Rugby tour a success on and off the field

Take 30 teenage boys from various backgrounds and teach them the game of rugby, and what is the result?

A winning team and long-lasting friendships according to Ian Henderson, coach of the Bermuda Under 16 rugby team that returned from a successful tour to Canada over the weekend.

 Henderson and fellow coaches Keith Hodgkins, Des Nash, John White and Yahan Cedenio worked for months with the boys, who consisted of students from seven different schools on the island, one home schooled student and two studying abroad.

Henderson said: "When we began the season, a lot of the players didn't even know each other, which for an island of Bermuda's size is a bit surprising.

“By the end of the tour, it was clear that some really strong and lasting friendships had been made."

 Originally training just one night a week, the group increased the sessions to three sessions a week as the tour approached. Each player was also required to take part in community service and fundraising, such as a KBB pick-up, which cleared an enormous amount of trash from the St. George's area.

 The choice of Trinity College School (TCS) in Port Hope, Ontario as a tour destination was something of a natural one. Bermudians have been attending TCS for over 100 years — There are currently 11 students from Bermuda studying at TCS — and the school has a very strong rugby programme.

 So with all the hard work behind them, it was an excited team that travelled to TCS last Thursday. Dressed in their Bermuda shorts, the large squad turned quite a few heads in chilly Canada.

The players were billeted with local families or accommodated in the school's dormitories and were reportedly overwhelmed by the hospitality of their hosts.

 On Friday the Bermuda squad attended morning chapel and were introduced to the school. Following a tour of the school and lunch with the students, it was time to play rugby. For some of the Bermuda players, these would be their first "real" games of rugby, so nerves were high. In the end, Bermuda came out of the day with two victories — one a very close match against St. Mary's High School, and the other, against Cobourg East High School, a bit easier.

But the day was about much more than winning, and players from all of the teams mingled and got to know each other.

Crunching

 Following dinner in the TCS dining hall, the players were treated to a talk by Kyle Nicholls, a TCS alumnus and former captain of the Canadian national rugby team. It was a unique opportunity for the Bermuda players to hear first hand of the commitment and self-discipline required to achieve at the highest levels.

 Saturday's match was the one that the Bermuda squad had really worked for, but when the island boys awoke to near freezing temperatures and driving rain, they knew it was never going to be an easy day.

In what was reported to be a -10 degree wind chill factor, the two sides battled it out in a match that all the players will remember. Despite the weather, there were some crunching tackles and blistering runs from players on both teams. At half time, the teams were allowed to go back into the changing rooms to briefly escape the biting cold, and one of the Bermuda players was unable to return to the match due to the harsh conditions. In the end, Bermuda won the match 22-5 to finish the tour undefeated.

 With the final whistle, both sides congratulated and thanked each other before sprinting to the warmth of the changing rooms. After a lengthy thawing out process, the boys thanked their hosts and headed into Toronto for an afternoon of activities before flying back to the island on Sunday morning.

 Swarms of family and friends greeted the team as the players emerged from the arrivals area at the airport. There were smiles all around, as some of the players were already talking about keeping the team together for training sessions over the summer.

A beaming Henderson said: "This is what rugby is all about!"