Day 14 - Mabula, Johannesburg, London Heathrow

A 5.50am wake-up call by safari rangers to ensure everyone was up and ready for the 6.30am game drive. Coffee and biscuits outside the foyer before setting off at sunrise. Within 40 minutes one of our trucks spotted a family of lions which were wrestling no more than 4 metres from its vehicle – exciting albeit a little unnerving.

 Another successful game drive for all three groups and a hearty breakfast before checkout.

As a surprise to break up the three-hour journey back to Johannesburg airport, our driver Maurius arranged a pit-stop for lunch in Bella Bella and pre-ordered each member of our group a 1kg rump steak. Despite all the betting that took place on which boys would be able to finish their meal, most of the team – to their delight – managed to clear their plates. The fastest to finish, however, was Luke Maguire who was awarded a Bros steak knife from the restaurant.

Then it was a swift transfer to Jo’burg airport for last-minute shopping and our night flight back to London.

Mr Cane-Hardy and Mr Beckett would like to thank all the Shiplake boys for their excellent behaviour and efforts on this tour.  We look forward to a great season of rugby ahead.

Day 13 - Mabula Game Park

Plenty of swagger/limping from the boys as they boarded the coach for the three-hour drive to Mabula early this morning. Many were in muscular pain from yesterday’s very physical match and so, on went the “cans” (headphones), back went the seats and the team slept throughout most of the journey.

Upon arrival at the Mabula Game Lodge we were met by a fleet of khaki-cloaked safari rangers. By incredible coincidence one of them turned out to be Peter Walker-Munro, a former Shiplake boy who warmly welcomed the boys and called for a raise of hands for his fellow Everett guys.

After checking in to luxurious rooms everyone enjoyed a buffet lunch before watching the 1pm reptile show or sunbathing by the pool. It was then time to adorn more layers of clothing and head to the trucks for our afternoon game drive.

In short, we had magnificent close-up viewing of a herd of elephants, zebra, giraffes, warthogs, a mother rhino and her baby, impalas, an armadillo, buffalo, crocodiles, wildebeest, hippos, waterbuck, baboons and a variety of antelope. We even saw the carcass of a warthog in a tree that had been dragged up there by a leopard a few days prior.

This evening the team wore their no 1s for dinner which included a traditional African show displaying local singers and dancers. Various Shiplake members, such as Mr Beckett, Mr Cane-Hardy, Max, Nick P, Teddy and Luke were invited to join the dance troop. Which they did with vigour (video evidence available upon request).

An awards ceremony rounded up our final night and the winners were as follows:

Young player of the tour: Nick Arbuckle

Players’ player of the tour: Jimmy Wright

Coaches’ player of the tour: Teddy Hewins

Best tourist: David Plato

Day 12 - Game 4 v Christian Brother's College, Johannesburg

CBC 29 - Shiplake 5
Match report to follow

Day 11 - Johannesburg & Pretoria

A lie in and late buffet breakfast before meeting our Jo’burg coach driver/professional hunter Maurius. Short transfer to Boksburg to take a look around Christian Brothers College where our final match will take place at 3pm tomorrow. No glimpse of opposition yet.

Then headed to Pretoria for a look around Loftus stadium, home to the Super 15 Rugby side the Blue Bulls who just so happened to be training (a rare thing for the public to see, we are told). Better still, the boys were given a guided tour of the home and away changing rooms – where Piers Chen tried every seat in the hope of “sitting where Dan Carter sat” – plus the gym, physiotherapy rooms, swimming pool, VIP boxes and media suite before raiding the merchandise shop for vests.

Back to CBC college to meet the billet hosts and some members of the opposing team, some of which were undeniably massive. In true Shiplake style, however, the boys, dapper in their no 1s, showed confidence and returned the jovial banter –even when David Plato’s opposition member said “prepare to die” as he led him to the car.

Day 10 - George, Port Elizabeth & Johannesburg

Bit of a shocker. Staff received a 4.30am phone call from our bus driver Adam saying we would need to push back our 6am start to the journey for Port Elizabeth. Apparently a drunk driver smashed into the back of our coach (affectionately named “El Josa” by the boys) in the early hours of the morning and was now inactive at a depot. Therefore one of Adam’s colleagues was driving through the night from Cape Town (an eight-hour journey) to bring a replacement vehicle.

A huge thank you to all the billet hosts who transported the boys to the staff guest house from the school meeting point at 6 on a Sunday morning to await the coach. Team McDonalds breakfast ensued while staff changed our booking to a flight later this evening just to be safe.

The silver lining to this event was the group being able enjoy a more leisurely, scenic drive up the garden route, stopping off in towns like the lake-side Knysna to do some shopping and burger-buying.

Arrived at Port Elizabeth with plenty of time to check out the beach before checking in for our 19.40 flight to Johannesburg and boarding a small but slick plane. “This reminds me of my private jet, Sir,” remarked James Riley as he found his seat.

After a smooth 90-minute flight we arrived in Johannesburg and were transported to the Protea, a smart airport hotel but with peculiar showers-in-the-bedroom rooms. Still, everyone was grateful for flat-screen TVs and a good night’s rest after a hefty travel day. Clinking of the room service trolleys could be heard about midnight delivering steaks to various boys’ rooms...

Day 9 - Glenwood House 7s Tournament

Sevens tournament at Glenwood House school. Started with a presentation by the hosts followed by team prep and physio for those that needed it.

Match Report by Mr Beckett:

There were a few nerves on show in the warm up before the start of Shiplake’s first ever 7s match in South Africa. The Shiplake 1^st VII (Ostriches) were pitted against the host team, Glenwood House 1^st VII. The day started off well with attacking rugby from kick off, and some excellent link play between Thomas and Davis, setting the latter up for the first try of the day. Glenwood kept up to the pace of the game well, however, tries from Davis (2), Chen (2), Madden and new recruit Waldron ensured victory. The 1^st VII missed out on a 7 try bonus point, something they were sorely disappointed in.

Final score 1^st VII 46-0 Glenwood 1^st VII.

Next up were joint favourites P. W. Botha College, famed for playing crowd pleasing rugby, and winning some of the best tournaments in South Africa. The boys went into the game a little star struck and let in 2 early tries. With leadership coming from scrum half, James Riley, the 1^st VII stepped up their game attempting to play a game of ‘keep ball’. The opposition had different ideas, and turned every mistake or half chance into a try.

Final score P.W. Botha 36-0 1^st VII.

Last match of the group stages pitted Shiplake 1^st VII v Shiplake 2^nd VII. With the 2^nd VII consisting mostly of front row forwards, a decision was made to mix up the teams to make the match competitive. Beckett’s Bandits played Cane-Hardy’s Cannons in a thrilling encounter. Tries from Pearce (2) and Glover for the Bandits left the score at 17-0. Cane-Hardy’s Cannons came back and when Jardine trusted his pace and gave Green the outside, Green scored what was arguably the try of the tournament in a 60m sprint to score under the posts.

With Shiplake finishing 2^nd on points in the group stages, this pitted them against P.W. Botha College once again, and the boys knew a tough task was ahead. A slight change in attacking organisation changed the match significantly, with Wright, Hewins, Chen, Corke, Pearce and plenty more boys playing P.W at their own game, asking questions of their defense. Shiplake will probably not come up against a better school boy 7s side again (certainly not in the UK) so a 21-0 full time score line was admirable.

James Riley can be quoted in saying “We played with confidence and took the game to them. Our 7s ethos of ‘attack, attack, attack – create chaos’ really came through and I am proud of the determination the boys showed out there. It is a very promising start to 7s rugby at Shiplake”.

The 2^nd VII were always underdogs going into this 7s tournament. They decided to play to their strengths, and use their physicality to dominate teams. First up for the forward dominated Shiplake 2^nd VII was Glenwood House 2^nd VII and trys from Z. Jones, T. Jones and Arbuckle gave the visitors a commanding 17-0 lead. Glenwood house fought back valiantly, scoring 2 trys in the process with the final score 17-10 to Shiplake. Next to face the Shiplake Rhinos (self named) were P. W. Botha 2^nd VII. Shiplake knew they had a tough challenge ahead. P.W. Botha spent most of the match under the Shiplake posts, scoring 8 tries in the process. Final score 40-0.

Overall, a hugely rewarding day for the boys, and a promising start to the 7s rugby calendar at Shiplake which will resume in January 2012.

Day 8 - George

A strenuous morning training session to prepare for Shiplake’s first-ever entry into a South African rugby 7's tournament tomorrow. The boys had to get used to the very different demands of the game and the front row in particular found out how exhausting it could be.

Team captain and birthday boy James Riley’s strategy for the event is to “win every game! Attack, attack, attack and create chaos”. Sorted.

From midday Shiplake was kindly entertained by Marek Lapham’s family who were staying in a stunning beach house in a nearby town called Wilderness. It was the perfect opportunity for the team to have some down time and relax in the sun, body surf, play some beach touch rugby, bury their team mate in the sand (Toby Stevens) and throw the fully-clothed birthday boy into the sea.

We were also incredibly fortunate to sight a small pod of whales mating just 100 metres from the shore. An amazing experience.

A huge thank you to Ashleigh Lapham for hosting all 29 of us.

Day 7 - Villiersdorp to George

Early start to begin the six-hour coach trip between Villiersdorp and George. Travel attire has been relaxed since the plane journey – no 1s were replaced with Hollister Tees, hoodies and headphones.

A few stops on the way for bathroom breaks and mass purchasing of Biltong, before arriving at Oudtshoorn (one hour from George) for a guided tour of the Cango Caves – an incredible, 5km system of caves with 150 million-year-old stalactites/mites. In the largest cave, a former concert venue, the Shiplake boys (and fellow tourists) sang a hearty Happy Birthday song to Mr Cane-Hardy while the tour guide gave him a congratulatory hug.

While some boys spent time admiring the delicate, icicle-like limestone formations, others (Piers Chen) said it would be “so satisfying to bring a sledge hammer in here”. Different strokes...

Then it was on to Cango Ostrich farm to learn how the birds fed, mated and incubated, followed by a hilarious display of ostrich-riding skills from James Riley, Tom Jones, Nick Arbuckle, Jack Madden and Jack Forrest (there was a weight limit of 75kg). Prize for best rider went to Jack Forrest who remained saddled throughout while Nick Arbuckle won ‘best wipeout’ after taking the bird down to the dirt with him.

It was there the team bought its super-butch tour mascot, Adam (named after our legendary coach driver).

Arrived in George at about 7pm where the billet hosts were waiting to bring the boys home for a hot supper.  

Day 5 & 6 - Villiersdorp / Game 2

Chill-out day yesterday to relax and prepare for today’s big game. After the morning training session Shiplake divided its time between the Beverly Hills-esque Franschhoek, where Piers Chen joined the tour dutifully dressed in his no 1s, and then Stellenboch.

Red-meat-heavy Team Meal in the evening.

Pre-game “prison” breakfast of cold scrambled eggs and wieners this morning. Character-building. Four members of the team in the dog house after shaving “try stripes” through their eyebrows and staff needing to search village shops for make-up to fill in the gaps. Could only find black eyeliner so one player looked convincingly like Bert from Sesame Street.

Excellent morning training session followed by lunch at the hostel of bobotie (curried meat and fruit dish not dissimilar to moussaka), pumpkin fritters and sweet apricots, with ice cream in a peanut sauce for dessert. Boys were perhaps a little perplexed by the flavours but the meal offered plenty of sugar/energy to be burned in the afternoon match.

A brilliant game ensued with a 17-31 win to Shiplake.

Team captain Jimmy Wright said: “Really pleased with the result. It was a great opportunity to use our backs and we used our size to dominate a smaller team. I’m particularly pleased with the set plays that went according to plan in the middle stint of the game.

“For the next match we’ll aim to improve our alertness in the first ten minutes of play but there were some outstanding performances from Max Nutman who really stepped up and defended well, George Davis had a blinder and Jack Madden made some cracking try-saving tackles.”

A well-earned team night out in Stellenbosch to celebrate the win. 

Day 4 - Stellenbosch to Villiersdorp

DAY 4

A two-hour training session to start the day at the Rugby Performance Centre in what felt like hurricane conditions. The team then hit the showers, shavers and tuckshop before checking out of RPC smartly dressed in their No. 1s. 

On to Stellenbosch, a pretty university town famous for its wineries and for being “the heart of rugby”, to the elegant Simonsig winery for a tasting session. We were given a menu sheet describing the wines available and were invited to taste five including their signature champagne. After much swilling and bouquet-smelling the boys proved to be quite the connoisseurs and decided the “gooseberry and green fig-flavoured Chenin Blanc was sick” (very nice).

It was free time for lunch in Stellenboch centre, though everyone was drawn to the same diner where one could get milkshakes, 500g sirloin steaks and buy-one-get-one-free burgers (note: two burger meals, not just two beef patties). There were also plasma screens playing England’s live test match and a SA rugby game. Perfect.

In time for sunset we took the 80-minute coach journey through the mountains with truly incredible views over the valley town of Franschhoek.

Arrived at de Villiers Graaf school in Villiersdorp just in time for supper. The basic accommodation - a typical South African boarding school - was a culture shock for the boys and will hopefully make them grateful for being at Shiplake College.

In the words of David Plato: “For the purposes of banter, this couldn’t get any better.”

Day 3 - Cape Point

A mass of girlish squeals filled the RPC this cold, windy morning as Shiplake boys jumped in the outdoor pool for their recovery session. (Mr Cane-Hardy managed a 15-second dip before “losing all feeling [his] legs” and clambering out.)

The group excursion for the day was to Cape Point, the most southern tip of Africa where the Atlantic and Indian Oceans meet. Along the way we stopped off at various coastal bays along the Cape Peninsula including Boulders Beach, home to a colony of miniature penguins. We then arrived at Table Mountain National Park to start a blustery uphill walk to Cape Point lighthouse and viewing area.

Feeling windswept but invigorated we jumped back on the bus to get some of the “best fish and chips in the Cape” at the quaint seaside village Simons Town. Then, after some free time to walk off the deep-fried hake, the coach headed home to the Rugby Performance Centre (cue team nap).

After some room-tidying time and a hearty dinner, Mr Beckett and Mr Cane-Hardy took a high-intensity gym session for the squad while the team’s professional physio, Paul Holmes, attended to any injuries.

Early night.

Day 2 - Match 1 & Langa Township, Cape Town

A great day. Started with a 46-7 win against Riebeek Valley School XV. Many of Shiplake’s trys came through their greater physicality and power over the opposition. Fantastic to see some home supporters in the stand (the Arbuckles, Laphams and Platos) who were welcomed to the after-match braai (barbecue) and presentation. 

Tries: Davis, Thomas, Law, Glover, Pearce (2), Wright, Waldron
Cons: Thomas (3)

In the afternoon we headed into central Cape Town to pick up our guide for a tour of the outer-city townships. A thought-provoking experience. Our guide, himself a township resident, lived through the apartheid segregation in 1983 and recalled the day when police came to remove his family from their home. He was shot twice in the legs for resisting and although he walks perfectly now it is clearly a painful memory to retell. This, among other facts and stories, gave us an insight into township communities. 

We were taken through the major townships of Langa, Nyanga and Kayelitsha where we were told, despite poverty and vast unemployment, there is a strong sense of community and support. The coach stopped off in Langa township where Shiplake boys had the opportunity to meet a few residents and give out mini rugby balls, colourful stationary and activity books to a group of excited children (who also turned out to be world-class hagglers).

A delicious dinner was served at a restaurant in the township while a ‘very cool’ local band played cultural music on glockenspiels and drums. In fact, as it was David Plato’s  17th, everyone sang a special edition of Happy Birthday accompanied by the soulful voices of the kitchen ladies who emerged especially for the song.

Then it was back to the V&A waterfront for a drink before the bus journey back to RPC.