By Mr Rule, Tour Manager
I’ve long considered what the recipe is for a successful sports tour. The destination is clearly a key part. There can be no doubt that the mind-blowing beauty of British Columbia (B.C.) delivered in that area. Even a short comfort break just off their equivalent of the M5 led us to a gorge so impressive that it would have been a national landmark in any other country. The snowcapped mountains, lakes and rugged landscape were an ever-present backdrop throughout the tour and never failed to take our breath away.
The culture was important too. Everywhere we travelled in Canada, we were greeted by people with an incredible capacity for kindness and generosity. We wanted for nothing, and nothing was too much trouble for our hosts. Even when a team let us down at short notice, another club—basically strangers at this point—put on a brand-new fixture, dragging in players from miles around and hosting us after. It was impossible not to reciprocate and become the best versions of ourselves in the company of these great people—many of whom became our firm friends. Return trips to the Wirral were soon being planned.
Food is often a feature. How could it not be when travelling with 30 teenage boys? Yes, there were burgers, and ribs, and steaks, and chips, and slice after slice of pizza. But there were also seafood dinners in Victoria Harbour, clam chowder at a shack on Jericho Beach, and endless amounts of sushi consumed at all hours of the day. We never went hungry, that’s for certain—but we also ate well.
What about entertainment and activities? Too many to list here, I’m afraid, but maybe just a taste: touch rugby on the beach, high-ropes and zip-lining, volleyball (almost everywhere, to the point it might as well have been a volleyball tour!), swimming in the sea, in lakes and in rivers, white-water rafting, camping out in the wilderness, spotting bears, driving golf buggies, throwing American footballs, floating down a river on a giant inflatable polar bear, singing with Louis on the guitarlele, telling bad ‘dad jokes’, doing punishment burpees, the Tiki Tiki Tonga. Too much? Perhaps. But for those who were there, it was an endless stream of experiences, broken up only occasionally with a much-needed bus journey—allowing sleep for the boys and a planning meeting or two for the staff. Plus, a chance for a warm hello with Sai, our trustworthy and ever-present driver.
The standard of sport and competition is often presented as something that defines a tour. I’m not sure I’d go that far, but a real test of your rugby—one in which you come out on top—can turn a good tour into something truly special. After two comfortable victories and a lot of R&R, we rolled into Kamloops, a desert mining town. We’d had word that our reputation preceded us, and the Kamloops Raiders were pulling state players in from as far as eight hours away. They had no intention of letting us breeze through. Mr Pillow addressed the boys pre-match: “There’s a good chance that this is going to hurt, chaps. They grow them big out here. But the only way we’re really going to see our own standard is by playing their best.” Stirring stuff indeed—and with a narrow 5-point victory in the final minutes, it did the trick. Canada had delivered on the rugby—and then some—and the post-match camaraderie told its own tale.
So, what do I really think makes a sports tour? Hands down, it’s the company. A tour is only as good as the tourists, and I couldn’t have asked for 33 better people to spend it with. We asked so much of the boys—from early starts and busy days to singalongs and self-reflection. They gave us their enthusiasm, their energy, their uncompromising desire to win, and their trust. And, I hope, in turn, we gave them a tour to remember.
My thanks to Mrs Jones for her never-ending positivity, Mr Taylor for his steady presence, and to Mr Pillow for his constant support. I wish our departing players the best of luck for the future, and I look forward—with optimism—to the season ahead.
