Singapore & Australia Rugby Tour
Posted: 21/07/2015
You can view the full gallery of photographs from the tour here.
Please read the blog below to find out how the team performed on tour.
Day 19 - Sydney
Friday started with the chance to have a team photo in front of the iconic Sydney Opera House. The boys and staff then embarked on a last minute shopping spree for family members around Sydney. There were a large number of shopping bags at the end of the trip, although quite a few were from the local sports shop!
After a spot of lunch, the group then walked to the Aquarium which proved to be amazing with such a wide range of animals on show.
For the evenings entertainment the squad were lucky enough to enjoy watching an NRL game at the ANZ stadium, which was used for the Sydney Olympics. The Roosters won the game, against the Tigers, which meant that the squad were happy as they were the team that most of the squad had chosen to support.
Day 18 - Sydney
After meeting at St Augustine's on Wednesday morning the squad enjoyed a bus trip into Manly with a few scenic stops along the way, including Palm Beach and North Head. After some lunch the squad travelled to Warringah Rugby Club for two fixtures against St Augustine's.
Game 1
Bromsgrove 10 v 32 St Augustine's
With a large amount of injuries being picked up throughout the tour, St Augustine's lent Bromsgrove some of their players so that we could field a team. The score ended up being fairly one sided although there were a number of good performances from the Bromsgrove team. Sam Lee and Jeremy Turner worked tirelessly in the forwards and Jonny Howcroft led the team very well. The second team, although results haven't gone their way, have displayed a great deal of effort and commitment and the tour will have set them up brilliantly for the season ahead.
Game 2
Bromsgrove 30 v 12 St Augustine's
Three quick tries early in the game for a St Augustine's team playing with tempo put Bromsgrove on the back foot. Nonetheless, the team then were able to build a few phases and retain the ball; applying pressure to the St Augustine's defence and consequently a score followed from a good driving lineout. A few defensive errors lead to further tries for St Augustine's either side of half-time. The team rallied at half-time and less individual errors resulted in Bromsgrove being able to maintain possession for longer periods of time and showed great character. Through this, the boys were again able to build phases and work towards the oppositions try line and culminated in a try for the outstanding Harry Lloyd-Jones.
With tough lessons learnt and plenty to think about for the boys; this tour has been a useful reminder of the hard work and standards required for success. The boys are now all looking forward to starting the hard work during the pre season week and then the first game of the season to attempt to replicate the success of last season.
After picking the boys up from their final evening of billeting, the tour party made its way back to Sydney City centre and the Harbour Bridge. A mixture of excitement and pure dread filled the atmosphere pre-bridge climb. The climb was timed perfectly with the weather that had recently cleared to leave sun and stunning 360 degree views. Ultimately, the 2 1/2 hour 'Express Climb' was enjoyed by all of the staff and students alike and will leave lasting memories of the tour. In the evening, we transferred to Manly via an enjoyable ferry journey and in to the 'Ribs and Rump' restaurant for our last team meal. Huge steaks and racks of ribs have left the boys filled to the brim and extremely satisfied.
Day 17 - Sydney
Tuesday morning was spent down in the Sydney Quay with a thrilling jet boat ride around the beautiful Sydney harbour. This is something that everyone was very much looking forward to and all of the squad were not disappointed with all being soaked by the waves. We then moved on to St. Augustine's School to meet the last set of host families of the tour. We were given a warm welcome and then each host family took the pupils away for an evening at leisure.
Day 16 - Melbourne/Sydney
Monday was again a day of travel with the squad boarding a short flight to Sydney. On arrival the team enjoyed Sydney and checked into their hotel, brilliantly placed just moments from the Harbour Bridge and the famous Opera House. There were chances for photos at various scenic points around the city which everyone enjoyed, as well as a team meal at The Australian Hotel.
Day 15 - Melbourne
Game 1 v Brighton Grammar School 1st XV
The team started extremely positively and managed to retain structure; consequently, the team were able to build phases and pressure and this culminated in a well worked try that Sammy Lee finished off. Unfortunately, what followed were two quick tries for the opposition. Nevertheless, the boys rallied and following some changes, they were able to keep possession and demonstrate what they are capable of. Some strong ball-carrying from Alex Delaney-Hall allowed Bromsgrove to be on the front foot and Matthew Horner finished another chance that was created. Through missed tackles the opposition managed to score another couple of tries to complete the game. Some positive strides forward for the boys but they will again rue the opportunity missed through tackles.
Game 2 v Victoria State U18s
Bromsgrove 25 - 32 Victoria State U18s
This was the best performance seen on tour so far against a physical Victoria team. The team enjoyed the large amount of possession in the first half but unforced errors again proved costly with the team finding themselves 12 points down through two break away tries. With a reshuffle, with a few boys picking up injuries, the team started to play wider in the second half which moved the big Victoria forwards around. Harry Lloyd Jones led from the front superbly, as he has done all tour, and George Wootten counter attacked brilliantly from full back as Bromsgrove wrestled their way back into the game. Unfortunately they could not quite stem the flow of points from Victoria to fall slightly short. However the squad can take a lot of positives into what will be another huge test against St Augustine's in Sydney.
Day 14 - Melbourne
Saturday morning allowed the squad to complete a short training session before meeting their host families from Brighton Grammar School for the next two evenings.
Day 13 - Tangalooma/Melbourne
Friday proved to be a long day of travelling with the squad arriving in Melbourne in the early evening. A short walk to Southbank allowed the squad to have an evening meal before an early night ahead of their next tour match.
Day 11-12 - Toowoomba/Tangalooma
Another early meeting for the squad in the freezing cold was helped with the thought of travelling to the beach resort of Tangalooma. We caught the ferry in Brisbane and a short trip across to Moreton Island meant that the flip flops and shorts came out very quickly.
Both days in Tangalooma were used for R & R which was a great way for the boys to recover from a tough start. They enjoyed time on the beach, a 4x4 desert safari, hand feeding wild dolphins and the odd spot of karaoke singing - from the boys and definitely not the staff!
The highlight however was the sand tobogganing which the whole squad enjoyed on Thursday morning. A competition arose to find out who could slide the furthest. Tom Morris was the winner closely followed by Will Lockhart, Jeremy Turner and Mr Bell. The award for the worst slide was a tough decision between Morgan Berry and Jonty Thornton. The latter trying to see how far he could slide without his sand board.
Day 10 - Toowoomba
Game 1
Bromsgrove 5 - 12 Downland's
There was a huge amount of commitment and desire shown by the team against a tough and physical Downland's team. The team managed to play with more structure than in their previous game with George James grabbing a first half try. Downland's however grabbed a try of their own taking a small lead into half time, 7-5. In the second half, the high level of desire remained but unfortunately too many tackles were missed which led to Downland's grabbing one more try. The team can be proud of their performance with many improvements from last week, hopefully they can continue this heading into the weekend's game in Melbourne.
Game 2
Bromsgrove 15 - 17 Downland's
The team were determined to produce a good performance after their previous game. They started very well applying pressure on the Downland's defence which eventually led to a try by Cooper Bent after a break from half way. Bromsgrove continued to apply pressure to the Downland's defence although could only manage one more try heading into half time after several unforced errors. The score at half time was 10 - 3.
The second half proved to be a very frustrating one for the Bromsgrove team. A series of errors in attack as well as a large number of penalties being conceded led to Downland's taking a narrow lead. There were again chances at the end for the team to snatch a dramatic win although they could not cross the try line. A better performance all round however further lessons to be learnt as the team head to Melbourne for what will be another tough fixture.
Day 9 - Toowoomba
When the squad arrived in Toowoomba, a large town outside of Brisbane, they were welcomed by traditional English winter weather. Having travelled from Surfers Paradise and wearing shorts and flip flops, there was a quick change into coats, track suits and hoodies before the boys met their hosts from Downland's College. The boys enjoyed the evening with their hosts.
Day 6 - Saturday 11th July
Location - Brisbane/Surfers Paradise
Luckily, today was a chance for a lie in with a late breakfast booked. With some well needed rest, the boys managed to pack all of their belongings and headed to The Southport School (TSS) for the second round of fixtures. Unfortunately they did not go as planned with both teams struggling.
Game 1 - Bromsgrove 7 v 24 TSS
Bromsgrove started on the back foot with TSS maintaining a large amount of possession and territory throughout the first half. The defensive effort and enthusiasm was amazing although a few errors meant that Bromsgrove went in to half time 10-0 down. With the slope in the second half, the team managed to exert pressure on the TSS defence although more errors meant that Bromsgrove were on the wrong side of the result. A pleasing effort from all involved, although the result was not what was we wanted.
Game 2 - Bromsgrove 0 - 42 TSS
The game started poorly with Bromsgrove making a number of errors costing them dearly with both territory and possession. A number of missed tackles meant that we were quickly 0-12 down. The team lost nearly every contact situation, meaning that they could never get on the front foot, and thus couldn't control the game. Having struggled through the first half, the team ended up being 0-29 down at half time.
With more enthusiasm and aggression there was some improvement, Harry Lloyd Jones adding a huge amount of effort to the defensive display. Unfortunately there was no change to the scoreboard with Bromsgrove unable to cross the hosts line. With further defensive errors being made, one on one tackles being the primary problem, TSS scored further tries at regular intervals. There were however more chances created by the Bromgrove team, going through several phases, which were unfortunately not finished off. The boys should take note of the physicality and precision which TSS utilised and how they conducted themselves to better our performance during our next game on Tuesday.
Day 5 - Friday 10th July
Location - Brisbane/Surfers Paradise
There was an extremely early wake up call for everyone on Friday, awoken by the glaring lights of the Singapore Airlines flight. Almost all of the boys had next to no sleep which would affect the boys more than they would think. Having landed in Brisbane there was time for a quick guided tour around the city, by the wonderfully knowledgable 'Bushy'. We arrived at the hotel on the Gold Coast, with views for all to see. Having managed to arrange the boys into two separate groups, there were many technically gifted surfers on show. The day ended with an excellent squad meal at the local surf club, a perfect way to start the tour of Australia.
Day 4 - Thursday 9th July
Location - Singapore
After a leisurely breakfast and check out from our wonderful hotel, the group were treated to a trip to Santosa Beach and Leisure Island. This was a great way to relax after the strenuous matches, enjoying the great weather and a dip in the sea. After the fun, there was a quick transfer to Changi Airport to jump aboard a slightly cramped overnight flight to Brisbane - something that everyone was excited about.
Day 3 - Wednesday 8th July
Location - Singapore
After a relaxed morning at the hotel, the group caught the bus to the fabulous Marina Bay Sands. We travelled up 56 floors to the viewing deck to observe the amazing views from all sides. With some nervous looks and noises coming from those scared of heights, there was a chance to have a group shot overlooking the city of Singapore. After a quick bite to eat for lunch it was back to the hotel to get ready for the games.
Game 1 v Singapore U18
A weather-affected first half, where players had to leave the pitch twice due to thunder and lightning, produced some good rugby to score four unanswered tries. Following the opening exchanges where the boys tested the Singapore team, both wings Sam Lee and Ollie Fender came away with a try apiece following a chip over and moving the ball through the hands respectively. Furthermore, the boys looked to implement some of the structure and plays that had gone before in training and this culminated in a well taken try by new boy Tom Seabrook - the first of his brace. Unfortunately the game succumbed to the weather and the boys did not take the field for the second half, nevertheless, a good start.
Game 2 v Singapore U19
Following a great kick chase from the kick off from Joe Morrice, a try by Henry Walker resulted in the opening minutes. This then set the tone for the match and was swiftly followed by some deft footwork from fly-half James Taylor for his first of two scores. Further tries from Alex Nisbet, Tom Seabrook (2) and Will Lockhart capped a resounding 43-3 win. Throughout the game there were a number of pleasing aspects which the boys will look forward to implementing during the game on Saturday against The Southport School, a game that will be a tough test.
Day 2 - Tuesday 7th July
Location: Singapore
There were one or two people who suffered from interrupted sleep, struggling to come to terms with the jet lag, whilst the rest of the team enjoyed an unfamiliar breakfast of chilli noodles, chicken nuggets and potato wedges.
The team went on a trip to Chinatown, visiting the Buddha Tooth Relic Museum before enjoying the sights and smells of the market. There were some 'interesting' choices made by the boys for their lunch with some trying pigs feet and others a variety of noodle dishes. After this the whole group walked to a local rugby club for some training. Two teams were selected as a trial for the games against Singapore U18 and U19 which all were very much looking forward to.
Day 1 - Sunday 5th July
Location - Bromsgrove School
With all of the group packed and ready to go, there was one last training session. Training went well on the School pitches before departure, with the 20 minutes of fitness at the end being a bit of a shock to the system for some of the boys, having not played for a couple of months. We left Bromsgrove at 14.15pm, arriving at Heathrow airport with a lot of excitement. There was a small delay to the flight but we left bound for Singapore.
When we arrived in Singapore the next day we were all hit with the high humidity and heat when leaving the airport. After a quick change we were all off to be hosted by Mr Horner at a brilliant venue, the Singapore Cricket Club. It was a great way to spend the first evening of the tour with all of the boys enjoying the vibrant skyline dining on the club's outdoor terrace.