Forward July 2015 | Page 54

PR E PA R ATORY S C HO OL students. Uniforms were inspected and the boys went into match mode, an eerie silence/ focus as we boarded our coach for the 20 minute trip to AIS. We were greeted and made to feel very welcome. After warming up, and getting ourselves fired up, we took the field at 5.30pm. This AIS Under 12/11 team had not lost a match in their national competition and I was worried, because they had some sizeable boys! It was a very tense match – with a number of injuries on both sides – Aidan hurt his knee in a try-saving tackle, and after some pampering from Nurse Vicki, he was ready to take the field again after halftime. Deakin took a crushing blow to the head. I was initially very concerned, but after some ice and treatment from Nurse Vicki he recovered fully. Both players were back on their feet and full of beans. The boys enjoyed a relaxing session in the hotel pool, before heading to bed at 9.00pm. Back to the game – we scored first after a barn-storming run from Sebastian Anderson, who ended up scoring two wonderful tries to win man-of-the-match. Jayden Osborn converted two tries; the other points came from tries by Joshua Cox and Lewis Reid. We defended well to keep some strong attacking play at bay, but we did concede one try, that was converted. We eventually won the game 19 - 7, in a job well done. On Thursday we had tremendous fun together: we were scared together, laughed together, got wet together, and shared exhilarating experiences together. Our second last day saw us taking a leisurely drive to Mt Faber for a cable car ride to Sentosa Island. We travelled in three cable cars, which caused much excitement, and a touch of nerves as the height was significant – but the views of Singapore, Sentosa Island and the surrounding islands and water ways was impressive to say the least. On Sentosa Island we enjoyed a 4-D movie experience – the “spiders” crawling up your legs was freakish – followed by a visit to Underwater World – one of the largest Oceanariums in the world. The performances by the pink dolphins and seals in the Dolphin Lagoon were impressive. After a swim and lunch at our hotel, we set off for Chinatown – a cultural experience the boys will remember for many years, and they bought so many small items for themselves and members of their family – quality not guaranteed, but the thought is what is most appreciated I am sure. They tried their skill at negotiating a better price, with varied levels of success, but when you tell a salesperson you have limited money left, and can only afford $8 for a $15 item, and then proceed to pay by pulling out $25 from your wallet, you lose all power to negotiate! We then enjoyed our last evening meal at the Swissotel Merchant Court, before returning to our hotel to pack up, organise our final day’s clothing, followed by a swim and into bed, ready for the final day where we expect everyone to be fully committed and prepared to “put bodies on the line” for the team. The flight home went well. Many boys closed their eyes and drifted off to sleep – fully satisfied and totally exhausted. Some of the adults on tour quietly closed their eyes as well – trying hard not to be noticed! I cannot thank our rugby parents enough for their wonderful support – realising fully of course that it was not possible for you to join us on tour, but it was fabulous have a number of you support us at the games, and join us for some of the meals and activities across the week. Thank you also to Nurse Vicki and Mr Griffiths for their unquestioned personal sacrifices to join us on tour. Mr Roger Budler Deputy Headmaster 54