With the ISAA Rugby Finals for the U18s having taken place the previous week, last week saw the conclusion of the season for the U13 and U15 Boys’ Rugby Teams. As in previous years, the teams travelled to Soustons in south-west France to play.
Thursday 13th March
The teams arrived at Tyrosse Rugby Club in time for their evening match against the local powerhouse side. Despite some fantastic individual play from several players, the side trailed at half-time 0-25.
By the second half the team began to find their rhythm and passages of play started to form as the last light of the evening sky disappeared. Whilst the final result of the evening would not go the BSP’s way, the try of the match did: one of our players set up a superb kick and chase which fell to another for the pick-up and a 25m drive for the try line.
Friday 14th March
This was the group’s rest day and the teams took part in a variety of team-building and exercise-related activities, as well as a cultural visit to the Basque region of France.
The players first took part in a high-spirited paintball match where two of our staff came off the worst for breaking their cover! Fun was had by all in the Landes woods.
The students then had the opportunity to visit a local CrossFit gym. This showed the boys how to train for rugby specifically, preparing some of the older students for the rigours of senior team training. Finally, the group visited Biarritz, looking around the shops, restaurants and most importantly the beach!
After a sun-soaked day, we all returned to our accommodation in Soustons to wish one of our players a happy birthday and enjoy some well-earned cake.
Saturday 15th March
Unfortunately, despite the weather being excellent for the team during their stay, the region had experienced excessive rain over the previous fortnight. Many of the pitches in the south-west remained flooded and were still unusable. This in turn meant local teams Dax and Soustons which we were due to play the BSP had to rearrange their cup matches as they were unable to take place that weekend.
The pupils did not let the cancellation of these fixtures get them down, and instead enjoyed a morning paddle boarding. While fixtures would have been a much better way to round off the season, enjoying the natural beauty of the south west coast of France was welcomed by all.
Special thanks go to the three coaching staff. We look forward to another successful season next year.
