The King’s School Grantham: South America Rugby Tour

Last updated: Mar 28th, 2024

 

#teamkings training session in Buenos Aires ahead of final hosting in Pergamino #rayburntours

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Saturday 1st August:  Adios senores y senoritas.  Pergamino>Buenos Aires>Amsterdam>London
Coming soon.  (Scroll down to Wednesday to read the retrospective report on the U16  vU15 game)

Friday 31st July 2015:  GAME DAY!  Final tour matches versus Pergamino Rugby and billeting
BREAKING NEWS:  Pergamino Gimnasia U15 19 – 8 King’s U15
Excitement builds on the penultimate day of our time in South America.  What a few weeks it’s been.  6 x matches, 4 x countries (5 if you include our brief stop n Paris :-), some of the world’s most iconic cities and enough cow to turn us black and white.  Last night took us to rural Pergamino where our hosts welcomed us with a BBQ.  The lads were somewhat taken aback by the nutritional challenge that lay ahead after a day on the ranch!  Aside from Chris Hardy, Jake Foster and Matt Mallinson – who tripled up – all boys left in pairs with hosts.  Today is free to explore the town before the fun and frolics tonight.  Back soon with updates…

Thursday 30th July 2015:  Gaucho Day!  King’s become #cowboys for the morning.
We heard it through the Rio de la Plata and across the Atlantic shores to rural Lincolnshire.  Twas unclear who the guilty culprit was yet the groan was unmistakable.  “Not more steak,” came the astonishing plea.  How could those words leave the *unnamed* 15-year old rugby player.  A forward, too.  Thank goodness for Kangaroo Court where said individual will hopefully be sentenced with a Man vs Food protein challenge.

Bags were packed first thing for the 4 hour inland journey to Pergamino – the heart of farming country.  we’re sure the lads will have a lot in common with host families!  A cracking excursion lay in wait for the lads en route.  Estancia Santa Susanna offers a traditional ‘gaucho’ day where tourists can learn the ways of a traditional Argentinean cowboy farmer.  Of course, it’s hungry work to which the boys were treated to, you guess it, steak this and steak that, with beatiful hand-cooked empanadas upon arrival.  The sun shone fabulously and horses were well behaved for the lads that fancied the challenge of riding around the farm.

 

#teamkings have opted for a new form of transport on their #rayburntours #rugbytour to South America. Insert caption!

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Wednesday 29th July 2015:  Buenos Aires / Boca Juniors FC / Training / Dinner (meeeeattttttt)

 

 


Off to Boca Juniors’ stadium today to experience a tour around this famed stadium.  Many remark it’s a little like the old Highbury.  Others note that it’s like something from a horror movie, but that’s only related to the acoustics on game day when River Plate come across town for the derby.  The lads are excited, especially after seeing Carols Tevez at the airport on Saturday!  He’s even prettier in real life.

With Argentinean schools on two week holidays, we took the midweek opportunity to play an off-the-cuff game against each other at San Isidro Rugby Club.  Joseph McLaughlin reports:

Final score
King’s U16s 7-3 King’s U15

Starting XV
1. Davey Hodgson
2. Chris Warden
3. Jay Radford
4. Josh Codd
5. Joe Letchworth
6. Jack Rogerson
7. Jake Foster
8. Ed Poulson

9. Matt Law
10. Alex Wheeler
11. Joe Tomlinson
12. Chris Hardy
13. Nathan Ford Payne
14.Archie Warren
15. Owen Poole

Try scorer
Nathan Ford Payne

King’s arrived with a weakened team with star flanker Seamus Sheard suffering from a mysterious illness as well as Joseph McLoughlin and hard runner Danny Bradshaw, which we can only assume is sabotage.

However, things looked good in training with King’s 16’s seemingly prepped and ready for the game ahead, clearly aware of their physical superiority and determined to end their losing streak on tour.

The King’s pack fought hard as usual with massive tackles and perfect targeting of Malinson on the opposition team making the U16s seem dominant. Poulson was the perfect example of the King’s forward with hard carries, seeming impossible to stop and making his mark from the kick off making a huge hit on the number 9.  It almost makes you feel sorry for him.  Oh, and excellent scrummaging.

Around 25 minutes into the first half the first real chance of the game occurred with Rogerson taking the first of 7 lineout steals for King’s and passing the ball to Alex Wheeler, who sold a dummy that opened a huge gap leaving his defender alone and confused. Although there was a good cover tackle to stop the try it was a sign of good things to come.

King’s went into the second half three points down after a questionable penalty clearly determined to take away their first win. However it was a tough half and it seemed nothing would go King’s way from the bounce of the ball to referees decisions it was like the team was cursed.

Then Devlin dropped the ball, literally, clearly still suffering from Poulson’s tackle at the start of the game leading to a scrum and then a penalty given away through Bateman’s indiscipline. Law picked it up and, (seemingly accidentally) passed to Letchworth and one Sonny Bill-esque offload later it was in Nathan’s hands. It was a wonderful thing to see watching Ford Payne run over people half his size, to see their faces drop in horror as he ran. He blitzed away and placed the ball under the post and although he was warned for the use of expletives the try stood (despite Mr Collins’ hopes) and was then converted as the referee blew his whistle to end the game.

In such a hard fought game honourable mentions are surprisingly difficult. There was Josh Codd who stole 6 of the opponent’s lineouts and made poor Devlin’s life a misery. There was also Chris Hardy with perfect place kicking and tackled so hard it needed a health warning. Then there was Jay Radford looking like he was untouchable running over the opponents like an SUV over a can (no not a quip at his weight). Then there was the little maestro Wheeler making the opponents feel insecure as they watched the little guy zip past them. The great oak struck again smashing left right and centre , did I mention it was a physical game, and of course the beautiful offload. Rogerson, Warden and Poole all had a good game and all played well with the latter two playing out of position, with good lineout throwing from Warden considering it was his first time throwing and some excellent steals from Rogerson. Nathan Ford Payne obviously has to be mentioned due to his try which won kings the game and for his hard runs and huge hits in the middle if the field.

In amongst the big hits and hard runs one man alone stood tall, Man of the Match Ed Poulson. Watching him play you were worried for the opponents’ health with both the heavy runs and the huge tackles (as well as palming off his own cousin) he looked simply world class today and frankly it would be criminal if anyone else got this honour.

King’s both U16s and U15s can take huge positives out of this game but it is nice knowing our pride as a team is still intact.

Match reports have been posted below on relevant game days!

Tuesday 28th July 2015:  Buenos Aires
First priority – a lie in.  It’s been hustle and bustle all the way through the trip.  Even the R&R in Iguazu meant keeping to schedules when visiting both sides of the magnificent Falls.  Today takes us around this beautiful city via chartered coach where a local guide will enthuse and educate us into all things Buenos Aires.

Last tango in….#buenosaires #teamkings

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#teamkings visiting resting place of #evaperon in #buenosaires

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Very important for us staff to sample the meat. All of it. In the whole of #argentina

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Monday 27th July 2015:  Iguazu Falls Day 2 (Brazil side)

R&R at #iguazufalls on the #brazil side

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Sunday 26th July 2015:   Iguazu Falls Day 1 (Argentina side)

 


Saturday 25th July 2015:  Hi-ho-hi-ho, it’s off to Iguazu we go….
Another great billeting experience under the belts for the lads that featured a third round of very tight games.  It’s neck and neck on this tour with the passionate South Americans giving everything against our wearing tourists.  We must remember that the boys’ endurance is at 70% (at best) of Lincolnshire levels as the travelling, training, hosting, sightseeing and bed-hopping (ahem, relating to changing bed rooms and types – this is not an U18 tour, remember!) take their tolls.  Let’s tip our hats to the teaching staff who, lest not forget, are using their personal holiday time to escort these young rugby trailblaxers around this wonderful continent.

And on that note we must bid a swift farewell to this beautiful city and head back across the Rio de la Plata – albeit this time looking down from an Air France plane.  To get to the majestic Iguazu Falls requires a change of plans (and airports) in Buenos Aires.  Sergio will meet the gang and transfer them across town to the smaller city airport near the port where Aerolineas Argentinas’ 1925h direct flight awaits.  It takes two hours to reach the rainforests where our excellent guides will take the reins for 48 hours.  The boys will be busy enjoying the luxuries of their lovely Brazilian hotel where, undoubtedly, some of the boys will be staring at their fourth currency and wondering if they piece enough of the coins together they may be able to grab a coupe of Cokes.

Over the two days each of the lads will experience the Falls from both the Argentinean and Brazilian sides, including the famed Gran Aventura boat trip and rainforest adventure.  The region is something to behold and a zillion selfies await.  The boots will stay packed until we head to Buenos Aires.  Until then it’s sunshine, sunnies and time allocated to warm the bones.  Arriba!!!!

Friday 24th July
2015:  GAME DAY #3 vs Colegio Seminario
MATCH RESULTS
Colegio Seminario U15 19 v 29  The King’s School U15
Colegio Seminario U16  22  v 10 The King’s School U16

Match Report:
Colegio Seminario U15 vs King’s U15
Final Score:  19-29

Off the back of a brilliant win against the Grange School in Chile, the lads were in high hopes to take another win home from South America. Turning up at the school the previous day we found out we would be playing a mixed age range with their U15 and U16 team mixing, meaning the game ahead would be tough.

After a morning of rugby and cricket on the Montevideo beach, the team morale had been lifted to what seemed to be a high amongst the boys. Mr Collins announced the team on the coach and the boys were ready.

After the slowed warm up, in which the team was quite dispersed, we won the toss and the boys started strongly, securing the break downs, putting in a brilliant defensive performance. The team spirit picked up again and the u15 lad’s attitudes was unquestionable.

The defensive performance meant the opposition were forced into camping in their own 22 and eventually making the mistake giving away a penalty in which Max opened his account of points by comfortably making the kick from the midfield region.

Eventually, after five hard minutes, the King’s pack began to take ownership of the breakdown which allowed the backs to run some moves previously rehearsed in training which created a break through for Hubbard out on the left wing, in which Max fly hacked the ball perfectly in the slot left open by the weakened defence. The ball was chased down and max dived in to take the five points along with the conversion.

Shortly, after the Uruguayan’s began to rock the King’s defence, with a break through. However, Findlay and Max chased back brilliantly forcing an error. This though was not to be the end of their attacking presence, shortly after finding a hole around the break down and slotting in five points with a well worked try, in which they used their battering rams of forwards. They then took the conversion well making the points difference 10-7 to King’s.

As the defence tightened once again, this allowed the backs to set up Max on the wing, as Archie and Kit and Matt Mallinson performed a block as Max ran in his second try sprinting round the outside as he excelled on the wing.

The game continued steadily up until half time, with the boys continuing to work hard, however we were  beginning to tire in the heat. The half time talk was as simple as keep up the work and that the lads did as they started the half strongly. A few changes with Isaac, Ben, Harry and Dev coming on meant that we had some fresh legs to hit the Uruguayan defence, though it was not the fresh legs which ensured the next try and Josh Peters made a brilliant break away try stealing the ball from a maul and breaking two tackles in a 15 metre surge of pace.

It was looking as if kings were beginning to secure the win with the scores at 22-7, as max missed the very tricky kick. Some laziness in the defence led to another slip of a try where the boys were not as switched on allowing another converted try from the collage. This try created a morale boost for the Uruguayans as they almost came close to matching the Kings efforts which were still unquestionable, and they ran in another try bringing the scores very close. This time with it being a brilliant line ran from the backs of the collage but this time however, not being converted. The lads saw this coming and with a massive boost in the encouragement everyone began to work to the best of their ability and with this brought Hubbard’s hat trick which really highlighted the way the King’s boys were playing, with three try’s which had been worked through the hands perfectly from the well won break downs.

Max’s try once again being ran into the corner, this time with him scoring the conversion too making his personal points tally up to 24. At the final whistle, Mr Collins was delighted with the team performance as he said it underlined the strength throughout the squad. As he picked his man of the match he made comment on Josh Peters un faulted work at the break down all game making his way into the majority of them all, and also his try as a result of his work in the break down.

To sum up the game, it was a brilliant team performance again from the King’s u15 side in which the lads stayed in the game until the very end fighting hard, every lad played their part and from the side lines it was great to watch the strength of character come out in the boys as they began to slip a bit.

19-29 Kings

Tries: Hubbard (3), Peters

Conversions: Hubbard (3)

Penalties: Hubbard (1)

Starting XV: Peters, White, Hodgson, Cox, Gibbs, Cook, Hough, Rush (c) Tweedie, Mallinson, Hubbard, Gunby, Warren, Henderson, Beavis

Man of the match: Josh Peters


Match Report:
Colegio Seminario first XV vs King’s U16
Final Score:  22-10

Starting XV
1 Chris warden
2 Harry Bateman
3 Jay Radford
4 Josh codd
5 Joe Letchworth
6 Jack Rogerson
7 Seamus sheard
8 Ed Poulson

9 Matt law
10 Will Helliwell
11 Joe Tomlinson
12 Jake foster
13 Alex wheeler
14 Nathan ford-Payne
15 Chris Hardy

Subs
Isaac Ridley
Ben Hawkins
Owen Poole
Harry Bartlett

Try scorers
Jake Foster
Chris Hardy

Kings arrived with a weakened team with an injured Nathan ford payne who is pivotal to the kings attack (when he catches the ball), missing josh peters aka monster due to safe guarding issues and Joseph McLoughlin being unable to play due to concussion. This meant the pack was weakened and scrums (kings strength) had to be uncontested.

The game started on a tough point with the larger, older opposition using their strength through pick and goes to gain ground and using moves to cause line breaks but kings valiantly held on with the ball being held up and strong covering tackles with a good drift defence.

Forwards battled well against a much larger older opposition there was great defensive play from both forwards and backs with Chris Hardy, Jay Radford and Ed Poulson all making huge hits. The set peice has always been a strength of kings’ with a fluid lineout link between Codd and Bateman being no exception.  The first try for kings’; after a game based largely on front up tackles and counter rucking  was an impressive back move. The forwards secured clean ball for matt law who drew the defence and put Jake foster through the gap on the inside line. Although the try was not converted it noticeably rose the teams morale. Kings again showed great try line defence and were unlucky facing an older, well drilled opposition.

However having said that, kings came out and dominated the second half with substitutes Ridley (subbed on after Bartlett’s blood injury) and the currently puking Hawkins playing an outstanding second half. The offense of the opposition was shut down through high line speed and tough chop tackling, in particular from Sheard following the example of Warden in the first half, which made kings seem a different team. After a game of tough rucking kings managed to secure tough ball allowing the backs to gain the glory as usual.

Law passed to Wheeler who pulled the strings beautifully in attack and organised well (kings will miss him next year) leading to good hands and Chris hardy running an excellent line and apparently doing a juggling act before scoring the try and securing the second half for kings.

Players worthy of note include Chris hardy not only for his try but his try saving tackles, Jake foster with his excellent try and good jackling truly playing like a 9
th forward, wheeler was magnificent as usual as I am sure he glorifies himself in his own report I will simply say he looked the best player on the pitch, Chris warden held his own in the uncontested scrums only losing one against the head making huge tackles and must surely be pushing for more minutes with his current performances  Rogerson played well jackling and making a nuisance of himself but he must learn not to try and start a fight with the biggest player on the field or make references to their weight And finally Joe Letchworth the great oak himself got man of the match playing the forwards forward with strong carries and crunching hits summarising everything that went well from the kings forwards and the side as a whole spreading his branches across the pitch.

Kings may have lost this match but if they play how they did in the second half next game I don’t see how they could not win.

 




Incredible scenes emanating from Uruguay as dozens of Brits spotted topless on beaches playing cricket! Have they taken a side trip to Barbados?

Thursday 23rd July 2015:  Montevideo, Uruguay.  Home to the first ever football World Cup.
“What country are we in, today?”, said an unnamed tourist.  “Argentina” responded a.n.other.  Red-faced, the lad in question was ridiculed by the flock when realising that he, too, was incorrect and that Uruguay’s Montevideo lay out in front of them.  Easy to forget when you spend less time in a capital city than James Bond.  Back into the routine of up/wash/eat/pack/sightsee as Uruguay’s Estadio Centenario lay in wait for the boys’ visit.  Nestled on the edge of town, this once fabled stadium hosted two victories for the home nation in World Cup finals, although the paint may not have been crumbling as much in yesteryear.  The tiny museum contains several unique artifacts that capture your attention during the tour with plenty pictures taken during the tour.

Montevideo was next up on foot.  This beautiful city is a pleasure to meander through with its Spanish-style architecture fused with modern glow.  Colegio Seminario is close-by where Sebastien and his PE staff awaited our arrival.  Having learnt the ropes in Chile the boys were accustomed by now to the formalities and departed in various directions with the families.  Each was set a task to to get their large and smalls washed and pressed as well as rugby kit smelling like it hadn’t been at the bottom of the bag for 6 weeks in the Sahara.  We shall assess their progress tomorrow.  Friday brings round 3 of matches against very enthusiastic hosts.  Lest not forget that their national team will be competing in Wales and England during this year’s RWC and at school and grass roots level these lads are playing admirably.  Chile taught everyone a lesson in never underestimating South American opposition.  

Match Reports now IN from students.  Scroll ↓ to relevant day…

montevideo-guided-tour-1

Wednesday 22nd July 2015: A hat-trick of passport stamps!
Mark:  It won’t be often in their lives when the King’s lads can claim to have spent money in Chile, Argentina and Uruguay in the space of 14 hours.  Today’s the transit day between superb Santiago and monumental Montevideo.  Had the schedule fallen a day either side we could have potentially flew direct between the two cities but that would have been too straightforward for these Lincolnshire trailblazers.  Instead, the lads said goodbye to their wonderful, billets at The Grange School and headed to Santiago airport for the 4 hour internal journey across the Andes to the Argentinean capital.  Sergio and Pachi met the troops into Arrivals and whisked them off by chartered vessel to the ferry port on a glorious afternoon for a pre-ferry feed.  Offering a balmy 17 degrees Celsius average temp, Buenos Aires provided much needed vitamin D for the tourists as they munched on steaks and chips salads ahead of the Rio de la Plata ferry crossing to Colonia.  Not quite planes, trains and automobiles but not far off as the bus on the Uruguayan side whisked the lads off to the Four Points Sheraton (verrrryyy nice, I hear you say) in the country’s capital.  It’s been non-stop since last Friday and a night of zzzz’s was firmly on the menu for all 43 in attendance.  A big morning of shopping, sightseeing and snapping awaits prior to meeting the next round of billets at Colegio Seminario.  We’ve spoken to the school again this week who are very excited about the Brits coming to town. We’ve asked Cathal to give the captains a nudge to send through the match reports as w
e know you’re all waiting for as much detail as possible.  Back to you soon!

Tuesday 21st July 2015:  GAME DAY.  The Grange School U15+16 v The King’s School, Grantham
MATCH RESULTS:
The Grange School U15 15 – 20 The King’s School, Grantham U15 (Tries from Max Hubbard, Ben Hawkins and Matt Mallinson)
The Grange School U15 50 – 12 The King’s School, Grantham U16  (Tries from Alex Wheeler and Joe Letchworth.  Man of the Match Alex Wheeler)

 

Match Report:
King’s School U15 vs The Grange School

The U15s’ second match of the tour, arguably the toughest we’d have, came against the Grange School from Santiago. The opposition was different this time as the boys had billeted with them the night before. We were told the day before by Grange’s head of rugby that we’d be shown ‘how they play rugby’.

The squad arrived at the school ready for a morning training session at the foot at the snow capped Andes. The backs ran through their moves and the forwards practiced their lifting and line out calls as the South Americans play U18 rules.

King’s kicked off and pressed well in defence early. The defensive pressure led to the Grange making a numerous amount of handling errors and conceding penalties. The first points of the game came from the boot of Helliwell who converted a penalty. King’s capitalised well making the most of the scrum and scored off of a first phase set piece, finished by Hawkins after he stepped through the grange defensive line. King’s kept up the pressure and were rewarded with another try scored by Hubbard. An attacking line out on the halfway line, executed well by the forwards led to quick ball for Helliwell who ran a dummy switch with Hawkins and passed a flat ball to Hubbard which put him through the gap to the line. The Grange scored their first points from a King’s mistake at the restart where ball that wasn’t caught bounced into a Chileans hands and he ran through and crossed the line. King’s recuperated and pressed well and were camped in the Grange’s 22 for some of the first half. Eventually the attack got the better of the defence and slick hands from the back line put Mallinson into the corner. The half time score was 20-5.

The second half was a complete contrast to the first and was an amazing defensive effort from the King’s boys. No points were scored by King’s to the Grange’s two unconverted tries. However to only concede twice against the relentless Grange attack was an achievement in itself. Ridley was the stand out performer in defence and earned himself man of the match for the shear amount of tackles he made. The boys played right to the final whistle and earned themselves a well deserved 20-15 win against one of the toughest opponents they’ve come up against. As Mr. Collins said in the huddle after the game ‘it was the best team performance I’ve seen since you’ve joined the school and everyone played a key role in the win’.

Tries: Hawkins, Hubbard, Mallinson

Conversions: Helliwell (1)

Penalties: Helliwell (1)

Starting XV: Peters, Bateman, Hodgson, Cox, Bartlett, Green, Ridley, Rush, Archer, Helliwell, Beavis, Hawkins, Hubbard, Breedon, Mallinson

Man of the Match: Isaac Ridley

 

U15 Match Report by Matt Law:
King’s School U16 vs The Grange School U16

After having faced defeat against a strong Redlands side, King’s travelled to the highly regarded Grange School expecting an even tougher test. Unfortunately the King’s team had lost one member of their squad (Nathan Ford-Pain) to a ‘poorly’ shoulder but this was not to deter the strength of the squad as incoming U15 Findlay Tweedie moved to 9 and Alex Wheeler slotted into 13 which matched the strength of the back line from the previous match. 

During the first half of the match, King’s struggled to cope with the well-drilled Chilean side who ran in several tries which King’s failed to match. When King’s had chances deep in opposition territory ill-discipline and poor set-pieces meant they were unable to cross the opposition line. 

It appeared bleak for the King’s side beginning the second half, however, the team showed some grit and determination and were able to score their first points of the tour from a kick off which Alex Wheeler latched onto and was able to finish. The Grange School continued to play a fluid style of rugby but the attitude of the King’s players had improved along with their defence which made it increasingly more difficult for the opposition to score and also resulted in Glockers getting knocked out (but he is now fine). The added pressure from King’s lead to another try from a Jack Rogerson offload which Joe Letchworth caught and was able to branch his arms over the line. 

King’s were heavily defeated but showed a lot of resilience and fight which they can now take forward onto the next game. Alex Wheeler playing out of position was deservedly man of the match not only for his try but for his defensive game throughout the match. 

FT: 12-50

Starting XV:

  1. J Peters 
  2. J Mcloughin
  3. J Radford
  4. J Codd
  5. J Letchworth
  6. J Rogerson
  7. S Sheard
  8. E Poulson (Pl)
  9. F Tweedie
  10. M Law (C)
  11. D Bradshaw
  12. J Foster
  13. A Wheeler 
  14. OPoole
  15. C Hardy

Replacements:-C Warden -J Tomlinson -B Rush-M Hubbard -H Bateman -Kit Gunby

Man of the match: Alexander Wheeler

An early start for the lads as they woke in various Santiago suburbs, arguably a few hours before their regular UK school routine.  They kick off early over here with the boys at school for 07.30h.  Bleary eyes were opened with a training session by coaching staff followed by lunch at The Grange School, provided kindly by the hosts.  Game day #2 is swiftly upon us in what has been a whistle stop trip to South America to date.  In three days we’ve crammed in two games on Saturday, dinner with hosts, a day’s skiing/trekking in the Andes, sightseeing around the city of Santiago and a meet and greet/first night with billets.  That’s touring I guess:  sit still for more than 5 minutes and Freddy Fatigue will crawl all over you and pull those tired eyes shut.  Gotta keep moving, drinking water and rely on the ongoing banter and camaraderie to keep yourself in tip-
top shape.

Monday 20th July 2015: Santiago sightseeing and meeting The Grange School
22:30h  Evenin’ all.  Mark here from Rayburn Tours logging in to let everyone know that the billeting meet went well and that everyone departed swiftly with their hosts to enjoy their first night of Chilean hospitality!  I’ve spoken with The Grange School’s Director of Rugby (Nick) who chatted to the lads in person before the players departed.  Nick’s an ex-staffer at Denstone College and thus gave an honest insight into what they can expect:  large houses and a very warm welcome!  Let’s hope they don’t over-feed them ahead of tomorrow’s second round of games 🙂


09:00h  Air France has confirmed the two extra bags are now being delivered to the hotel.  All being well they will arrive before the squad departs for its Santiago sightseeing tour and visit to The Grange School to meet the host families ahead of two night stay. 


Sunday 19th July 2015:  Skiing in Los Andes

Saturday 18th July 2015:  GAME DAY

After a hectic set of long haul flight from London to Santiago (via Paris), the boys landed in Chile minus two players’ bags.  Air France had notified Rayburn Tours a few hours after check in to advise that the Paris-Santiago flight was overweight and that the two pieces of luggage would be flown out Sunday.  What on earth did those boys pack that ultimately forced airport staff to hold the luggage back?  Rumour has it that the items were loaded with Haribo.  A few hours’ R&R allowed the exploration of the Vitacura suburb in Santiago, home to the affluent judging by the type of shops nestled among the streets.  With little time to acclimate to the boys’ new Andean environment  it was time to board the bus for nearby Redland School, hosts of the opening two matches.  Our boys played against slightly older lads which showed more in the U16 game where they went down 32 – 0 to Redland School.  The U15’s narrowly lost a tight encounter 31-34 to U Catolica.

MATCH REPORT: King’s School Grantham U16 v Redland (by Alex Wheeler)

Having endured a long flight and a problematic time at the airport, the under 16’s played their first game of the tour against Redland School in Santiago.

 

After stepping off the plane, it didn’t take long for the lads to realise that temperatures in South America may not have been as warm as anticipated. The attitude within the team could not be faulted as they made tackle after tackle during the first half, however relentless pressure from the Chilean side resulted in two penalties which were both converted. The boys took a well deserved brake and trailed the hosts by only 6 points at half time.

HT Redland’s 6 : 0 King’s

An early chance arose in the second half as Dan Bradshaw received the ball from the kickoff, finding acres of space in front of him he ran the length of the pitch just falling short due to a brilliant covering tackle from the Redland’s fulback.  Redland’s then scored the first of four tries, although the hosts started to score freely the heads of the king’s lads never dropped, stand out performances from Jack Rogerson, Dan Bradshaw, Nathan Ford-Pain and Ed Poulson helped to keep the score down.

FT Redland’s 32 : 0 King’s

Man of the match: Jack Rogerson

Starting XV,
1. J.Radford
2. J.Mcloughlin
3. J.Peters
4. J.Codd
5. J.Letchworth
6. J.Rogerson
7. S.Sheard
8. E.Poulson
9. A.Wheeler
10. M.Law
11. O.Poole
12. J.Foster
13. N.Ford-Pain
14. D.Bradshaw
15. C.Hardy

Reserves,
C.Warden
R.Gibbs
H.Cook
A.Warren
J.Tomlinson

 

MATCH REPORT: King’s School Grantham vs. Universidad Catolica

The opening match of the tour came on the day of arrival to Chile after a 14 hour flight. It was a tough game against a physical, older group of players. They wanted to play a forwards game, so we had to adapt. Another thing we had to adapt to was the referees ‘different’ interpretation of the rules at the breakdown. Ultimately the amount of penalties we conceded lost us the game.

The first points of the game came about after a dazzling run from Hawkins as he broke the Catolica defensive line with minimal effort. He dotted down under the posts, Helliwell converted. The score 7-0 to King’s and Catolica had a scrum on their own 5m line. From the base of the scrum, Tweedie put pressure on the opposing 9 forcing a poor pass to the 10 who Ridley charged down. The charge down
resulted in the ball flying into the air, which Ridley jumped for and touched down in the corner, something an NFL wide receiver would be proud of. The conversion was missed. The ill discipline of King’s resulted in three points for the opposition. A half break by Hawkins who off loaded to Tweedie who ran for 10m before passing to Henderson who exploited a gap running a hard inside line. He ran under the sticks and scored, the conversion was scored. Towards the end of the first half, Catolica pressed the King’s defence and ultimately their forwards picking and going got them over the line. At half time the score was 19 – 10 to King’s.

In the second half the King’s players seemed to tire, make more mistakes and concede more penalties. The Catolica fly-half dictated the tempo and scored two soft tries to take the lead. The ill discipline lead to the fly-half also converting penalties. King’s slipped off and were disappointed at the final whistle with the score 34-31 to Catolica.

Tries: Hawkins, Ridley, Henderson, Green (2)

Conversions: Helliwell (2)

Starting XV: Peters, White, Hodgson, Cox, Rush, Green, Ridley, Bartlett, Tweedie, Helliwell (c), Henderson, Hawkins, Hubbard, Beavis, Mallinson

Man of the Match: Ben Hawkins

Friday 17th July 2015 – Ready, jet, go!

It’s goodbye UK and hello South America for The King’s School Grantham as they set off today for their rugby tour. The two teams of U15s and U16s will be spending 17 days exploring Santiago, Chile, Montevideo, Uruguay, Iguazu, Brazil, Buenos Aires & Pergamino and Argentina (is that all?), playing a number of challenging matches against international opposition.

Of course no rugby tour is complete without a healthy dose of sightseeing, and these lads are in for an experience they’ll never forget with a day of skiing in Santiago, a visit to the impressive Iguazu Falls, an authentic Gaucho experience and so much more. We can’t think of a better destination to kick off a rugby tour as big as this in! Room for one more?

Copy of InfoToday they fly out from Heathrow and land in Santiago in Chile, ready to start their adventure with their first set of matches on Saturday. They’ll be up against Partido Rugby M15 Universidad and Partido de Rugby M16 Redland where these talented teams can really test their skills and have lots of fun at the same time.

So welcome to South America lads and good luck in your first match, we know you can live up to your name as Kings!

Make sure to follow The King’s School Grantham’s journey on our Facebook and Twitter pages where we’ll keep you updated with everything the teams get up to. We’ll be using the #TeamKings hashtag on all of our posts, so be sure to use it on yours too!