W
ith rugby at the
senior end of the
school very strong,
2008 was the
obvious time to have
a major tour, so in
August a squad of 25 players and three staff
set off for South Africa. It was a major success
on all counts - the rugby, the sights, the
culture and the camaraderie.
The opening game against Bishops, with Table
Mountain as a backdrop, was a real wake-up
call, coming just 24 hours after the party had
landed. King's fell behind early on but for
much of the game it was a pretty well-balanced
contest. The whole squad got to play, and it
was refereed by international referee Jonathan
Kaplan, with the final score 47-12.
The party then moved onto Paarl and enjoyed
some good hosting by Laborie High School.
The game was frustrating, with King's scoring
three tries to nil, but unable to make their
conversions and penalties. Final score 18-18.
The final game in the Western Cape was a
community match against Bernadino Heights.
This was a great experience, and a contrast, to
play on the edge of a township, and many of
the our boys ended up coaching the local
youngsters. Final score was a 33-0 victory.
This was followed by a tour, including lunch, of
the Langa Township.
The party then had tickets to watch the
Springboks v All Blacks match at Newlands,
made all the more memorable as the party had
already bumped into members of both teams!
We then flew up to Durban to experience a
milder climate, training on the beach and
swimming in the Indian Ocean. The game
against Amanzimtoti High School was won
easily (33-10) with Callum Stonier being the
stand-out player. En route to Pretoria, the
party had two very relaxing days enjoying the
magnificent scenery of the Drakensberg
mountains at Cathedral Peak. Swimming,
bowls, quad-biking, golf, hill walking and
excellent food were all on offer.
The final game, under lights, against
Garsfontein High School in Pretoria was a very
high profile affair with national anthems and
cheerleaders before the match. King's started
with their 'junior' team and were10-0 down by
half time. On came the old guard and the
score came back to 10-10. With three
minutes to go, Will McKegney hit a 45-metre
drop goal to give King's the lead. Sadly the
fairy tale didn't last long as Garsfontein
speculatively kicked ahead a loose ball which
bounced over the King's full-back to allow a
score on the final whistle.
The next few days were spent at the lovely
Mabula game park where four of the 'big five'
were spotted, though Charlie Clyde-Smith
wasn't very impressed with the giraffes! The
final days were at Sun City for ultimate
relaxation and a great end of tour steak dinner!
A great tour, a great country, great contrasts,
great experiences and great memories. Aluredian
29
Rugby
tour to
South
Africa
by
Pete
McKegney
Members of the 1st XV
squad coaching local
youngsters from the Langa
Township