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.”
