Watch Seb Wright’s video of the tour HERE.
In August, the Oundle School senior rugby squads toured Chile and Argentina in preparation for the coming season. Forty-six pupils and staff flew into Santiago and were welcomed by the Grange School, which is beautifully set at the base of the Andes Mountains. The boys were generously hosted by local families, who looked after them well, introducing them to different cultural norms. The matches were closely fought and were a great start to the tour.
The next stop was Mendoza, where the squads trained in preparation for the second fixture against Chacras de Coria Rugby Club. Video highlights of the first team match can be found HERE.
At Rosario for further training, leisure time included go-carting and some very dodgy karaoke singing, although the dance moves were “a joy to watch”. The match against the Old Resian Club was closely fought, and the boys displayed great character, resilience and team work to overcome some fierce, physical opposition.
The final fixture was in Beunos Aires, where they were hosted by St John’s School in the city centre. Again, this was a fierce match, and the Oundle boys displayed strength in numbers, determination, and an ability to attack from all areas of the pitch right up until the final whistle.
From there they flew to the Argentine border to see the Iguazu Falls in style, taking a speed boat ride to the foot of the falls, where they were absolutely soaked, before travelling to the Brazil side of the river to get a panoramic view of the most spectacular sight they had ever seen.
The tour was a great success, not only in developing rugby for the coming season but also in forming relationships within the team, instilling a passion to work for each other, and developing discipline and direction in the pupils’ own development, as well as memories which will last a lifetime. On top of this, it was just great fun.
