Joondalup Brothers Under 13s tour of Qld
A mate of mine who coaches this team has asked me to put up this Tour Report of a very successful Under 13s trip (unbeaten!) to Queensland. It sounds like the future of rugby in WA is going to be very strong with this sort of junior development going on.:thumbsup:
JBRUFC U13’s Gold Team Qld Tour
During the July school holidays our under 13’s Gold Team (Blues) toured to Queensland
to test themselves against some of Brisbane’s best club teams. From the outset, it was
our aim to provide a trip during which the boys could improve their rugby knowledge and skills and also provide them with an experience that would be with them forever.
It took 7 months to plan and raise the $40,000 needed to tour.
We departed Perth on Sunday 5th July and flew directly to Brisbane. The team stayed at the Queensland Rifle Association in dorm style accommodation.
Day 1 - This was our opening game against North Brisbane Eagles who are a Division
one side and last year’s runners up. The game was played over 3 x 20 minute thirds.
Brothers started strongly and dominated the first 20 minutes running in 5 unanswered
tries. Replacements were made for the second 20 minutes and during this period the
Eagles staged a fight back - running in two tries of their own. The brothers bounced back with some spectacular team tries and dominated the remainder of the game. The final score ended up being 86-24 to the Brothers. After the game, the boys settled down nicely - mixing with the Eagles players while enjoying a BBQ lunch. The nerves were gone and they had a feel for the type of opposition they were to encounter during the rest of the tour.
Day 2 - No games were booked so we took the boys to the movies in the morning; in the afternoon we went on a tour of Suncorp stadium. Suncorp is rated the best Rugby stadium in Australia and the 4th best in the world. This was, without doubt, the off-field highlight of the tour. We went through the entire stadium, from the dressing sheds to the corporate boxes and the boys got to see just how good the resources are for elite players.
Day 3 - We were building towards a night game against Brisbane’s best under 13’s club side – Sunnybank. After breakfast we had a classroom session with the players, running through both defensive and attacking structures along with team tactics for the game. We then went to the training fields for a 2-hour session. The boys then had a healthy subway lunch before heading back to our accommodation for some relaxation. We boarded the bus to head to the ground; the boys were focused and very sombre during the trip. Once at the ground, we entered the dressing sheds where the boys enjoyed a rub down, strapping was applied and then they were individually presented with their jumpers for the game. We left the sheds for our warm up; the boys were very nervous but confident. The boys ran out onto the field with a very focused look on their faces…the game was brilliant with both teams fired up for the occasion. The Blue’s ran out winners 38-7. This was truly a defining moment for our tour - we had beaten the best Queensland under 13’s team. It was time to head back to home base to celebrate!!
Day 4 - After a much deserved sleep-in, the boys were up and ready for a relaxing day on Mooloolaba Beach where we were hosted by Mooloolaba Surf Lifesaving Club. We had some fun games and activities planned and the finale was to be the board race between the backs, the forwards and the dads. We smoked them! After a shaky start from the dads (we were 50 meters behind) we made up ground and ran out easy winners. We showed the boys that for a bunch of “old blokes” we could still beat them when needed! We enjoyed a BBQ lunch at the surf club and then travelled home.
Day 5 - We had a night game, so after breakfast we once again had a classroom session with the players - running through both defensive and attacking structures along with team tactics for the game. We also ran a PowerPoint presentation for the kids, utilising game photos from the tour to date and outlining options both positive and also areas of improvement. We then went to the training fields for a 2-hour session. After a nice BBQ lunch, the boys enjoyed some downtime to recharge their batteries and then we boarded the bus to head to the ground. The boys were quite relaxed and looking forward to an enjoyable game. Once at the ground, we entered the dressing sheds and treated the boys like professional athletes, with rub downs, strapping and jumper presentation. We left the sheds for our warm up; the boys were up for a good contest. They ran out onto the field with a very focused look on their faces. With some players being rested, we had 4 changes to our starting line-up. The game started slowly for the brothers but after scoring two early tries the game was evenly placed. It took some time for our boys to overpower our opponents but they eventually did, running out winners 69-0.
Day 6 - By this stage of the tour the boys (everyone in fact) were feeling quite tired. This was due to the games and training sessions but even more so due to the amount of fun they were having! The kids had been swapping dorm rooms, pulling pranks (stink bombs, water balloons - to name a few) and just having a wonderful time with their teammates; it was evident they were all becoming very close friends. The boys had two games to play, one against Everton Park and a second against Brisbane Brothers. The Brisbane game was to be a curtain raiser for their Premier team and was planned to be a 20-minute game. We set off for Everton Park where we were expecting our boys to be a bit flat and tired. After a good warm up, the boys took to the field and played very well. Although they were tired, they still managed to play some skillful rugby and ran out winners 65-0. Time to head to our final tour game – Brisbane Brothers.
This, in itself, was to be a wonderful experience for the boys. They were playing on a
pristine field, in front of a crowd of about 1,500 people, which included former Wallabies Legends’ Tony Shaw and Rod McCall. Before the game the boys got to meet these legends of our game, which must have inspired them as they turned on a show for the crowd - running in 4 spectacular team tries in 10 minutes. Unfortunately the game only lasted 10 minutes due to time restraints. However, it was enough for the crowd to see the quality of our boys…even the ground commentator was excited as he called the game over the PA system! The boys finished with a 20-0 score line. After the match the boys formed a guard of honour to welcome the Brisbane Brothers Premier team onto the field as they took on Wests. After the Premier League game, our boys were invited into the dressing sheds to meet the Brisbane Brothers Premier Grade side which contained current Queensland Reds players, David Croft and Sean Hardman, along with several current Australian sevens players. The bus trip home was enjoyable and relaxing with the boys watching a short video of the game that was given to us by the Brisbane Brothers. It was a fantastic finale to our tour games and one that the boys thoroughly enjoyed.
Day 7 - Well, this was to be our last day in Queensland, so we were heading out for a day at Dream World and White Water World. The temperature was 24 degrees, just beautiful, and the day would completely exhaust the boys and ensure it was a quiet flight home. We entered the theme park just after 10 am; the boys grouped up and then set off for a great day. We all met up again for a smorgasbord lunch and then off they went again. The day finished at 5pm when the park shut; we gathered outside the gates for one last group photo before we jumped onto the bus and headed to the airport. The boys were rowdy and excited, sharing stories of the rides and the fun they had just had. As we approached the airport, the boys were completely exhausted; they had just experienced a very special rugby tour and, in saying that, the boys had not only had an extremely good time but had formed a deep bond with their teammates.
The tour was a complete success in every aspect and we couldn’t have asked for
anything more. Everything was brilliant - from the flights, the accommodation, the
catering, the host clubs and the facilities, down to the parents that came along, the
planning, and the boys! We couldn’t be prouder of our boys - every single one of them
made us extremely proud of the type of kids (young men) they are. They conducted
themselves in a way that had every club we visited singing their praises. They were wellbehaved, well-mannered and, above all, very good sports. They were gracious in winning and interacted with the players from the opposing teams, while socialising and enjoying the hospitality of our host clubs. Numerous opposition coaches, parents and club officials made comments to us - going as far as to say that the boys were the best touring team they had hosted!! They represented our club, their families and themselves in a way that could not be faulted.
End of report
