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
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