Trinity Rugby Tour 2006

The Final Game v San Francisco Golden Gate Rugby Football Club

2006-12-16T17:55:00.000-08:00

Hi All,

The tour just gets better. San Francisco is indeed a spectacular place. Again the boys have been taken under the wing of a wonderful group of people, who have shown them around this great city. Yesterday we visited Alcatraz. A few of us felt that we may have been there in a previous life, but I'm sure if we had, we would have been on the right side of the bars. Many of the famous prisoners held at Alcatraz had been done for tax evasion, so this is a timely reminder to get those tax returns in before the Australian tax authorities have any bright ideas. The boys were as usual, on their best behaviour. The views of San Francisco and the Golden Gate Bridge are fantastic from this little island in the middle of the bay. But I'm sure you would rather hear about the game than a travel digest.

The game was held on Treasure Island, an old Naval base that has been handed back to civilian use. It was initially warm and dry, about 15 degrees but becoming quite chilly by the end of the game. There were 2 halves each of 35 mins duration. The crowd numbered about 100. It soon became apparent that we were up against a formidable opponent, with age, weight and height favouring the locals.

The first half was dominated by the SFGG players. They tested us at every facet of the game and overpowered us. They scored three tries in fairly rapid succession, and 12 mins into the game we were down 17-0.

We hit back after a few penalties favouring us, and Alex Repsevicius, following a quick tap scored a well deserved try. Not converted, score 17-5, with the locals leading.

The local team then gave us a lesson in rugby, and holes began to appear in our defensive line. Two further tries followed before half time. The score at the break was 31-5.

The second half was a different game. It was characterised by frequent infringements, particularly by the locals who were blooding a few new players more accustomed to American Football. The referee showed no fewer than three yellow cards and one red card against SFGG. At one stage, they were down to 13 men on the field. Our boys did their best against a hardy opposition and 15 mins into the half, Ben Melville managed to score in the corner. Not converted, score 31-10, favouring SFGG.

The game seesawed for the next 15 mins until, in the dying minutes, Callan Phipps received clean ball from the robust TC scrum to cross the line. This was converted. The game concluded following the conversion. The final score was 31-17, favouring the local team. Nil significant injuries.

This was no doubt, the toughest match of the tour. There is a long tradition of rugby in San Francisco and the competition is fast and tough.

The usual post match formalities followed and SFGG gave Man of the Match to Danny McAuliffe.

The boys have returned to their billeting families tonight and will enjoy their company until we all meet again on Monday prior to flying to Singapore, and then onto home.

We thank the local organisers and the billeting families for their hospitality and hope we can return the favour when they visit our fair shores.

We are pleased to hear that Tim Badham is recovering rapidly. His Dad, Mark has joined Tim in Portland. We hope to reassemble the travelling party prior to our flight to Singapore.

To say this has been the experience of a lifetime is an understatement. Your boys have become men in this time. You will notice the difference when they return. They have done us all proud. Their behaviour has been impeccable. We have not had a single complaint about anything or anyone.

I would like to record our thanks to the organisers of this wonderful tour. Jerry Scott has been a true leader - he has faced any issues with good humour. Always immaculately dressed in a suit, tie and black shoes, he has left a lasting impression on our opponents. His tireless work has resulted in a remarkably successful tour.

Toby Trewin has had the unenviable task of treasurer on the tour, a task in which he has shown considerable skill. We wish Toby well in his future career at Hale School.

Ian Hailes, the old man of the tour party, has been the voice of reason and experience. He stayed behind in Portland to watch over Tim Badham. We thank Ian for his help in all aspects of the tour.

Finally, I wish to record my thanks to Katie Shaw for her tireless and meticulous efforts in organising the nuts and bolts of the tour. Katie not only helped in organising things pre-tour, but was there when we needed assistance with getting Mark Badham over to Portland in a hurry. Katie, you are just a champ and we all thank you for everything you have done.

We have now converted our boys into "rugby tragics". Forever more, they will want to go on tour and relive the excitement of this tour.

Looking forwards to home,

Bob Graydon

The Fourth Game v Beaverton High School Barbarians

2006-12-13T23:37:00.000-08:00

Hello All,

We again appear to have been extremely fortunate to have encountered a group of gracious and generous hosts. The billet families have been just wonderful in the way they have taken us into their homes, feed us, and ferried us around all over this city. I would personally like to record my thanks to Roger and Kay Helbling who have been extremely supportive, particularly in relation to our ill boy.

The game last night was played at Beaverton High School, on artificial turf and under lights. This is the "Home of the Beavers" and certainly, our boys played as though they had some experience in such conditions previously. It was wet and cold. It was decided to play 4 x 20 min periods. About 200 to 300 spectators turned up which is amazing considering the weather and it being a midweek night. The teams lined up for a stirring rendition of both National Anthems.

The game got off to a fast pace. Certainly, the training session the boys had undertaken the day before this game seemed to have cleared out a few prolonged tour related cobwebs. Connor Smith hit the ground running to score a try in the corner about 10 minutes into the game. Not converted. Score 5-0, favouring TC. The rest of this quarter, and indeed most of the game was characterised by frequent penalties against the Barbarians. Their lack of match practice, being the off season, worked against what is otherwise a quality local team. Most of the game play in this period was dominated by TC, and the score going into quarter time was unchanged at 5-0.

The second quarter was very much dominated by TC. The TC backs, thriving on the fast running surface, made any number of breaks. The quarter belonged particularly to Connor Smith who following receiving some superb passes, crossed the line another two times. One of the tries was converted. Score 17 - 0, favouring TC at half time.

The Barbarians were unlucky in the third quarter when they managed to get the ball across the TC line but it was held up. The locals were now playing for pride and threw wave after wave of offence at TC, but our boys managed to hold them back. The TC backs were impenetrable. Special mention must be made of Connor Smith, who played just as well in defence as he did in scoring a hat trick of tries. There was no score this quarter.

The final period belonged to the locals. Again, many infringements resulting in penalties stifled their game. However, 5 minutes from full time they managed to score a converted try. The final score was 17 - 7, favouring TC. Nil significant injuries.

All the boys gathered together for a group photo post match and it was evident that a lot of strong bonds have been forged in the short time we have been here. Later that evening, our hosts took us to a restaurant where the match presentations were made. The following boys were nominated by the locals for awards:

Connor Smith - Man of the Match.
Thomas Graydon - Forward of the Match
Alex Repsevicius - Back of the Match
Callan Phipps - Most valuable player.

We are so fortunate that the people of Portland have taken us under their wing and demonstrated hospitality that we can return when they hopefully come to tour Australia.

We are told that it does occasionally stop raining here but likewise, we tell tourists tall tales about drop bears and other mythological characters.

Yours, now starting to dry out,

Bob Graydon

Update on Tim Badham

2006-12-13T12:44:00.000-08:00

Just a short note to let people know. Tim Badham has been admitted to hospital here in Portland. He has a viral illness. He is improving but may require longer to recover from this illness. If necessary, one of the teachers will stay with Tim until he can rejoin the touring party. The rest of the boys remain in good health and good spirits, particularly after yet another win under lights last night in Beaverton. More to follow on this.

Yours from the wettest place on planet earth,

Bob Graydon

Some of the Mums

2006-12-12T22:31:00.000-08:00

Hi to the Library Ladies

2006-12-12T22:25:00.000-08:00

Whistler

2006-12-08T21:10:00.000-08:00

We did it,

We all managed to ski Whistler without a single injury. The snow was fantastic - a thick covering on the well manicured slopes. Yes, we all fell over, some more than others but we all still managed to learn the fundamentals of skiing. There were, of course two outstanding skiers - the one and only Coach Scott and yours truly - we had both skied before. The boys had a ball -normally conservative fellows soundly found speed and agility that they may not have previously demonstrated. I will let the photos do the talking.

Regards,

Bob Graydon

The Third Game v Prince of Wales

2006-12-07T18:36:00.000-08:00

Hi All,

Wow, have we had an interesting time in Vancouver. It is pretty cold and following a recent snow fall, the streets of Vancouver are still covered with snow and ice. The rugby pitch we played on today was also covered with snow, and it was quite a sight seeing our boys shovelling clear the snow prior to the game. This left a surface that was predominately mud and very heavy under foot.

It was cold , about 9 degrees going into the game, but the temperature soon dropped to an estimated 3-4 degrees. It was decided to play 3 periods of 25 minutes per period.

The first period was dominated by TC. Our boys kept bringing the ball up to the try line, but failed to put points on the board until Tim Badham managed to score wide of the posts about 10 minutes into the period. This was not converted. Score 5-0 favouring TC. Special mention must be made of Rowan Cackett who had a pearler of a game, constantly picking and driving around the breakdowns and turning the opposition. With the rapidly dropping temperature, the boys made the best of the conditions to score late in the period. Richy Sorriba playing at wing received a great pass and managed to dodge round his opponent to score in the corner. This try was not converted. Score 10-0.

The opening 10 minutes of the second period was a more even match. In fading light, Tim Badham did it again with a splendid try, which was not converted. Score: 15-0 in TC's favour. The opposition struck back soon after with a their forwards taking the ball up to and over the try line following a penalty. This try was not converted and the score was 15-5, favouring TC going into the break.

The final period really belonged to the home side. Soon into the period their backs scored with a try that was subsequently converted. Score: 15 - 12 in TC's favour. The rest of the game was played in difficult conditions in which the locals thrived. They strung together offence after offence which our team managed to repel. TC did have a few opportunities to score but the Prince of Wales boys were equally resolute. In the end it was the referee's whistle that saved our team from the Prince of Wales boys stealing the win from us. Final score 15-12, in TC's favour. Nil significant injuries.

This was a challenging game for us. The opposition were very good but lacked match practice. We let them back into it after a fantastic start, the best start of the tour.

The day ended with the usual formalities. Rowan Cackett was voted TC Man of the Match .
The locals are extremely generous and gracious hosts and have welcomed us into their homes. We are grateful to them for the generosity and look forward to hosting their team's visit to Perth in March next year.

Now its early to bed for an early start to Whistler tomorrow. This is just the opportunity of a lifetime for these boys and they are all making the most of it.

Regards,

Bob Graydon

The Second Game v Hart District Rugby Wildcats

2006-12-04T10:03:00.000-08:00

Hello Everyone,

Sorry not to have posted earlier but there have been numerous commitments since the second game.

We are indeed fortunate to have been looked after by a wonderful group of people here in the Santa Clarita Valley in California. This is a special place and we appear to have settled into the life style all too easily.

The game last Saturday was hyped up in the local press and a crowd of about 2 to 3 hundred turned up in pleasant weather conditions to watch the encounter. The wind was blowing a gale and favoured the Wildcats in the opening stanza. It was decided to play 4 x 25 minute quarters. Our boys did not get off to a good start, probably suffering the combined effects of jet lag and the locals over feeding them. We were never in it and the score at quarter time was 21-0 favouring the Wildcats.

Coach Scott (as we refer to him now) reinforced at the break that the wind was a major factor in the game and encouraged them to have faith and to get out there and do us proud.

The second quarter heavily favoured the visitors. The forwards played with considerable passion despite crunching tackles by the locals. They pushed up towards the line with phase after phase of rucks with Tom Graydon finally literally throwing himself at the line placing the ball over for our first score. The whole team lifted as one and then proceeded to play one of the most passionate periods of schoolboy rugby that I have had the pleasure to view. This try was not converted, score 21- 5. Over the next 20 minutes the following boys scored tries:
Aaron Phipps
Jack Edwards
Connor Smith
Rowan Cackett.

The score was 21-29, favouring TC going into half time, a truly remarkable turn around.

Conditions in the third quarter again favoured the locals, and they made the best of it, scoring two converted tries. Score 35-29 favouring the Wildcats going into the final quarter.

The locals threw everything at us in the final quarter, and forced us into a series of defensive positions. We managed to resist this intense pressure. Callan Phipps strutted his stuff yet again and managed to score a try. Not converted. Score 35-34, Wildcats leading by one.

The game was played in the midfield, both teams evenly matched until about 3 to 4 minutes from the end when Connor Smith was on the burst when he received a perfectly timed pass. Connor ran a good 30 metres to score in the corner. Not converted. The crowd came to its feet for the final stanza as both teams played themselved to near exhaustion in the dying minutes. The game concluded with the final score of 35- 39 favouring TC.

The post match formalities demonstrated the strong bonds that had been forged with the locals. There was an exchange of gifts. The Wildcats nominated Callan Phipps and Danny McAuliffe as Men of the Match for TC.

This was a very satisfying win for the boys. They lifted enormously in stature with the victory.
The local team showed that they are more than competitive at this level of rugby.
The match even gained some local press coverage. Please see the links at the bottom of this post.

The entire team are grateful to the organisers of this match and the wonderful locals who took them in under their wings to house and feed them. There is talk of a return bout with TC hosting the Wildcats on our home turf.

Photos will be added at a later date.

Regards,

Bob Graydon

Links: (paste into your web browser)

http://www.dailynews.com/search/ci_4762557

http://www.the-signal.com/?module=displaystory&story_id=34824&format=html

Canyon High School LA

2006-12-03T18:17:00.000-08:00

An extract from an email to a parent... see some pictures from their website

http://web.mac.com/rugbycoach

The whole Trinity group are fantastic. They have done so much for my
rugby program by visiting my school. All the students and staff are
talking about rugby now and are planning on coming to the game, and we
will attract coaches and players and fans from all over Southern
California to see it.

Please pass on my thanks to any and all of the Trinity College families
for supporting this tour and sharing their sons with us. They are all
true ambassadors of the sport and have set a great example for my
players.

Dr. Bob told me that he has been having difficulty posting new info on
the Trinity website he is keeping for the tour. I will post pictures of
the players from school today, and highlights and perhaps even video
clips of tomorrow's game on my team's website at:

http://web.mac.com/rugbycoach

So you can look up your players and match results there.

Again, thanks so much for sending your boys. It's been a delight (of
course, I say this now before the game... there are some pretty big boys
on the Trinity side).

Cheers,

Andy

Andrew Smith
Canyon High School Rugby
19300 W. Nadal Street
Canyon Country, CA 91351

Hart District Wildcats RFC

http://web.mac.com/rugbycoach

The First Game v United World College Part 2

2006-12-03T18:10:00.000-08:00

The First Game v United World College

2006-11-28T19:16:00.000-08:00

Hello All,
You all are probably desperate for news. The game went well yesterday. Played in hot, steamy but otherwise dry conditions, the boys had an aggressive start to the tour with an impressive attacking opening stanza of play. Unfortunately, this failed to transmit to points on the board and UWC responded with a try, that was wide of the posts and consequently, not converted. The match was fairly evenly balanced till we hit back with a well executed backs manoeuvre with Liam Hill going over the line with an easy touch down. The score was 5 all going into half time.
The second half proved to favour the home side, with the ref having a significant impact on the game with frequent penalties. UWC managed the conditions better and crossed the Trinity line twice, both easy tries and both converted. Score 19 -5. The boys responded in the final 15 with a splendid blind side try to Tim Badham, wide of the posts, not converted. Despite the trying conditions, the boys kept plugging away at the rapidly tiring local team. The last 10 mins was all Trinity. With 5 to go we hustled the ball up to the line and the final try (Callan Phipps) was scored and converted, score 19-17. The game concluded soon after. UWC won 19-17. Nil significant injuries.

The game was played in great spirit, and the teams joined together for photos and presentations.

The boys did us all proud. They looked impressive turning up dressed in school uniform, and behaved impeccably (apart from bad taste group songs on the bus, sung loudly and tunelessly).

Last night, we went out on an open top bus tour of the CBD. Following this, the boys went their own ways in groups to find their own dinner.

I think an early night was had by all. Certainly, the hotel is still standing this morning and I am unaware of any major problems.

We are gathering soon for a team meeting prior to packing up to go to the airport.

Looking forwards to 14 hours of sheer torment.

Should be a tad cooler in the States and Canada. Someone told us yesterday that Vancouver is under 2 feet of snow, and Whistler is experiencing Arctic conditions with temps of -40.
Don't worry, I'm full bottle on the treatment of extreme hypothermia. hahahahaha.

Sorry, I can't work out how to upload photos on this crummy computer at an Internet cafe. Also, the letters have worn off the keyboard, so I have posted under trying conditions.

Will add photos later.

Bob Graydon

Departure

2006-11-27T15:33:00.000-08:00

The Parents

2006-11-19T16:35:00.000-08:00

Tour Sponsors

2006-11-15T15:41:00.000-08:00

Tour Party Photo

2006-11-09T20:34:00.000-08:00

Tour leader Mr Jerry Scott

2006-11-08T20:43:00.000-08:00

Trinity 1st XV coach 2006