Sub-16 on tour in Frascati

Sub-16 squad back after successful trip to Rome. Read André Gomes' Tour Diary and view the Image Gallery.

A Tour Diary

by André Gomes

Day One

The tour suffered a delayed kick-off as we arrived at Lisbon airport, congregating en masse in the terminal, to discover that the flight had been put forward 2 hours. This did, though, soon prove to be something of a blessing in disguise as the token forgotten passport culprit (Manuel Jorge - known to friends as Azamat) was now afforded time to return home, retrieve the passport and have a good 30 minutes spare for a rollicking from Mr Mount before boarding the plane.

Now what can 27 adolescents do when waiting for the plane to arrive? Obviously we all crammed into the nearest McDonald’s and proceeded to eat the equivalent weight of a small elephant. With the rugby squad weighed down with so many burgers and chips, we scattered across the airport, no doubt intimidating the average international commuter, and awaited the arrival of our flight.

When it did finally touchdown, we were allowed another moment of panic/comedy/frustration as two players, Tom Vilar and Tomás Pimenta (Australians both) managed to lose their boarding passes within seconds of being given them at the Easyjet terminal. When that crisis (number 3) was resolved we all boarded the airplane and prepared for 2 and a half hours of ‘calm’ until we reached our destination. Given that this tour made history for our club, you would be forgiven for thinking that the attitude was that of pride: players anxious to focus on the job in hand and determined to be respectable ambassadors of the school, flying the St. Julian’s flag in the international arena...and indeed the boys didn’t disappoint, especially by out-snoring the entire aircraft.

We finally arrived at the Leonardo da Vinci airport in Rome and took a bus to our hostel which was around 30km from the city, in Ciampino, to be exact.

Now, the hostel... The hostel was conveniently located next to a huge cemetery (revealing that many rugby players, despite their hard exterior, are remarkably easy to spook) with an oddly positioned jet fighter parked in the adjacent parking lot. But besides these reminders of doom, gloom and fatality, it was quite pleasant. The rooms were spacious (one room of 6 people and three rooms of 7 people) with the most comfortable suite of course going to the teachers (coaching can be tiring too, apparently) who let us decide with whom we wanted to bunk. After the huge confusion of people running around threatening to sleep in the corridor and players discovering that you could enter another room through the outside window, we went to the restaurant part of the hostel and had dinner: pasta al pomodoro and um… potatoes and meatloaf. The coaches then informed us players that the matches had been moved to Saturday and that our cultural trip was going to be on Sunday. We all then withdrew to our rooms where I imagine no one slept from excitement.

Day Two

Wake up call at 8:30 in the morning. All the tired warriors (and I use the term loosely) dressed and marched towards the entrance to have their breakfast which was “caffè” and a brioche (many giggled, of course). After the breakfast, we went outside to begin training. Despite our supreme handling and kicking skills, the rugby balls naturally bombarded the neighbour’s farm, where myself and Frosticles (Franziscus Frost) had to go and retrieve them, running the risk of being shot at by the irate agricoltore.

We arrived at the Frascati Rugby Club and had to wait for quite a while before the game started. Mr. Mount took advantage of this pause to take pictures of all of the rugby players on tour, and we also got to see Mr. Ferris climb up a wall which really made our day. We started to warm up yet we found out that Frascati still had a game against another team before they played against us. We sat on the stands and cheered for Frascati and clapped when the opposing team did a good move. We were gentlemen on the outside, but everyone was anxious to begin our own Italian job.

The game was incredible, to say the least. St. Julian’s really played as a team and gave their best attempts at every single tackle, maul or ruck. For that reason we won 41-0 against Frascati. After the game many of our players exchanged rugby shirts with the Italians. We had then, in true sporting fashion, a late lunch with the Italian team (pasta al pommodoro, of course).

At night we travelled to the town of Frascati where we spent 3 hours wandering around eating pizza, observing the locals (mostly the girls), looking for a television to see the Rome vs Milan game, observing even more locals (mostly the girls) and generally having a good time. We returned to our beloved hostel filled with amazing gelatti and stories of how the girls in Italy are amazing. It was generally a good day.

Day Three

We woke up at 8:30 am with groans and moans of how everyone was tired and sore. We limped to the train that would take us from Ciampino to Rome. When we got there, to our surprise, it started raining and everyone fled into the shops to eat and buy more souvenirs. After our free time in the city, we all congregated at the Coliseum and went inside. It is truly an amazing building and we all spent time inside walking around enjoying the view of the ruins (and Italian girls). After that we travelled to the Forum, the Trevi Fountain (where many players threw a coin in for a wish), the Pantheon and finally the Vatican. Everyone fell asleep around the marble columns surrounding it, so not too much was seen. We then caught the train back to Ciampino and later at night went bowling. Oh, and the dinner was pasta al pommodoro. That night we packed our bags and collapsed from exhaustion.

Day Four

The wakeup call this time was at the unearthly hour of 6:30 am, and, having dragged ourselves from our beds, the bus took us to the airport where we awaited the arrival of the plane by, you guessed it, looking at shops and the girls.

The St. Julian’s Rugby Club Sub-16 squad made history that weekend; becoming the first to tour abroad with the club. We all had a fantastic time and realised what fun it is to go on a rugby tour with your mates. Thanks to our parents, our coaches, Frascati Rugby Club and our own club for making this possible.