The Graeme College first rugby team returned this week from a highly successful tour of the east coast of Australia.
The Graeme College first rugby team returned this week from a highly successful tour of the east coast of Australia.
“While the team achieved outstanding results on the pitch, the real massive success lay in the richness of the experience for each and every player reflected by the way in which they embraced the experience and conducted themselves as ambassadors for their school and country,” said Graeme first team coach, Brendan Grant.
The touring squad was made up of 22 players, four staff and six parent supporters who were part of the 17 day tour.
The first week of the tour was spent in Sydney, where the group was accommodated at the Rocks where they were able to take in the famous sights of the city.
“People were simply astounded at the manners, humility and spirit shown by these young Graemians wherever they went, qualities that seem to have steadily eroded away in first world education systems,” said Grant.
Grant says Graeme side’s first match against Endeavour Sports College was a “perfect opener,” as the Graemians stuck to their guns and structure, did not stand back from the rough attacks and went on to win 39-12 after the 12-12 score at halftime.
The Endeavour team consisted almost entirely of players of Maori or Polynesian descent along with one South African.
The Graeme team encountered a different style of rugby, “definitely not for the faint hearted,” with everything revolving around massive once off tackles.
A fantastic post match atmosphere existed among the players with lots of singing from the Graeme team and hakas from the Endeavours Maori players.
The match was played during their school day and the whole school turned out to watch. After a few more days sightseeing the team flew to Brisbane for the business Graeme touring side in Australia side of the tour.
The Southern Skies Tournament featured 68 schools sports teams (five different codes) from around the world.
The rugby tournament featured three New Zealand teams, two Brisbane teams and Graeme College. All the competitors were large schools with the Brisbane schools having an enrolment of 1 400 boys and Takapuna Grammar 1 600 pupils.
The format was particularly brutal with the team having to play two matches a day over four days with only one day’s rest halfway through.
The Australian teams were professional in their approach, with ex-Wallabies, All Blacks and former Super 14 coaches as their professional coaches, whereas the New Zealand teams were still coached by teachers with strong links to their local clubs.
As a sign of the respect that they have for South African rugby, the New Zealand teams all performed ferocious renditions of the haka before Graeme’s games.
“This certainly served to motivate our boys and they played by far the best rugby of our season so far,” said Grant.
The Graeme team enjoyed an unbeaten record until the last match in Australia, losing to a Brisbane Boys College side in the final of the competition, a team Graeme had narrowly beaten in the first match of the tournament.
The results were as follows: Round robin stage Vs Brisbane Boys College, Graeme won 7-3 Vs Takapuna Grammar, Graeme won 20-9 Vs Hawera High, Graeme won 10-6 Vs Paraparaumu College, Graeme won 13-6 Vs Brisbane Grammar, Graeme won 26-12 In the quarter fionals against Brisbane Grammar, Graemewon 12-7 In the semi-finals against Hawera High, Graeme won 17-5 In the final against Brisbane Boys College, Graeme lost 15-39.
“It was sad to lose in the final and BBC played superbly well,” said Grant, adding that it was unfortunately a bridge too far for the Graeme players “who had given everything in some epic games to reach the final and by now resembled the walking dead, so exhausted were they.”
It did not detract from an overall record of eight wins out of nine matches played on tour and the fact that all 22 squad members had participated, played a role in the team’s success.
The team did however return with a trophy as they were adjudged the winning school out of the 68 in attendance at a cultural evening where schools presented themes that represented an aspect of their culture.
With a vuvuzela in tow and some great singing the Graemians put on a play that showcased Eastern Cape culture and brought home the accolades.
A lot has been written about the massive fundraising effort that went into making this tour a reality. The fact that it has been such a resounding success is just dessrts for the tremendous sacrifice that was made especially by certain parents, members of the Grahamstown community, staff and the players themselves.
“This was a very happy tour, we met great people and the team is united as never before. I do believe that this tour will hold a special place in the hearts of the players for many years to come.
We look forward to the remainder of the season with pride and confidence,” said Grant.
