Prep Dublin Rugby Tour

During the recent October half term, I was lucky enough to be part of the Dublin Rugby Tour which I absolutely loved. There were some fantastic experiences, including some fast-paced rugby. Here is a summary of what we did.

As I rose from my bed at 8 in the morning, I felt a surge of nerves and excitement ready for our huge game against Willow Park. After a hearty breakfast we had some pre-match training where Mr Thomas and Mr Barnett explained a 5-man scrum and we were ready for our big game. A real highlight pre-match, was being presented with our shirts in a small ceremony at the hotel, a little like they do in the Lions rugby tour. It allowed us to feel even more pride in what we were about to do and represent. During the game and after some excellent passing play which enabled us to get over the game-line, we were rewarded with a brilliant try. However, Willow Park came back with a try and we knew we were in a tense and exciting match. After some phenomenal team work we came out with a win 4-1 in our first tour match. This was one of many highlights during the trip.

The middle Wednesday was our rest day from rugby and so instead we went along to a local Dublin Gaelic games club called AFC Fianna and played Gaelic games, including hurling which is the fastest sport played game on feet and Gaelic football. This was a lot of fun, and much harder than it looks, as was the trip to Croke Park, which is the largest stadium in Ireland. I learned so much about the culture of the Irish people and how important Gaelic was to each of the many communities in Ireland. After dinner we resumed come competitive table against Mr Barnett, who eventually lost to me I am pleased to say!

The next morning our typical routine of pre-match training began with our second fixture against St Michael’s College in the afternoon, albeit with a slight twist. Before the session, Mr Fradd led a video analysis session as we watched some clips of professional players defending their try line. This really helped us picture what the focus of our next session would be. The subsequent match in the afternoon was tough. Despite playing with a lot of heart, we came away with a 2-1 loss, which I feel should have been 2-2, if a HABS try had been allowed. There were still lots of happy faces however, as the other HABS team came away with 12-1 win! Luckily after the match we could swim and have a cool down in the pool. 

Unfortunately, our last day finally came but we still had fun due to the Viking splash which, ironically, was very splashy and wet, not only because of the bad weather! It was part of an open top tour of Dublin City Centre and we learnt plenty of fascinating facts before our car turned into a boat and we sailed around one of the city’s docks! After the splash tour we headed to the airport and then, sadly, it really was over. This tour has been an amazing experience and was the best thing in the Prep School by far not only because of the rugby but also the opportunity to experience another culture. I won’t forget it.

by Amar S