This summer, forty Malvern College boys returned to Malvern for two intense days of rugby training prior to our flight from Heathrow to Johannesburg. After landing on the rainbow nation shores, we boarded our bus for a two-night stay at Camp Konka near Rustenburg for training and team building. We couldn’t have hoped for a better introduction to tour life – the staff and hospitality at Konka were second to none.
Prior to our first set of fixtures versus Parktown Boys in Johannesburg we had a guided tour of the Iconic Ellis Park. On arrival at Parktown we were greeted by our fantastic hosts. Our matches at Parktown were very physical on a rock-hard pitch in front of the very noisy SA Parktown band. Malvern came away with two good wins to get the tour firmly on track. The after-match hospitality was excellent, with the boys making lots of new friends and swapping kit. It was wonderful to observe the boys interacting – it is what touring is all about.
Onwards to the Eastern Cape, stopping at the outstanding Keriega Game Reserve for two exhilarating game drives where we were treated to some wonderful African cooking and dancing. The next day we made our way to the Mpekweni beach resort on the Sunshine Coast between East London and Port Elizabeth. At Mpekweni we were able to reset our goals, train on the beach prior to our live training session with Graeme College and our second set of matches versus Kingswood College in Grahamstown. After our training sessions with Graeme the boys cooked on the Braai and spent time with the Graeme boys, singing, eating and making new “awesome” friends.
Our games against the two very good Kingswood sides were competitive and we lost both games however we were able to hold our heads high with the way we played. The Graeme College boys came to support us and make some noise which was outstanding. After the matches we were treated to a formal dinner with both Malvern, Kingswood staff and parents sat together. This was such a great experience for all involved.
After breakfast and saying goodbye to our excellent hosts we boarded our coach for the long drive to the Western Cape stopping off at The Wilderness for a two-night stay where we were able to recover, do some sightseeing and of course some training too. From Wilderness we made our way down the garden route stopping at Hermanus, where many of us saw a whale in the bay, then onto Stellenbosch for a one-night stay. From Stellenbosch we went onto play our third set of fixtures versus Dick Muir’s academy in a very wet Franschhoek. The Development team played first and came away with a gutsy win and the 1st XV came away with a frustrating three-point loss. Once again, the boys enjoyed spending time with our opposition: speeches were made, awards were presented in true rugby tradition.
Onwards to Cape Town and our four-night stay at the outstanding President Hotel located at Bantry Bay. The boys experienced everything Cape Town has to offer. We were also fortunate to be able to visit Hokisa, an orphanage which gives life changing opportunities to countless numbers of young children. The boys brought gifts of pens, pencils, books and fruit for the children and took time to play with them in their school yard. A tour highlight.
The next day we played our last set of fixtures versus Bishops Diocesan College with the superb backdrop of Table Mountain. We had two very extremely well-contested fixtures against Bishops unfortunately Malvern lost them both with the 1st XV conceding a try in the dying embers of the game. The boys were disappointed with many of them pulling the Malvern colours on for the last time. The final score was 17-14 to a very strong Bishop’s stayers team. Many teams have fallen at this iconic venue this season by a far greater scoreline so the boys should be incredibly proud.
Ever since Malvern College’s last tour to South Africa in 2014 it was always an intention of mine to come back one day and play the likes of Bishops and Kingswood and this further demonstrates how far rugby has grown at Malvern College. As custodian of Malvern College rugby, I am extremely proud of what has been achieved over the years, this season and of course on this epic tour. We have all made some life lasting memories and friendships.
Thank you to all that have made this possible.
Nick Tisdale
Master i/c Rugby at Malvern College