Sub-10/12 Treviso Tour Report 2014

Another cracking Italian adventure for our intrepid junior teams and their supporters. Read tour report, view tour video and see images from the tour here.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

Click here to view Danilo Ballotta's Epic Tour Video

Click here to see images from the tour

Click here to see Lucas Wiessing's portraits from the tour (mainly sub-10 and supporters)

Sub-10/12 Treviso Tour 2014 Report 

Following an almost tear-free parting of company with those left behind at Lisbon departures and, on this occasion, only a mercifully short delay before the flight was ready for take-off, the squads enjoyed a virtually serene flight to Marco Polo airport.

Players entertained themselves during the flight with the usual variety of games on their electronic devices, some of the limited supplies of junk food that had passed through the nutrition police's net, some incorrect mountain range identification attempts, some rapturous applause at basic piloting skills and finally, and rather disappointingly, some unsanctioned inter-team throwing of small projectiles before the air-plane had come to a complete standstill on the tarmac.

There followed a smooth transit via the waiting coaches to nearby Treviso and our hotel, where rooms were allocated and key cards locked inside a few times, before large quantities of pizza slices were wolfed down in the traditional ravenous style.

A stroll round to the marvellously verdant La Ghirrada Rugby pitches enabled us to have a meaningful training session, plus a bit of messing around, ahead of the serious business of the Trofeo Toppolino the next day.

Back in the hotel, and after a fairly stern orientation briefing from one of the tour coordinators, the players settled down for a dinner consisting of penne rigate in a tomato sauce, chicken & chips and chocolate mousse, before enjoying a limited window of freedom before what was planned as a relatively early night, ahead of the challenging day that lay ahead.

Treviso is located in the Rugby heartland of Italy and the Trofeo Topolino is the ultimate expression of Italian Rugby culture. The scale of the event is mind-boggling, with five thousand players, 300 teams and a multitude of passionate Rugby supporters and their inviting hospitality tents. This was our fourth visit to the tournament, and each time we have been received with open arms off the pitch and fairly uncompromising opposition on it. The physical nature of Italian junior Rugby makes it a real test of character for our players, especially since we are one of a tiny handful of foreign clubs that make the trip and the opposition always seem to find a little something extra as they defend the honour of la patria as well as that of their clubs.

The Saturday sun shone remorselessly, the mercury rose relentlessly and the Rugby was played distinctly allegrissimo from the first whistle just after breakfast until after six in the evening, with the only pause being to re-fill the pasta tank at lunchtime and work out the groups for the afternoon session.

Our teams enjoyed somewhat mixed experiences in the morning, with the sub-10s getting on a roll of hard-fought wins. There were several outstanding individual performances, but what struck most was the collective will to prevail against the odds, which they often did. The sub-12s took time to recover from an early loss to one of the tournament favourites and squandered chances to turn several draws into victories until into the afternoon session. The players came through the rigours of their seven matches largely unscathed and had all earned the right to a fine dinner of lasagna, spinach & chips and chocolate ice cream, before retiring to their quarters.

Some cloud cover and a refreshing breeze provided slightly more forgiving conditions on the Sunday, and both teams enjoyed more success in the final rounds, before moving on to the impressive Benetton Treviso stadium to watch the grand finals and play a post-closing ceremony improvised game against the coaches and parents (won comfortably by the latter).

At the end of tour dinner on the Sunday evening, prizes for Best Tourist were awarded to Katerina Goold (Sub-12) and Joaquin Peña (Sub-10) for their superb attitude and great company throughout the tour.

The sun shone again for our trip to Venice on the Monday morning, which made the vistas even more dazzling and, of course, the ice cream and street pizzas that much more enjoyable.

St. Julian’s Rugby Club Tours are a wonderful experience for our young players, and this season’s Treviso Tour proved to be another classic. Thanks as ever to the travelling coaches, matrons and parents, as well as to Jessica Hubert and Samy Djavidnia for their help in organising the tour.

Simon Mount