The Lane Cove U14’s No 1 fan was on hand to greet the boys as they transited through Christchurch on their way back to Australia capping of what has been an extraordinary tour.

Robbie picks up some tips for the upcoming Tri-Nations

When we set off on this inaugural LCJRU tour, there was a sense of adventure, but the inevitable uncertainty as to how it will all go, with 2 and travelling together for a week.

To the parents of all the boys…….. thanks from the touring party!  Your kids have been absolutely fantastic.  Anywhere we went, actually everywhere we went, the people we interacted with were highly complimentary of the behaviour and manners of our boys.  At all times they have been appreciative, responsive, engaging and responsible.  We were proud of them, on and off the field, and you should be proud of them as well.  Our boys have been fine ambassadors for LCJRU and Aussie rugby.

Thanks too to everyone for your comments and offers of support throughout the week – they have kept the boys motivated, and they have been excited to hear of all the support we have been getting through all your posts!  Blog reviews became a regular part of our rituals! And of course a real bonus to hear from a couple of very well known rugby identities!

See you Sunday!!

The final prize for the touring party was an amazing day’s skiing at Coronet Peak, Queenstown in our own “mad Monday” style celebration. Thrills and spills, beginners and experts, once again nothing challenged the team camaraderie. The weather was perfect, the logistics a breeze.

Winding down tonight with a traditional hangi………… the meat has been cooking in the ground since we left for the ski fields at 6am this morning. YUM!

Queenstown below

Getting kitted out for the day

Future olympians?

LCJRU Ski School operated all day!

And Tele-tubby Ziggy impressed the locals!

Well not everything. Life on a bus with 20 boys not yet 14 deserves some explanation.  Smells are a good place to start. They’re a rich mixture of Lynx deodorant, socks and last night’s dinner. The latter piped into the air in ring tones version of a Bach organ concerto.

Starting a day feels like small boys in flannel pyjamas and quilted dressing gowns. They yawn and talk in whispers, faces grumpy from disturbed sleep. The adults are awake and loud, urging reminders on everything from clothing to timetables.

The sun and attitude seem to rise at the same time. By mid morning the voices are loud and the comments cuttingly sharp. Blink and the roles could be reversed. The inmates are running the bus!

A movie holds silence. The Shawshank Redemption does its job for the mostly male audience.

Lunch on the road conjures dreams of Maccas but ends up with wholemeal bread sandwiches and fruit in a roadside picnic area. The parents are staging a comeback.

The hiss of brakes in front of the next school stirs the team to action. Bags tumble from over head racks, boots, ipods, phones, back packs struggle for attention. Parents are back in the driving seat and boys are herded from the bus in quick procession.

Bus doors fold back to welcome the victors or the vanquished. Neither matters. A game’s been played and there are great stories to tell. Heroes taunt villains and the jokers and jesters flit between the two.  

The legends are written by the time the bus turns into home. And the boys spill off more interested in dinner and the night’s entertainment than anything else, let alone getting on board again tomorrow.

Intrigue, that would do the cold war proud, enveloped the team as the bus headed deep into the Central Otago hills, scene of the last chapter of “Lord of the Rings”, and the final battlefield of the tour with the warriors of Dunstan High.   Would the team face more Mountain men, or would the flurry of diplomatic e-mails and phone calls to NZ Rugby HQ ensure a body mass detente?

The journey to Otago

Tele-tubby breakfast

Captain Tom focusses before the game

Dom warms up

Missing reigning tele-tubby Paddy (thanks to an attempt at the “Iron Lotus” on the ice rink), and somewhat diluted by 2 hours in the hydra-slide at the Queenstown Aquatic Centre, the team Dog-paddled into the first 15 minutes of the game with Dunstan High and quickly found themselves down 12-0.  However, with a newfound spirit forged on the anvil of Mt Aspiring High, the Covies found their form with two quick tries, one to Jack S in his final Lane Cove game before transferring to the Gold Coast, and one to Simon on the end of a breathtaking backline play.

Alex on the move

Simon says......... "score"

 

Inspiring words

Its not about the hair-do!

Half time saw Lane Cove down by 17-10, but in an inspired move, backs coach Vaughan called on the Tele-tubby artillery to move the focus of the backs from their hair to the task at hand.  At the same time, coach Flannery explained to the forwards that they would never make it into the game photos and they might as well get their heads down and get on with it – fulfilling their role in life to work hard to make the backs look good. 

Inspiring words as the second half opened with a quick try to Tom M and a narrowly missed conversion from the sideline.  The ensuing arm wrestle provided an exciting conclusion to the rugby side of the tour, with a final score of 17-15.  Touring rugby was the winner on the day.

The bookends

Tim on the burst

The leap

Sue and her team of helpers put on a sensational spread for the after-match function, continuing the wonderful hospitality we have all enjoyed from all our hosts on tour!  Captain Tom F spoke on behalf of the team thanking the Dunstan High team and supporter groups.

What a background!!

After an action packed day, the boys still had the energy for two games of ten-pin bowling after dinner.  Competitive spirit was evident thoughout the evening, and Geordie, Josh K and Tom F prevailed before our tour bus deposited the tired and weary bunch of boys back their beds.

Jack in action

Techniques discussed

With bellies full of breakfast the team took to the Shotover jetboats for the ride of their lives.  Sub-zero degrees gave way to 360 degrees as the boys were hurtled into high-speed donuts in the narrow canyons of Shotover Pass.

A short bus ride to the Gondola saw the boys climbing “Bob’s Peak” for a mornings high speed Luge racing, Cool Runnings style, and a spectacular view across Lake Wakatipu to the snow-capped Remarkables.  After a lunch time buffet feast where the boys attempted the Guinness book of records feat with the number of deserts consumed by a touring rugby party.

Not satisfied with the morning’s thrills and spills, Queenstowns ice rink hosted a very “unco” afternoon of footballers on ice.   A theme that continued in the Botannical Gardens of Queenstown, where the alluring inspection of the frozen duck pond was too much for one fearless front rower who tiptoed across the edge of the pond in a manner that Brockhoff’s “elephants on eggshells” would be proud of, until the inevitable happened and Robbie leapt to the top of the tele-tubby leader board in a single bound!

Robbie!

Clearly the local clans were not idle, as word of the Covies stunning victory in Christchurch cascaded south faster than the Dart River with the boys facing a team of true mountain men on the barren turf of Mt Aspiring College (note: Dunstan College, we are truly sorry for our earlier “Taranaki Pig Farmer” quip in a previous post!!).  What’s more, the Mt Aspiring U12s were still smarting from their loss to the Mosman U12s, ably coached by  Phil Kearns and John Eales, who two days previously had cut a swathe through the proud Mt Aspiring U12 team – thanks Phil and John for goading the locals!! You both owe us one!!

In a mis-matched game, played in a “cosy” 1 degree C and with our own late call-up ref keeping an eye on proceedings, the Covies were the hobbits of Middle Earth as they lined up against Wanaka’s mountain men.  Faced with their greatest challenge, the team realised after 4 quick tries against them,  that fear was a spent force and all that was left was a game of rugby.  With clean undies at half time, the team went on to play some of their best rugby ever, never giving up, and showing great courage and enthusiasm that produced an exciting final 20 minutes, twice crossing the line only to have their efforts thwarted by a determined Mt Aspiring team.  The final score was 58-0.

Captains toss......David, David and Goliath

Dan muscles up

Tim takes on the Orange men

Simon defends doggedly

Captain Courageous in attack

Tom clears under pressure

Wanaka’s Puzzle World had the boys thinking outside the square as they mastered the maze and a dozen other mind bending challenges and illusions.  As always, a fascination with the toilets (rather than Roman history) presented the best photo opportunities, with Zack taking the new team “tap and talk” ethic on the field way too far!

Wanaka also saw a new points leader with the award of the Tele-tubby honours to Alex Vaughan, much loved by the many Japanese tourists.

Zack's "tap and talk"

Covies un-deterred

Tele-tubby meets Saturday Night Fever