Visit to Queensland House

My experience of the Queensland House was pretty good, we got to meet the general director. He was laid back & down to earth, but i thought the room we went into was pretty blank though. The Australia house was pretty cool because we got to go into there main conference room also were some of Harry Potter was set. I think the tour qent a bit to fast though.  

Curtis Atkins

In my visit of the Queensland House I felt very at home. What I mean by that is when we got to meet the General Director he was very laid back and inviting like the guys I know bak home. I felt honored that he came to meet us. It was anice experience.

James Mc Gregor

My visit to Queensland house was very good because we got to meet the General Director. He was very nice and laid back man and the food and drinks the we great. It was a privilege to meet him and chat with him. Also the Australian House was interesting. The building was so big and they have even used it for parts in movies. It was a great experience going to these areas.  

Mitchel Locke

More photos go to: Visit to Queensland House

These are players' experiences that were wrote during the tour and re typed on this blog as they were originally done.

Twickenham

"Today we visited the home of rugby - Twickenham. It was an inspiring experience looking out over the Stadium from level 6. The rest of the stadium was an interesting experience learning about the history of the stadium.

 The best part would have to have been the 1,2,3 as we did it on the field. The rest of the day was alright walking around viewing shops in the city. The lunch was really nice today. We also went to Trasfalgar square where Leo was an excellent wing man, helping with a group of spanish chicks who did not speak much english. Overall the day was enjoyable."

 Ross Ironside

"The visit to Twickenham was great. We went up to the top level of the stadium to get a feel of how big it is. We walked through the hallway of where all corporate boxes are and got to go into the Nike box which had a great view of the field. We learnt about the history of the stadium and sat where the royal family sit when they come to watch a game.

 When we went into the city we went into the Nike warehouse which is 4 levels high. We also ate in a chinese place for lunch in china town, which was surprisingly good. We ran into some spanish chicks and Leo was helping translate. Today was a good day and a good recovery for the next game."  

Alex Ryan

Best wishes from Tavistock

Hi Leo,

This is Lez Deves, the coach from Tavistock College, the lads have asked me to drop an e-mail to you, firstly, they & myself want to say a big thank you, to all of you, it was just a shame the teams did'nt have longer to get to know each other & hoping you all had a good trip back to Australia.

The rugby was played in the true spirit of the game, with a fantastic show of sportsmanhip at the end, the best team won on the day, your defence was awesome, would you pass on my thanks to all your lads, coaches, helpers & supporters.

 I would like to wish you & the team every success in the future, here's hoping that some of your lads end up playing for their country one day, I enjoyed every single minute.

Best wishes to all.

Lez Deves

The games in London

Saracens

"The game was a great experience to see how anothe country plays the sport that you love. The team played well but not as good as we could. Also a great thing about the game was that afterwards we sat down with them and had a chat with them. We all had fun and looking forward to the games to come." Matt Lyndon


"The game today I thought went very well. This was our first game of our tour and season. This game is our bench mark for the season. How I think I played was good for my first game. The forwards needs more aggression and get lower in the scrum & rucks, also the line-outs. Our defence was not the best it usually is. I was very very happy with the result of the game and afterwards we had a chat to the other team. They were very nice and polite." Thomas Trembath

Leicester Tigers

"Today we traveled to the town of Rugby. Rugby is a small town were the game itself was first invented. We had a tour of the rugby school and the chapel. It was a good experience, because we got to see what the history is and how it first came along. We then had a lunch at the local pub, the food was ok, I guess....Tonight we played against Leicester Tigers; this was a game I will never forget, they were the academy team and we did not expect this such a a beating. We had a lot of injuries and i got a black eye myself :(. This tour so far has been overall pretty good. I ca not wait for France." Ducky

"We played one of the most painful and challenging games I have ever played. There were many injuries and I am so sore myself. I have a bruised finger, corked hip and hurt ankle. I have a good mind that we will beat our next opponent and I am excited for France." Kasey Holton

Leighton Park School

"Today being the water boy was a challenging and nerve breaking experience. It was both mentally and physically challenging and pushed me through my limits. I wanted to live up to the "standards" although I felt like I let the team down. I was very dissapointed I could not play. I thought the boys played a good game but got cocky and softened the defence. James Leadbetter

"The game against Leighton Park School was tough than I thought. It would be be the players were big and fast. The teams were very even. We did not play so good in the first half and we were down by 3 tries but we made a comeback and we ended up drawing 25-25" Alastair Kane


These are players' experiences that were wrote during the tour and re typed on this blog as they were originally done.

Barry!

"The first carry of the mascot was a great privilege as I had the opportunity to carry around the symbol of the team. I was good because people came up to me asking to hold it, take pictures with it. or just wondering what it was and what it was for.

As the first person to carry Barry I got to draw the name of the person who carried it the next day." Anthony Hicks

"Barry was a pretty good inspiration to the team. I really liked caring for him even though I left him in the bus." Brad Garnett

"Barry was a very bad experience for me, I did not like carrying it around because I kept forgetting it. I think that there should not be as bad of a consequence as what happened to me today." Curtis Atkins

"Carrying Barry was a new experience for me. I have never before had a such responsibility. It was a great experience, that was easier than others players made it out to be. Barry was actually quite hard to forget. I always found myself remembering him, and wishing for him not to be left behind. Massive consequences also influenced my wish not to lose Barry." Steve Glasson

...to be continued

More photos Go to: Barry!

These are players' experiences that were wrote during the tour and re typed on this blog as they were originally done.

Day Two: Training at Harlequins

"At the training yesterday I believe that we as a team learn many new skills. We learn to run into the space and to improve our communication. The coaches were friendly and helpful, correcting our mistakes and helping to improve us as players. The game after was also a memorable experience. I think that we all learned something new that day."

Steven Glasson

More photos Go to: Day 2 Harlequins Training Sesion


These are players' experiences that were wrote during the tour and re typed on this blog as they were originally done.

London: Day One

"The first day in London was enjoyable. When we arrived we went to see the city after dropping our bags in the hotel. We saw the Big Ben, the Buckingham Palace and the tallest building in London. We saw the London Eye before stopping for food. Next we went back to the hotel to check in to our rooms and have dinner. Dinner was fish and chips with ice-cream for dessert but most people were already asleep because of jet-lag."

Ciaran Somerville

These are players' experiences that were wrote during the tour and re typed on this blog as they were originally done.

More photos go to:Day 1 London photos

The trip

"The first flight was good as we just watched movies and was not too long. The second flight was overnight so we just slept and arrived in London".

Lewis Jackson

"The plane was scary on the take off. We watched movies and talked and had fun. On the first flight we walked around and talked to each other and had lots of fun. The second plane was really boring because I had watched all the movies and I could not sleep so I had to watch boring movies. The kate was standing up for a while so I got to lay down and sleep. Once we landed I was so glad it was over."

Troy Arnold

These are players' experiences that were wrote during the tour and re typed on this blog as they were originally done.

More photos go to: the Trip Album

Confirmed!

The last game in London, before the team travels to Paris, was confirmed last night. U15 Brumbies Albany Creek will play against Leighton Park school in Reading on March 29th.

After breakfast in our hotel in London the team will be transferred to Reading for an early lunch. And It is expect that Brumbies arrives at the school around 1215 hrs to look around the school and hold a pre-match training session. Kick off is at 1430 hrs. The school has kindly organized meals after the match for the team.

Mr.Peter Bulteel, the school's principal said "the boys are all looking forward to the game and hopefully one day we will be able to bring a school team back to the Brumbies".

Thanks to Mr. Bulteel for agreeing to play the boys from Brisbane, and Cheryl Williams for organizing the game at such short notice!

Welcome!

"It's my great honour and pleasure to welcome you all; Players, Parents, Guardians, Family and Friends to the Under 15 Albany Creek GPS Junior Rugby Union Football Club Tour to England and France.

Let me extend my warmest congratulations to you, in particular all the people who are responsible for making this tour possible because without that level of commitment, dedication and sacrifice it would not have been achievable.

To all of our sponsors, donors and contributors in time, effort, support and kind, we thank you very much for your generosity. We thank LinCon for their support along with our other sponsors Visy and North Brisbane Home Loans. We look forward to future engagement and promotion of your businesses and will carry your company name and logos proudly.

The tour will offer so much opportunity for these young men; for the majority, it will be their first travel experience across the globe. They will meet new people, make new friends, experience new cultures and climates different from their own. This rugby experience will have a great impact on them as players; they will be able to measure themselves and their abilities as a team, individual and as a club. They will encounter rugby at a different level and come into contact with new coaching and training techniques. The highlight and culmination will be the participation in an International Junior Rugby Tournament!

To the Mums and Dads, Guardians, Families and Friends who remain at home, we will endeavour to keep the tour story alive via this Blog and ensure your son stays in touch with you while on his rugby journey.

To the Management Committee, I give my warmest congratulations and thank you all for your commitment and dedication to the challenge of pulling the tour together. To everyone that participated in fundraising, helping with the training program and those that were co-opted into completing the many small tasks, I thank you again.

We thank the Albany Creek GPS Junior Rugby Union Football Club for supporting and endorsing the tour, along with the encouragement and support from our parent unions - Brisbane Junior Rugby Union, Queensland Rugby Union and the Australian Rugby Union.

I wish the players and Management Team a wonderful and successful tour! I am sure we will all look back on this experience in later life and feel extremely proud that we took the chance and DID IT!!"

Warren Locke
General Manager
Under 15 Tour England & France 2012