Forward July 2014 | Page 30

SPORT Rugby tour: New Zealand On Monday April 14, 36 formally dressed Guildford Grammar School students gathered at Perth’s Domestic Airport with staff members Craig Naylor, Kent Peters and Roberta Notte. The students were traveling to New Zealand for the 2014 Rugby Tour with the prospect of meeting giant Maoris on the field. the Christchurch Boys High School Rugby Festival, where we would play three games and miss out on our fourth due to weather. Saturday was match day. The Blue squad played Aranui Hiqh School and won 10-5 and the White squad played Otago Boys U16’s, unfortunately losing the match. This was also the night of the festival dinner, where all the team players sit with their respective positions from other teams. This proved to be a great way to meet new people and understand their achievements to date. No matches were scheduled for the first days of the tour, which resulted in countless training sessions, morning and night. Regular trips to the local McDonalds or Northlands Mall to access the free Wi-Fi kept everyone going. 30 As the training days came to an end we were lucky enough to have a session run by three notable Canterbury rugby coaches with a long history in the game. This taught us countless rucking techniques, refined our plays and allowed us to improve in other areas. The next two days were filled with matches and supporting with the Blues playing Burnsides 1st XV, who got a good lead early. The White squad played CBHS’s under 16’s and went down, but not without a struggle. Louis Blott (11Ha) scored a try and the entire team had a strong second half in both defense and attack. Next on the list was our shopping trip! The Dress Smart outlet is the equivalent to Perth’s Harbour Town. By the time we left, the outlet was in possession of a large proportion of the student’s pocket money! That night we visite B