tourists to get out of their air conditioned coaches and amongst the township people. We ate from a huge spread of local food before heading off to play at Wynberg. Pictures and a more detailed report about the games will be posted later, but suffice to say that both teams found it a very difficult and tough afternoon and we have a few bruised and battered young men with their hosts tonight.

Matches Vs Wynberg

The 2nd XV played the Wynberg U12 A team and were quickly put under some pressure. They conceded three tries during the first half and could easily have crumbled but to their great credit they battled back with customary commitment and scored two tries. They came close to equalising and came from the field delighted that they had played so well. The 1st team game was a very tough encounter and at the end of the first half the score was 21-5. The second half was a very one sided affair as the enormous two provincial centres ran riot, scoring a further 7 tries. Our opponents were hugely impressive and our boys gave everything they could but the final result was difficult for many of them to bear. Still, these boys bounce back and there are still 3 games to go. The team spirit remains strong and we head off to Knysna looking forward to lots of sight-seeing and a little bit of rest over the weekend.

Thursday 24th July

This morning saw us experience winter weather for the first time! As the rain lashed down and the ‘Tablecloth' covered the mountain, we met up at Wynberg school, the boys having spent an evening billeted out with the families of their opponents of yesterday. All reported having enjoyed the experience and everyone appreciated the kindness shown by the families involved. Faced with the daunting prospect of a six hour drive to Knysna, we delayed the inevitable by taking a tour of Newlands rugby stadium.

The boys took their seats in the home changing room where the Western Province and Springbok players prepare for matches and imagined running out on to the beautifully tended pitch.

After the tour the boys moved on to the Newlands stadium museum where they were extremely lucky to meet up with Andre Vos, the ex-Springbok captain. Having looked around the museum the boys asked him questions, and he gave the boys insights into the world of international sport (including how the Springboks psyche each other up before a game) and impressed us all with his friendliness and approachability.

Many thanks go to the Barklem family for arranging this unique opportunity. Once we had exhausted our supply of questions we then boarded the bus and headed East.

Arrived safely at Knysna Keys Hotel at 5.30pm and have eaten unlimited Pizza at a local restaurant. We are now all heading to our rooms for an early night. The Hotel is situated on the waterfront overlooking the harbour and a vast improvement on our previous temporary home in Cape Town.

Planning for a late breakfast, before a swim in the pool, a little shopping and training before heading off to the match at lunchtime tomorrow.

Friday 25th July

A well deserved lie-in was enjoyed by all before the boys plunged into the hotel's swimming pool. It was lovely to see the boys relaxing after the long drive yesterday and they seemed to enjoy some down time before the next game. After a light lunch we headed off to George to face George South Primary School. The phrase “look at the size of them!” has been well used during the tour and once again our opponents were a formidable looking bunch. It was the turn of the 1st XV to play first and they took the field knowing that another tough encounter was ahead of them. The game began well with Alex Harmer finding space down the short side, only to be tackled into touch inches short of being through to score. Some early possession was then turned over by the ferocious tackling of our opponents and a few missed tackles meant that they scored under the posts. Undaunted the 1st team hit back but could not manage to put any phases of play together. Injuries meant that a few players were missing but those who now started the game played with a huge amount of commitment. However, despite their very best efforts, the 1st team could not keep the George players out and the final result of 28-0 reflected another tough afternoon of rugby. The 2nd XV once again played with customary enthusiasm and with a few of the backs becoming forwards for the afternoon the side was completely different from Wednesday's team. It was a similar story to Wednesday in that 3 early tries were conceded, two from line-outs on the 5m line that were then driven over. Despite the stark differences in size of forward packs the gutsy 2nd XV kept on trying to play rugby and threw themselves into tackles as if their lives depended on it. The second half saw some changes to personnel and the 2nd team started to break the line and gain some territory. After some wonderful passages of play, Sam Lerche Thomson managed to squeeze in the corner to score a well deserved try to the delight of all players and supporters.

What a weekend the boys have ahead of them. Tomorrow – the Cango Caves, the cheetah and croc park and the Ostrich farm. On Sunday – speed boats to see the whales up close and a trip to the elephant park. Pictures and more detail to follow.

Saturday 26th July

Early breakfast for an 8.00am departure to wiggle our way over the Outinaquwa Mountains to Cango Caves.

A guide with a great sense of humour and imagination took us through beautiful, deep, spectacular caverns and passageways. Ali Macleod bravely climbed upstairs, over rough terrain and down stairs on his crutches sometimes ably assisted by a piggy back from Mr Muscle Griffiths! (He broke 2 toes in the match yesterday!!)

Next we drove to the nearby big cat and croc farm. Informative ranger Craig took us past an assortment of wildlife, including flying fox bats, vultures, a species of dwarf hippo and over the quaking bridge that crossed the enclosure of the Nile crocodiles! Luckily for us we all made it across, though we were reassured that they are not due to eat again until September anyway…

Following Craig to the next area of the park, and sticking to the boardwalks, a real treat followed as we were able to see lions, white lions, tigers, leopards and cheetahs from an amazingly small distance.

Mrs Clements also fulfilled a lifelong wish and took the opportunity to get up close and personal with the Cheetah and lion Cubs. The ever-popular burger lunch followed, after which the boys were given free time to revisit their favourite animals before swamping the shop, conveniently located just before the exit.

A short drive to Safari Ostrich farm was followed by a short walk down a farm track to meet some of the locals. Mercifully tame, we found out how to tell the difference between male and female ostriches and also discovered that you can stand on their eggs without them breaking. Of more interest to the boys was that they contain the equivalent of 24 chicken eggs and make spectacular omelettes. Crossing the road we entered the kraal to be told more about the birds, and then came the moment that many had been waiting for: sitting on an ostrich. The experience was described as ‘like sitting on a comfortable sofa', ‘exciting' and ‘weird', before a couple of the boys even got to ride around on their backs.

Finally, the local jockeys took to their mounts and staged the Ostrich Derby for our benefit. A swift round of betting took place and, though some allegations of race fixing were made, we can report that Schumacher (from trap 4) beat Speedy (trap 2) and Hopeless (trap 1) by a long neck.

Sunday 27th July

After yesterday's hectic adventures courtesy of Southgate Tours, all the tourists were delighted to have the ability to lie in this morning. A relatively late departure of 10.30am was pushed back even further as a result of Henry Ellis having difficulty with understanding the time. The boys had been promised a surprise and were therefore delighted to hear they were heading to Plettenberg Bay to embark on a whale watching, white knuckle ride.

Once we all worked out the complexities of the life jackets, we were split into two groups to head out into the Indian Ocean on a voyage of discovery. The staff decided to pull rank and took the front row of the boat as we were powered into the water by a Toyota Land Cruiser, at which point the power of ‘Fat Boy'- the jet boat- took over! As we bounced over the relatively still water, our eyes became drawn to some marvellous sights as the whales crashed through their natural environment. There were sightings of four hump back whales with their tails being snapped by many a Moulsford camera lens. Five Southern Right Whales were relaxing amidst the calmer waters close to the shore as camera lenses continued to click. We then carried on bouncing across the water and the staff couldn't resist the temptation to hum the Baywatch theme tune! Our last stop was to see the most unbelievable seal colony which lolloped across the craggy rocks. As we arrived by their side, they were awoken from their slumbers and fought their way to the cooler environment of the ocean. The arrival back to land was equally as spectacular as our entrance to the whale's playground, as we powered onto the golden sands. After a hearty lunch, the boys were given the opportunity to swim where they were joined by a pod of dolphins playing with them in the waves. Many sand creations appeared on the beach ranging from a large lump of sand, to the Mr Weeks inspired jet ski!

Monday 28th July

Not much to report today. Left Knysna at 10.00 for the journey to Port Elizabeth. Stopped at Monkey World for a quick tour of the Ring Tailed Lemurs and other primates.

Paused at The Billabong Factory Outlet for 30 minutes of frenetic shopping and arrived slightly late at Grey School. The boys all went off with their hosts for an evening of barbeques and entertainment. The staff are now settled into their hotel for a quiet night in!!

Tuesday 29th July

We met up with the boys at Grey School at 7.45am; all the boys seemed on top form having plenty of stories to tell about the first night with their hosts. We spent a couple of hours training on the beach at PE and then shopped and ate lunch before arriving at Grey School. A full report of the matches will follow tomorrow, however congratulations to the U12 on their narrow victory 12- 7, and a very close game for the U13's resulted in a 29-21 defeat. We all – staff, boys and parents – enjoyed a Braai courtesy of the generosity of Grey School, before the exhausted boys set off to their host's homes for the night.

U12 A Vs Grey
It was clear that the boys were excited and nervous in equal measure at the prospect of playing as an Under 12 side for the first time. The injury to Ali Macleod meant that some juggling in the back line was needed but with so many wonderful performances on tour, a number of boys were very ready to step in. The game began well with early pressure up front. Captain of the side, Leo Wood, demanded a physical effort from his pack and that is exactly what he got. Jordan Fowler enjoyed the space that he suddenly found himself in and he exploited it to the full, rampaging from the back of a scrum before being felled close to the line. Unfortunately this early pressure did not bring any points and a loss of concentration allowed our opponents to score first. This certainly galvanized the MPS side who then came straight back with a try from the outstanding Alex Andrews. The two sides could not be separated and with the ball being dropped or lost in contact too often, the Grey side found themselves with more and more possession. With only minutes to go the score was 7-5 to Grey and it seemed as if the game was lost. However, Ed Howlett was able to find a way through the defence to score and then convert his own try. The response to the victory really did show how important the win was to all of the squad – they were ecstatic! It was now left to the U13 A side to take to the field.

U13 A Vs Grey
The Grey U13 B side has been undefeated during their season and with well over 100 boys in the year group, their pool of players is very deep. The game began well with some powerful rucking from the MPS pack and after a quick tap penalty from Charlie Mansfield, Will Flindall smashed over for the first of his two tries. A very slick line-out move from our opponents resulted in a try and all of a sudden the bys found themselves under some pressure. The physicality of the tackling remained a feature of all of our South African opponents and despite some wonderful centre play from Sam Lerche Thomsen the boys were unable to turn possession in to points. Grey struck again only for Will Flindall to once again power through a gap in the defence to score under the posts. Grey had some very talented individuals and they looked after the ball very well in contact. This led to a build up of pressure as MPS could not get hold of the ball. This pressure eventually told as our opponents went 29-14 up and it appeared that we were out of the game. Finally a few phases were put together and Greg Buchan put Piers Chen away for a try that showed his blistering pace to its maximum. Unfortunately this was not enough and despite their very best efforts another score could not be found. Although disappointed, the boys realised that they had been involved in a well balanced and hard fought game of rugby. Special thanks must go to Maarten Molenaar at Grey College for his generosity and understanding and the parents of the Grey players who made all of the MPS boys, staff and parents feel very welcome indeed. We all thoroughly enjoyed our time in Port Elizabeth.

Wednesday 30th July

All packed and ready to go. The flight leaves for Jo'burg at 12.35 so we are soaking up the sun and breathing the fresh air on the beach before setting off for the airport. We say goodbye to Andre, our driver for the past 10 days. Andy says he is without doubt the best driver he has ever worked with; he has amused and informed us all the way from Cape Town through Knysna to PE; we will be very sad to say goodbye to him today.

Arrived on time in Jo'burg and transferred to the hotel, the city seems noticeably busier than Cape Town and PE, lots more traffic and impatient drivers.

Settled into our rooms at the Garden Court, Sandton and did a reconnaissance of The Nelson Mandela Square. We met by the feet of the great man himself (well a 10m statue of him) and then we decided to eat early, the boys enjoying pizza and pasta, before returning to the hotel for a quiet evening.

Thursday 31st July

Enjoying a leisurely start to the day. We are planning to leave the hotel around 10.00 am to visit the Apartheid Museum before a light lunch. The 2nd XV match against St Benedict's College Prep kicks off at 15:30 followed by the 1st XV game. The 1st XV are confident of a win this afternoon – let's hope they are right!

We've just had a sobering 2 hour tour round The Apartheid Museum. We all took it at our own speed and were then able to filter out some of the masses of information which overwhelmed us. (Have you guessed that this is Mrs C writing this and not the male staff flowery descriptions – sorry!)

I think the best bit was a short DVD plotting the progression from the Bushmen being overtaken by Boers, the Boer Wars, the Cape settlers, slavery and the introduction of Apartheid. There were then some thought provoking photos and captions of what life was like under Apartheid, leading us through to 1976 and the blacks rebellion against the white rule and the political ramifications that had. It was a lot to take in, but certainly my tutor group was very interested the majority of the way round. We've now just stopped to have a bite to eat before the match.

2nd XV Vs St. Benedicts
A very warm welcome greeted us at St. Benedicts School along with clear blue skies and temperatures of 25 Celsius. A wonderful pavilion with balcony over-looking the pitches was a fantastic setting for what would prove to be two closely contested matches. The 2nd XV started with customary passion and Nick Bryan scored a well worked try after Sam Lerche Thomsen had taken the ball forward. St. Benedicts hit back quickly and were able to consolidate their lead with some excellent forward play but the 2nd XV were not about to give in without a fight. Outstanding performances from Connor Taylor, Sam Jones and Paddy Lawson Statham meant that the boys were in the game until the very last minute. Decisions went against them and despite their very best efforts they could not find the decisive score, eventually coming up just short with the score 12-10. The tearful reaction from many of the side epitomised the effort that they had put in to the game and how much it meant to them to finish with a win but it was not to be. In true fashion they quickly got behind the 1st XV who were keen to get their first win on tour.

1st XV Vs St. Benedicts
A very fired up 1st team took the field to huge cheers from the squad and the supporting parents. They quickly established an advantage when Piers Chen broke down the left only to be bundled into touch on half way. Our opponents once again had some big boys but our pack has been superb throughout the tour and they put St. Benedicts under a great deal of pressure. Hugh Hillier, who has been one of the players of the tour, was a constant thorn in the side of our opponents and turned over ball all afternoon, allowing Ed Howlett to play with maturity beyond his years. Tries from Piers Chen and Greg Buchan gave us a 10-0 lead only for a try to be conceded before half time. This gave the St. Benedicts boys the life they needed and as we started to concede penalty after penalty the game looked to be slipping away. With the score 10-7 we were awarded a penalty just outside the 22 metre line and Ed Howlett calmly kicked the penalty between the posts. The last 10 minutes of the game were frenetic and the boys were very much on their last legs when the final whistle eventually blew, giving the 1st XV their first win on tour. The celebrations and subsequent singing in the changing rooms highlighted the sense of jubilation and relief after two weeks of intense rugby. The whole squad gathered to congratulate one another before enjoying the fabulous hospitality of the St. Benedicts staff and parents.

Friday 1st August

Today saw our departure from the bustling city of Jo'burg. The coaches departed at approximately 8am although most of us were delayed by some less than rapid lifts in the hotel. The coaches were filled with talk of the friendly and approachable community that we visited yesterday.

Many boys were wearing the kit that they had exchanged with the very generous and hospitable opposition. On our way to Sun City, we stopped at an ‘interesting' market where the boys truly experienced the term ‘hard selling' from some very persuasive African stall holders. We arrived at Sun City at about 11.30 am where we roamed around the man- made landscape. A light lunch was had next to the lake with the eyes of the boys glued to the many water sports on offer.

Once lunch had settled and the rooms had been visited, we set off to the ‘Valley of the Waves', where many adventures were had. Some of the highlights included Mr Weeks and Mr Griffiths nearly flying out of their ‘double ringed' craft; Mr Smart's flailing arms as he began his descent down his first ever water slide and Greg Buchan's shock as a baboon waved at him on his way down one of the slides. The boys are just getting themselves ready for a fun filled evening of which more will be reported tomorrow.

Saturday 2nd August

What a fantastic evening of food and entertainment last night!

We ate a sumptuous meal of ribs, beef sausages, a medley of vegetables, salad and rice followed by fresh fruit salad and ice cream before being escorted to the Sun City theatre for a performance of ‘Let there be Rock' The show was a journey through music from early rock and roll, to the Beatles to The Beastie Boys, each of the songs being accompanied by a group of talented rock musicians and dancers. As song followed song and the female dancers wore less and less clothes, (the highlight for the boys and five of the staff being a performance of the ‘The Time Warp') the boys rocked, bopped, swayed and pogoed in the aisles. It was a memorable evening and our huge thanks go to Mr & Mrs Anderson for arranging the whole evening for our entertainment.

We have just returned from our first 3 hour game drive at Mabula, starting at 3.30pm and ending after a spectacular sunset over the mountains. Most of us were privileged to see giraffe, zebra, hippo, eland, kudu, rhino – there was a hint of a big cat tail
at a distance but Mr Grant's jeep actually got to see them close up, even walking across their path – I am so jealous!!

The boys are all starving after a very light lunch, so we are now awaiting our first supper here, off to bed early, ready for another game drive at 06.00am!!

Sunday 3rd August

We woke very early this morning for the sunrise game drive. Four Land Rovers went in search of lions, one scoured the bush for elephants. On the way I think we all spotted numerous zebra, giraffe, warthog, rhino, hartebeest, crocodile and much more. We all hope to see the big cats close up this afternoon but for now we have the rest of the day to chill out by the pool, play tennis and volleyball.

Monday 4th August

Our final diary entry, writing on the long route home!
What a fantastic final afternoon and evening we have just had – we went on our 3rd game drive at 3.30ish yesterday and again saw many animals up close – elephants and lions walking right in front of us, backed by a stunning sunset bringing out a gloriously clear starlit sky and a clear view of the milky way.

We ate supper in the Bhoma – an open air sumptious buffet – and Karl's birthday cake was presented to him by some highly fit and athletic African dancers who entertained us with their singing and frenetic dancing. We were woken early this morning for a fourth and final game drive, back for a breakfast buffet to die for, a quick pack up and room check. We intend to stop and shop (again) on route to the airport and hope that our 7.45pm flight will be utterly peaceful with 43 exhausted boys. See you all at Heathrow tomorrow morning!

Tuesday 5th August

All back home safely and in one piece – a huge sigh of relief! I have just read back over the tour diary and can hardly believe that it was just two weeks ago that we stood on Signal Hill, bathed in sunshine at the start of our 17 day tour. Before the tour began the prospect of taking 43 boys was fairly daunting but i can honestly say that they have been a pleasure to be with. They conducted themselves with a huge amount of maturity and we lost count of the number of times that people commented on their impecable manners and how charming the boys were to speak to. I was delighted to see the way that all of the squad mixed together and how they supported eachother when the rugby was tough (and it was very tough!). Good luck to all of the Year 8 who will move on to the senior schools with a wonderful final memory of their time as Moulsford boys. To the Year 7 boys, an exciting season lies ahead and i know that you will use all of the experiences from this tour to become even better players.

Once again my thanks to the staff who played a huge part in making the tour such a success. Without their total professionalism, dedication and sense of humour, the tour would never have been so successful and so much fun.