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Madras Blues Tour to Annecy
Ben Peddie10 Oct 2012 - 08:00
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Madras Blues U16 & U18 Tour to Annecy in the French Alps
Madras Blues Tour to Annecy
The Madras Blues U16 and U18 squads set off from a chilly Station Park at 09:00am on Wednesday the 10th of October, destination - Annecy, The French Alps. It was a long and tiring journey on a coach all the way. We eventually arrived at 09:00, French time, nearly 25 hours after leaving Britain. Upon arriving in Annecy, we took a quick rest in our extremely spacious rooms in the youth hostel. That night, both teams played a game against US Annecy at the Stade de Fins. Unfortunately, an inexperienced but talented U16 side were beaten by an extremely skilful U17 team from Annecy. All was not lost for the Scots, as the U18 team won against an U19 team from Annecy. They scored over 10 tries, conceding only 1 in an extremely convincing performance, especially from the backs. Special mentions to Andrew Hodge for scoring 5 outstanding tries; Euan Roger for running some of the best running lines the Annecy coach has seen in a junior game; and Callum Bawden for some bone-crunching and try-saving tackles. In the forwards, Craig Mundie had an outstanding game, showing off his pace, carrying the ball like a Trojan. Madras Blues would like to thank US Annecy rugby for their extremely generous post-match hospitality, where the boys of the two clubs had a chance to mix, singing songs and watching performances from Madras’ Pipers.
Friday brought about a day to see the magnificent town of Annecy, the boys were given a guided tour of the town, and later received a very special Civic Reception from the Deputy Mayor of the town, and were treated to snacks and drinks with him. We returned the treat with traditional rugby songs and performances from our pipers. The boys were then allowed to take in some French culture in their own time in the evening of Friday.
Switzerland was the destination for Saturday, where Madras would play a game against a regional team, playing in Geneva. They only had one pitch here, so the U16s took to the field first, and treated the home team to a display of some excellent rugby. The whole team performed out of their skin, the forwards providing an excellent platform through, Mark Guthrie’s big hits, Jamie Sayer for a wonderful performance in the lineout, and Lewis Bridgman’s ruthless rucking which allowed fast ball for the backs. Special mentions go to Guillermo Zamora whose jinking runs cut the Geneva backline to shreds and Calum Stewart for some stupendous touchline conversions. After this excellent victory, a tired U18 team took to the field. After being piped onto the pitch, the U18s got off to a gruelling start in the glorious Geneva sun. The tries began to roll in; Andrew Hodge scored 3 more tries in a blistering performance on the wing. The entire backline was in fantastic form, with some exceptional hands to match the splendid day. Although, a forward pack that all had to play a full game, performed until the final whistle against a well drilled Geneva squad, providing an excellent platform for the backline to attack off of, especially Fraser Smith's tireless work on the floor gaining the backs excellent turnover ball.
All in all the tour was an event that it was a privilege to be a part of. We played amazing rugby, enjoyed the excellent hospitality of the French, and really came together as a squad. Not only did every player learn alot about each other, they also learnt alot about themselves, an experience that none of us will forget. Special thanks go out to our sensational bus drivers from Prentice Westwood travel, and the work of the whole tour committee in driving the tour forward, especially Stephen Stewart and Beverly Charnley.
The Madras Blues U16 and U18 squads set off from a chilly Station Park at 09:00am on Wednesday the 10th of October, destination - Annecy, The French Alps. It was a long and tiring journey on a coach all the way. We eventually arrived at 09:00, French time, nearly 25 hours after leaving Britain. Upon arriving in Annecy, we took a quick rest in our extremely spacious rooms in the youth hostel. That night, both teams played a game against US Annecy at the Stade de Fins. Unfortunately, an inexperienced but talented U16 side were beaten by an extremely skilful U17 team from Annecy. All was not lost for the Scots, as the U18 team won against an U19 team from Annecy. They scored over 10 tries, conceding only 1 in an extremely convincing performance, especially from the backs. Special mentions to Andrew Hodge for scoring 5 outstanding tries; Euan Roger for running some of the best running lines the Annecy coach has seen in a junior game; and Callum Bawden for some bone-crunching and try-saving tackles. In the forwards, Craig Mundie had an outstanding game, showing off his pace, carrying the ball like a Trojan. Madras Blues would like to thank US Annecy rugby for their extremely generous post-match hospitality, where the boys of the two clubs had a chance to mix, singing songs and watching performances from Madras’ Pipers.
Friday brought about a day to see the magnificent town of Annecy, the boys were given a guided tour of the town, and later received a very special Civic Reception from the Deputy Mayor of the town, and were treated to snacks and drinks with him. We returned the treat with traditional rugby songs and performances from our pipers. The boys were then allowed to take in some French culture in their own time in the evening of Friday.
Switzerland was the destination for Saturday, where Madras would play a game against a regional team, playing in Geneva. They only had one pitch here, so the U16s took to the field first, and treated the home team to a display of some excellent rugby. The whole team performed out of their skin, the forwards providing an excellent platform through, Mark Guthrie’s big hits, Jamie Sayer for a wonderful performance in the lineout, and Lewis Bridgman’s ruthless rucking which allowed fast ball for the backs. Special mentions go to Guillermo Zamora whose jinking runs cut the Geneva backline to shreds and Calum Stewart for some stupendous touchline conversions. After this excellent victory, a tired U18 team took to the field. After being piped onto the pitch, the U18s got off to a gruelling start in the glorious Geneva sun. The tries began to roll in; Andrew Hodge scored 3 more tries in a blistering performance on the wing. The entire backline was in fantastic form, with some exceptional hands to match the splendid day. Although, a forward pack that all had to play a full game, performed until the final whistle against a well drilled Geneva squad, providing an excellent platform for the backline to attack off of, especially Fraser Smith's tireless work on the floor gaining the backs excellent turnover ball.
All in all the tour was an event that it was a privilege to be a part of. We played amazing rugby, enjoyed the excellent hospitality of the French, and really came together as a squad. Not only did every player learn alot about each other, they also learnt alot about themselves, an experience that none of us will forget. Special thanks go out to our sensational bus drivers from Prentice Westwood travel, and the work of the whole tour committee in driving the tour forward, especially Stephen Stewart and Beverly Charnley.
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