Monday

The boys were required to be up early and be packed and ready as the bus would arrive at 9 to fetch us. We then moved to the airport where we were rushed through to meet our plane as we were flying at 11h20!! After a nice flight from Venice to Istanbul, there was a 9 hour wait in the airport transit area. the boys took full advantage as some did last minute duty free shopping! and others went for hydro-massages! Most managed to pass the time either by sleeping or shopping!!!! Then it was the final flight home! Flight TK040 to JHB! We couldn't wait to get on the flight and as I recall most of the boys got some sleep on the way home! Thank you for allowing us the opportunity to take your boys away for 2 weeks to one of the most beautful places in the world! The things we learned about each other and about rugby will stand us all in good stead for the season ahead! It was a fantastic experience for all of us. I perrsonally was very impressed with the boys on and off the field. I have also received many compliments about our boys, from other teams, spectators and coaches. One of whom even sent an email to compliment the boys on their discipline! So congratulations to the boys for being good ambassadors for themselves, their families, the school and their country. Enjoy the holidays, rest well until the weekend, do some running next week! 5 km a day average please boys!! And we'll see you back at school for the season we've all been waiting for!!!

Sunday, Monday and Return

Sunday morning we awoke and found that the English team we were playing against were staying in our hotel and in fact were travelling with the same company as we were. Once we had breakfast with them we set off for our last two games of the tour. One was to be against Moortown RFC from England and the other was to be against a side called Petracca, Italy's number 1 club side! When we arrived we noticed the difference from the clubs we had played before on tour. Pristine grounds and many fields to play on! After a short change and warm up we were set to play our first fixture against Petracca. They were a well drilled side, good line-outs and good set plays. They tried to run over us with their big runners and physical play but our boys were more than up to the task! After much back and forth the Petracca side scored an unconverted try after a lapse in concentration. The game continued without a score until the last movement when Treverton broke the line and created a great try scoring opportunity with a 2 on 1 with their fullback! Unfortunately the ball was knocked on and we lost the game 5-0. We were then required to immediately line up against the English side. Thuis would prove to be a much easier game, however our boys lost a little bit of enthusiasm and were not as clinical as they were against the italians. We still managed to score 4 tries and beat them 22-0!!! Tries by Etian van Zuydam Scoring 2 tries, Tyrone Corfield scoring one and Craig Lord getting one too! The conversion was slotted by Kendall Nolan. Man of the Match for the first game was Tyrone Corfield, and for the second game was Etian van Zuydam. After the games we enjoyed a nice lunch with our hosts and the English team. Thereafter returning to the hotel for some touch rugby on the beach and then out for our final dinner in Italy. A nice outdoor restaurant where the tour was wrapped up through a short presentation and thank you's by the coaching staff.

Day 7 and 8

Day 7 and 8 The boys had a long bus ride out to Alto Vincento yesterday evening for their game. The facilities were great at the sports club, just not for rugby. The game started slowly and the boys took a while to click but it happened after about 20 minutes and with tries through Tyrone Corfield, and a hat-trick from Kabelo Seoe and conversions from David Stanley the boys won 26-5! A great performance by the whole!! After the game we enjoyed a pizza dinner with our hosts at a local pizzeria and had a fantastic dinner before our 2 hour trip home. An early morning this morning meant that we could take our transfer to the harbour and a 90 minute boat cruise to the old city to have a 2 hour walking tour where we were able to see, Piazza St Marco, Dogi's Palace, Bridge of sigh, Rialto bridge and the Grand Canal. This was followed by a delisious meal at a restaurant overlooking a small square and then it was time for our Gondola rides. The boys enjoyed this tremendously as we were ferried around Venice 6 to a boat with many onlookers showing lots of interest in our boys! The boys were then let loose on Venice to do some shopping before the boat ride back to the hotel. After some touch rugby on the beach we are about to leave now for a nice dinner at the restaurant below the hotel. Tomorrow morning promises another game and many more exciting possibilities... I will put some pictures with this post tomorrow when I am able to find some time in our crazy schedule.

Day 7

Thursday morning had to be an early one as we needed to be in Pisa to see the leaning tower by 10h40 as we had a tour scheduled to climb the tower. An amazing structure 8 stories tall, and leaning at almost 10 degrees from vertical!! A nervous experience looking over the edge from the top!! The boys spent some time taking the obligatory leaning photos and then we had some lunch before leaving for Maranello, the home of Ferrari and the Ferrari factory.

Galleria Ferrari was our next stop as the group was taken on a guided tour of the Ferrari museum, comprising of all the Ferrari models sonce the 1930's, Enzo Ferrari's office, Ferrari racing cars, trophies, stories, the entire history of Ferrari!!! After this some of the boys opted to go for a ride in a Ferrari, the options were the F355, the , and the California, which one of the teachers got to drive!!!!!!!

Once we were done at the Ferrari factory it was time for the 4 hour bus trip to Venezzia(Venice) where we settled into our hotel and had a fantastic dinner which left the boys full and sleepy. It was then time for bed and a good nights sleep before the game on friday.

A nice late breakfast this morning allowed the boys to sleep in. The niggles and bruises of some of the boys were then assessed and the teams finalised for the game this afternoon. They are now having some time with their feet up before lunch at 12h30 and leaving for the game at 13h00.

Game details and the daily report will be posted later!

Remember to read some of the older posts again as more detail and interesting stories will be added to some of the days! particularly Florence!!

Keep the comments coming!

Caiao....

Day 6

After a nice spaggetti carbonara last night the boys had an early night in anticipation of their game today.

A later breakfast allowed the boys a chance to catch up some sleep before the game today and a relaxed morning around town was enjoyed by all in this scenic little town of Montecatini. We had a continental lunch of ciabatta rolls before heading out to Arezza for our next game against the Vasara Rugby Club. We were a little apprehensive as the upmarket clubhouse and a field with grass on it meant that this club would be more serious about the game of rugby than our previous opponents.

The game started with much excitement and Treverton showed good ball retention as the team won penalty after penalty, unfoirtunately Rikus left his kicking boots at home so the team were left to kick for the line and attempt to score tries. Unfortunately the finishing was not up to standard in the first half and a handful of opportunities were squandered through poor basics and decision making. Eventually the Vasara club got their chance and were kept out for long spells before they eventually crossed the line to take us into half-time at 5-0 down.

The second half was very different with Treverton taking control of the game as some changes were made and Rikus van der Westhuysen scoring a try from a kick return, running 60 metres after fielding the clearance kick, beating 4 tacklers on the outside and stepping the fullback to score under the posts. The try was Converted by Kendall Nolan. Unfortunately 1st phase play continued to let the Treverton boys down and slowed the prgression of the scoreboard. Until late in the second have when a short side 4th phase move saw Kandall Nolan pass to Ryan Allardyce in space and he was able to put Tyrone Corfield over in the corner for the try.

The final score at 12-5 to Treverton and our first victory on tour!!!

After the game the boys were treated to a pasta starter and sausage and mash main course in the rugby clubhouse where pleasantries were exchanged and the beauty of the game of rugby was displayed as two teams at war on the pitch sit side by side afterwards and trade stories.

The boys are starting to wear signs of fatigue from the games as some can feel bruises and burn coming through.

They are doing laundry, yes you read that correctly, before a relaxed evening tonight as we leave for Pisa and the leaning tower tomorrow and then the Ferrari Galleria!!!

I trust you are enjoying the pictures etc! Please leave comments for the boys through the link below as they really do appreciate hearing from you all!

Until next time...

Caiao!!!

Day 3, 4 and 5

Sunday morning greeted us with glorious sunshine and the promise of an exciting day!

Our fist stop was the amphitheatre Flavio. The Colloseum! The boys were blown away by the size and awesome history of the great stadium! Our guided tour took us through the colloseum, to the Arch of Constantine and to the Roman Forum, palace of the Vestals and finishing at the statue of Marcus Aurelius. After a short lunch were ventured on toward the Vatican and St Peters Basilica. The boys were once again amazed by the size and detail of the great basilica, and once they had looked around inside and seen "la pieta" by Michelangelo, they pushed on to climb their way up to the top of the Basilica to look out over rome from the 360 degree balcony. This ended a long day and the group returned to the hotel for dinner. The boys have developed a comical dislike for the tiny cars found in the italian cities with very little room for manouvering and although they would love to pick up the cars and move them they are happy to simply take photos next to them!

Day 4

The boys woke up early to travel to the city centre to see the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel, painted by Michelangelo. After a walk through the vatican museum and looking at the great masterpice, we departed on a 4 hour trip to Montecatini just outside of Florence where we will be staying until thursday. Upon arrival the boys were divided into rooms, and some were sent on laundry duty. Thereafter a short training session was held in the local park and then dinner before some exhausted boys were able to lay their heads on a pillow.

Day 5

Our super-deluxe bus fetched us at 9 am this morning for our transfer to Florence where we were taken on a walking tour to view the Duomo and Baptismal font, the Ponte Vecchio and Dante's house, passing many churches and statues along the way, including David by Michelangelo, Perseus slaying Medusa, and even statues of Michelangelo and Leonardo da Vinci themselves, great men both from the tuscany region. Interesting in the church next to Dante's house, where those in love leave love letters in hope that Dante will bring luck to their love hopes, our boys were amused by our tour guide having an argument with another guide about space in the little church! The other guide soon backed down as she realised that our guide(Suzanna) had 30 rugby boys standing behind her ready to defend her!!!! Some of the boys then left love letters in the baskets!

Our guide left us with hugs and waves from the boys!!

After a short time shopping in the leather markets and glass and curio shops, we are now back at Montecatini for dinner and an early night before our game tomorrow.

We are not sure what to expect from the rugby around this area but excited about the prospect of our 3rd international game!

Day 1&2

We have now been through travellling on 1 bus for 2 hours, and 3 airoplanes for 15 hours and then another hour in a bus to get to our hotel!! A long journey to say the least!!!! We arrived at the Cinecitta hotel and the rooms were not all ready so we took the boys for a pizza lunch before assigning roommates and allowing an hours sleep before leaving for our first game on tour!

Our 2 teams played against the two teams of Lazio and CUS Roma U/18 teams. The first game was a physical encounter as the TReverton A side started off with the best of starts with Tyrone Corfield catching an early clearance from the kick_off which did not reach touch and running from his own half to score a wonderful try. Converted from the touchline by Kendall Nolan. The Lazio team did not lie down and used there big centres to good effect as the carried the ball well and crashed over for a try of their own, the conversion was missed. Treverton won a penalty just before halftime and a scrappy half came to an end. Silly mistakes ruining try scoring opportunities. The second half was a show of guts for the treverton boys as Lazio came hard with their physical runners but were stopped by courageous tackling. Treverton suffered a yellow card for using hands in the ruck and were down to 14 men for 10 mins. this did not dampen the boys determination as they defended well. eventually Lazio made a line break and the scores were level at 10-10 as they missed another conversion. This is how the score would stay till the end of the game.

The B team then played CUS Roma and from early on they were under the kosh as the fresh players ran hard at a tired looking Treverton side who were fielding many boys out of position as forwards were forced to fill the backline. By the tiome the team were able to awaken from the sleepiness they were already 2 tries down. they then showed some great courage as they dug deep to defend and defend against big strong runners and very fast outside backs. The team were rewarded by scoring 2 tries, one from Kabelo Seoe and one from Ryan Allardyce. Unfortunately CUS Rome came back with 2 tries of their own and the score ended at 27-12 to CUS Roma. After the game there was a small get together at the clubhouse where the boys got their first taste of home cooked italian pasta, and even a frindly,if intense, game of table tennis against our hosts!!

Day 2

Thus far Day 2 has seen us do a walking tour of the Baroque Rome sites. The boys were very excited and have been furiously taking photos as for many of them it was the first time on a train or subway, and also the sites which they are seeing are truly breathtaking. The Spanish Steps, The Trevi Fountain, The Pantheon, and The Piazza Navona where we will be meeting tonight in order to have dinner. The boys are out shopping at the moment enjoying the streets, sites and smells of the ancient city, bustling with tourists and excitement on this warm spring day. Pictures will be posted soon so that you may enjoy at least the sites with us and see how the boys are enjoying the tour.

Until next time....

Ciao