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04 August 2022

In early July 2022, 27 rugby players and 4 staff set out for a two-week rugby tour of Canada.

This was the School’s first tour there for 20 years, and included OB Mr Pillow on the coaching team, who had been part of the touring party in 2002. Here, Mr Palmer, who coaches the under 15s, tells us about the trip and the memories which will last a lifetime. 

Our delayed arrival into Toronto meant that, after the first of what was to prove to be many burgers, the tour party fell exhausted into their beds. The next day we took in the surroundings of our home for the next few days from the 447 metre high CN tower, before a training session in a local park. This session saw the debut appearance of the much anticipated ‘tour vest’, which also saw the debut appearance of ‘sun-kissed’ shoulders; Marcus Clapp, Connor McCausland and Mr Fowles vying for ‘reddest on tour’. That evening we played our first fixture against the Oakville Crusaders. Jet lag and rustiness after a term and a half since our last fixture meant that we were defeated by a physical Oakland 34-20. Bradley Thrikawala’s defensive prowess stood out and was awarded with the MVP award and Ollie Brennan’s volley, chase and try meant that he became the first recipient of our ‘Champagne moment’ jacket. The rest of the evening was spent enjoying our first taste of the excellent Canadian hospitality we were to be fortunate to receive throughout our trip. 

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Mr Fowles’ determination to improve on this performance, meant that while we enjoyed our leisure at theme parks over the next few days, we also made time to train hard, honing skills and game plan for our next match against the state representative side the Ontario Blues. The squad was boosted by Oliver Mitchell landing in the country after a bout of COVID and Ayman Ahmed returning from injury. The side felt ready for the challenge to come. While our organisation and strike plays caused The Blues problems, the athletic prowess of some of our opponents shone through exploiting our rare errors to win 34-17. The captains and coaches were, however, pleased with a much-improved performance and felt that, since we had ‘gone toe to toe’ with the best in the state, we could be optimistic about our remaining fixtures. Ayman Ahmed impressed the opposition coaching staff who awarded him MVP and Dylan Carrol won the jacket for his dummy pass, line break and try. 

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This ended the Toronto leg of our tour and we headed out to Collingwood in rural Ontario. We were hosted by the Georgian Bay Titans and their energetic coaching duo of Sean and Todd. The boys got to know their hosts with some high-quality games of mixed touch rugby and an enthusiastic ‘talent’ competition that followed. The tourists then headed off with their host families, hoping to charm their way into having some laundry done and a meal that was not beef in a bun. The next morning, Todd and Sean took both squads for a hike in the woods of the Blue Mountains and after some forest activities we settled at the picturesque beach in Thornbury. That evening the boys were excited to take on their hosts on the rugby pitch. The Titans had managed to recruit some signings from two local clubs, but despite their superior numbers, Birkenhead’s quality in defence and attack meant that we came out winners 29-37. Dylan handed Nathan Travis the jacket for his excellent chip and chase and Oli Mitchell was awarded with MVP by the coaches for an all-round outstanding performance in defence and attack. The Titans hosted us excellently after the game before most of the party were taken by their hosts for a memorable icy dip in Lake Huron. 


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After fond farewells to our new friends, our driver Kenny drove us out to the Ottawa River for a few days enjoying Canada’s beautiful wilderness. The next morning was unforgettable: white water rafting, jumping into the river and even swimming in the rapids. Everyone was suitably soaked and hungry and returned to camp to gratefully receive an excellent BBQ. The squad were exhausted from rafting, travel and rugby and were hoping to spend the afternoon on the lake beach. The indefatigable Mr Rule had other ideas though and a mini-Olympics of volleyball, boccia, cornholing and river swimming was hastily arranged. Great fun was had by all, even the basic wooden cabins and mosquitoes were not enough to stop the whole tour party sleeping soundly that night.

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Our final long bus journey, the next morning, took us to Niagara. We stopped at the local rugby club for a run out with our next opponents, Niagara Wasps, before heading to our hotel overlooking the world-famous falls. Our next two days were spent taking in our surroundings by helicopter, jet boat and zip wire, as well as some meals out as a tour party. Our final fixture provided the opportunity to put into practice all we had learned from the tour. The first half saw a team selected who would all be available for the start of the September rugby season and put together the most complete performance of the tour. At half time, the team was restructured to ensure that all of the U6th leavers were on the pitch together for their final game for the school. They continued to apply pressure to our opponents to come out comfortable victors 17-47. Nathan Travis presented Tom Molloy with the ‘champagne moment’ jacket for the try he ran in from 20 metres out straight from his own take at the lineout. Nathan himself and Finn Collins were awarded joint MVPs by our opposition.  

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The final days of the tour were spent back in Toronto, taking in the sights of the city and hastily purchasing gifts and souvenirs for the return home. A final treat was in store for our last night, where we headed to the Rogers Centre to watch the Toronto Blue Jays defeat the Kansas City Royals. While we were all baseball novices at the start, a great evening was had by all and we left back for our hotel full of hotdogs and ice cream. Our final day saw us enjoy a tour awards lunch together in the heart of the city. Each tourist received an award with the highlights being Dylan Carrol, Nathan Travis and Oli Mitchell who were awarded best players for their age group and Ayman Ahmed who was awarded best player overall. Nathan Walker, Bradley Thrikawala and Harvey Forster were awarded the ‘top tourist’ prizes. 

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A few names need to be mentioned in thanks. To all the tourists for their hard work in training and on the pitch as well as being great company throughout our two weeks together. To the parents, donors and sponsors for supporting the trip so generously. To our excellent Canadian hosts. To Jack Grundy for the leading so well on and off the pitch as tour captain. To Mr Pillow for all of his work coordinating details before our departure, his coaching on tour and his management of the excellent twitter page. To Mr Rule for leading the on-tour logistics, finances, and coordinating the arrival of our very sharp touring kit. And finally, to Mr Fowles for leading the tour, organising the trip, preparing an outstanding itinerary, and for leading the rugby coaching. The quality of the tour is testament to the way he has led the sports programme of the last three years and was a great way for him to ‘sign off’.