November 5th 2018
67 boys! 17 days! These were fairly regular statements that were heard in the weeks leading up to the South Africa Tour. Not many people could believe a tour party of that size would be heading to South Africa, however, there were nine staff up for the challenge of giving the boys an experience that would live with them for a long time.
We left Heathrow in mid-July and mid-heatwave to arrive in Cape Town and the middle of the South African winter. Thankfully...we arrived to blue skies and sunshine which stayed with us for the majority of the trip. Our first week was spent exploring the sights and sounds of the Western Cape. Some of the highlights of that first week included:
- Some wonderful rugby played with huge spirit, plenty of smiles and some great skill. Ted C’s performance in the first match will live with me for a long time as he literally put his ‘body on the line’ for the school.
- The boys embracing the charity aspect of the trip as they supported people less fortunate than themselves by helping on a farm and just generally bringing a smile to the faces of many people. One of the highlights was the entire Y8 group singing ‘Sweet Caroline’ on the side of the hill whilst putting hay on vines to aid the Middlelpos Farm Community.
- The way the boys interacted with the opposition and all members of the communities in which we visited and played against. When we were hosted by Swartland, it is a credit to all the boys that we were greeted by smiles and entertaining stories when we picked them up the next morning. Every boy had made the most of the experience which was a recurring theme throughout the tour.
The second week saw us fly north to Johannesburg which brought us even warmer weather and some fantastic new experiences. Some of the highlights of the second week included.
- A fabulous day of rugby against two schools who joined together to play us. This was a wonderful day where the communities of three schools joined together to illustrate the spirit of what rugby is about. The final game of the day was an absolute classic where the Moulsford boys played with fire and determination to shade a very tight contest.
- The game drives in the magnificent Kruger Park were something special. I particularly enjoyed the trip with some of the Year 7 boys as we decided to take ‘elfies’ with the elephants that we saw!
- The experience in Swaziland was very memorable. We started by coaching the boys and one of my favourite moments was watching some of the boys adapt their games to combat the fact that their new friends couldn’t understand English. We also listened to some inspiring people and realised how fortunate we are in comparison.
This is a very small snapshot of what was a fantastic tour that doesn’t perhaps give a full reflection of the memories that were made!
