Emotional end to unforgettable trip.
A rugby match against Swaziland was one of the highlights of two pre-season sports tours to South Africa for boys and girls from Solihull School.
A team from a party of 27 boys from the independent coeducational school in Warwick Road played an Under 17 side from the landlocked kingdom on a dirt pitch with makeshift posts. They were humbled by the knowledge that their opposition included boys who had travelled up to eighty miles through the night along unpaved roads to take part in the match.
The Swaziland international was one of the first events of its kind to be organised by SKRUM, an African charity that is using rugby to help educate children about AIDS.
It provided a stark contrast to the rest of the 15-day tour which began with training at the plush Ingwenyama Sports Resort, which had recently hosted the Wales national side.The three-day stay prepared them for matches against top rugby playing schools Penryn College and Nelspruit High School in Johannesburg and Porterville School near Cape Town. The boys also enjoyed excursions to Kruger National Park, a visit to Langa Township in Cape Town, and a trip to Robben Island where the late Nelson Mandela was incarcerated.
Solihull’s female hockey and netball players also had the opportunity to visit Langa Township and even played a hockey match against a Langa community side on their own 12-night tour to South Africa. The 19-strong party began the tour by visiting Ellis Park Stadium and the Soweto Township in Johannesburg before playing their first matches against the girls of St Mary’s School, whose parents hosted them in their homes.
The 16 to 18 year olds also played against St Andrew’s School and Roedean School, two other leading girls’ schools with excellent sporting traditions. In Cape Town, the party enjoyed the benefit of expert coaching by Under 19 international players from Stellenbosch University. They also experienced what life is like in rural African villages with a tour of Lesedi Cultural Village and viewed South Africa’s wildlife on safari in Mabula Game Reserve.
The girls also visited similar locations to the boys including the beautiful Cape Peninsula in Cape Town, although the sea was too rough to make the crossing to Robben Island. Steve Thompson, Director of Sport, who led the boys’ tour, said: “Everyone found the tour a humbling, culturally educating and above all rewarding experience. It also provided the perfect preparation for a new term of rugby with a high quality fixture list.”
Danielle Wilcox, who organised the girls’ tour, added: “Some of our girls were in tears of sadness at the end of such a wonderful tour. They were thrilled to have played in such great settings and to have gone on safari, and they were moved by their visits to the townships.”