Cambridge High School win Hong Kong tens
18th May 2011 12:14PM
By Hamish Forsman
Cambridge High School’s pre season rugby tour of Hong Kong at the end of March was a big success – on and off the field.
Coaches Wayne Bootten and Kerry Bayliss selected a young side for the trip to develop players for their first XV.
They competed in the Hong Kong under 18 International Ten-a-side tournament where the Cambridge A team took out the title.
But perhaps the biggest success of the tour was the cultural experience.
Aside from the international rugby experience the players got to see the sights of Hong Kong and China, do plenty of shopping in markets and malls, visit a theme park and dine on local cuisine.
“The teacher in charge (Deputy Principal Shane Tong) had to say that the 12 or 13 days they were there was more than they would have learnt in a term at school,” Bootten said.
“It opened up their eyes to a whole different world. It’s also a great place to tour - Hong Kong is one of the safest places I’ve ever been to.”
A highlight for many of the players was attending the Hong Kong International Tens tournament.
“We got to see legends of the game in action like Jonah Lomu, Justin Marshall, George Gregan and Sean Fitzpatrick, it was pretty special,” said captain Jono Feast.
They also spent an evening at the Hong Kong Sevens thanks to free tickets from the Hong Kong Rugby Union.
Bootten said the HKRU were superb hosts and the boys were given a full tour and use of the state of the art facilities at the rugby union.
The opening game on tour was against the Hong Kong under 18 Barbarians on an astro-turf field, which Cambridge won 79-0.
The Cambridge squad then split into two as they entered an A and B team in the under 18 youth version of the Hong Kong International Tens. The tournament included teams from South Africa, Dubai and Singapore as well as several Hong Kong sides.
The B team lost their first two games but went on to win the bowl competition. The A team went undefeated to take out the cup competition.
The team finished the tour with a match against the Hong Kong national under 18 side. Cambridge were convincing winners 39-6 and Bootten said it would have been more if not for some strange interpretations from the local referee.
It was a good way to finish a tour that Bootten said was “absolutely outstanding”.
“It was fantastic for team bonding and blooding new players, and of course they got the experience of playing international teams."
Feast agreed. “I loved the trip, it was great fun. The rugby was good, it was an interesting experience playing on astro-turf but we enjoyed the different style of play."
The cost of the tour was about $300 more for each player than for an Australian tour. Bootten said that because Australia is very similar to home, the few extra hundred dollars was worth it for the cultural experience they got in Hong Kong and China.
