1st XV Italy Tour

Tour Report

Saturday 22nd October 2011
 
We have now been in Italy for a little over twenty four hours. We have had a terrific welcome from the hotel staff and all went well on the flight and transfers. Last night we had a splendid meal in the hotel (pasta followed by steak and chips!) and we had a well-deserved early night. 

This morning we went for a walk in Chioggia (otherwise known as 'Little Venice').  It was absolutely charming; the sun was shining, there wasn't a cloud in the sky and we got a real taste of what is to come in Venice. We then had a huge lunch (it is true to say that the Italians take their eating very seriously indeed!) and then had a couple of hours for the digestion process to kick in as we got on the coach to go to our first game against Petrarcha Padua.

We again were welcomed in typical friendly Italian style and got ourselves prepared to take on one of Italy's premier rugby teams. We were lucky enough to be playing at Italy's premier rugby facilities! The game was of course tough and we played against a rather large opposition who unfortunately got the better of us by 50 points to 5 (Joe Healy managed to grab us a consolation try in the second half). It was a good game though and we learned a lot. Our captain, Tom Bannon, made a remarkably fluent speech afterwards; Mr Robinson's was perhaps a little wanting!

We have just been out for a pizza at a local pizzeria and the boys are currently playing some card and domino games before bed. All the boys are absolutely fine and we are very much looking forward to watching the World Cup final back at Petrarcha Padua tomorrow morning (funnily enough nobody seems to want France to win!). We will then have a training session with an Italian coach before going bowling for the afternoon.

Another update will follow after our game against the premier league team Treviso on Monday.

Day 3

An early start and we were on our way back to Petrarcha Rugby Club in Padua to watch the World Cup Final. The game was terrific and the boys sat amongst a raft of Padua fans who were cheering equally for the French and the Kiwis. The boys clearly enjoyed the experience and conducted themselves very well.. We then went out for a particularly good training session with an Italian coach who worked on the boys' tackling. After an absolutely huge(!) lunch of pizza and pasta we headed into the city of Padua for some sightseeing. The city was stunning; particularly the Cathedral where Mass was taking place. The boys saw the tomb of St Anthonio and were impressed by the architecture generally. From there we went on to spend a couple of hours ten pin bowling. Sam Singleton was the pick of the boys and much to Mr Robinson and Mr Knight's annoyance, Mr Spackman won the staff match ('battle' being perhaps a more appropriate word!).

Day four

Today we spent the morning in groups. Mr Spackman and Mr Robinson took the boys out on the beach for a few games while Mr Knight took a group back to Chioggia for more sightseeing. After ice creams and the most decadent hot chocolate we have ever seen we headed back for another cracking lunch at the hotel restaurant. From there we got organised to travel to the Treviso. We enjoyed exploring the centre of Treviso and were struck by the sheer number of fashionable clothing stores and the overall beauty of the town. We then headed of to the famous Banetton Treviso rugby training ground to prepare for our match (under lights!). The boys prepared themselves brilliantly and were absolutely focused come the start. And what a match it was! The boys played absolutely superbly against a very large and slightly older Treviso team. Tries from Joe Salkeld and Andre Obi meant that with just fifteen minutes left we were ahead by twelve points to ten. We may have  then gone on to lose by twenty points to twelve but the performance was absolutely exceptional; something the boys, staff and parents were incredibly proud of. We were then treated to some fantastic hospitality at the actual Benetton Treviso stadium! It was a night that none of us will forget. A magical experience.

Day five

Shattered after the previous night's experience, we had an early start this morning as we had to catch the water taxi into Venice. The weather was decidedly iffy and we decked ourselves out in wet weather gear from the off. Venice is. of course, a fabulous city and we certainly were not disappointed! We found our way to St Mark's Square and found ourselves walking over raised boards due to the flooding (because of the overnight and early morning rain). After familiarising ourselves a little we met up with the delightful Maria, our tour guide. Maria, over the course of two hours, gave us a terrific insight to the city and its history. She pitched it at just the right level; all the boys were engaged with her informative but also humorous and lively style of presentation. She left us on the Rialto Bridge to find our own lunch and do some shopping. From there we were lucky enough to go on a gondola ride which was a wonderful and unique experience for all of us. The rain, if anything, added to the experience and the memory! We have since travelled back to the hotel and have had yet another typically huge meal at the hotel and as we write are stuck into a game of charades. It is fair to say that the boys are having a wonderful experience and continue to be excellent representatives of St John's.

Day 6

Today we headed out this morning for a five a side football session in Chioggia. The boys showed some real Italian flair for the game! Freddy Hart and Andre Obi were particularly impresssive. We then headed back to the hotel for another heavy lunch before taking an hour off to rest in preparation for our final game against Oderzo rugby club. We arrived at the ground to find half the pitch flooded! We were a little concerned that the game could have been off but thankfully the Italians were game and we agreed to play across half a pitch. It was a great experience for the boys to play in such conditions and to play again under lights.

After going down a try the boys fought really hard to come back. Some really good runs from Nicholas Skovron and Joseph Salkeld were supported by the pack. Andre Obi scored terrific tries either side of half time, the second a weaving run from forty metres. Chris Savage cut through the defensive line to score the third try. Alex Hopkins and Damola Fawole made key tackles to ensure the lead and despite Oderza scoring a late try, St John's secured an absolutely magnificent win in extremely tough conditions. We were then treated to some superb hospitality by the Oderzo club which capped off yet another wonderful day.

MXK