Guildford Rugby Club
U13s Tour to Swansea!
Guildford Under 13s travelled to Swansea for their first tour in 3 years. This was an opportunity to play some tough, Welsh Valleys rugby and for players and adults alike to create some unique memories and forge strong friendships.
Day 1 started with an icy dip in the sea at Caswell Bay followed by some quality beach touch to warm up again. We then travelled to one of the toughest clubs in the south, Skewen RFC. Playing Welsh U13 rules meant some differences: 15 men on the pitch introducing flankers for the first time, line outs, kicking for goal. Despite the threat of Skewen, Guildford went in 21-12 up at half time. Skewen came back hard after the break, bruised by losing the first half in front of their home crowd. Conversely Guildford boys were beginning to feel the effects of a sleepless first night on tour, high on excitement. Final score: 38-26. A typically warm welcome from our hosts with celebrations in the club house to follow. The afternoon was spent watching Ospreys beat Scarlets in the West of Wales derby, with our boys privileged to act as guard of honour on the pitch as the players re-entered the field after half time.
On day 2 we travelled to the stunning setting of mining-village club Nantymoel for, were it possible, an even warmer welcome. This time the boys had recovered their mojo and finished a match held under the cloud-ringed mountains 63-17 winners. Every member of our pack commented on the weight and power of the Welsh forwards, so they had to dig deep to pull off such an impressive victory, the scoreline not doing justice to the quality of the opposition.
Live-streaming the thrilling, record-breaking fifth draw of the season for London Irish against Wasps helped the return journey fly by.
Many happy memories will sustain us through the off-season, and we hope to repeat this barnstormer in a year’s time. Congratulations to Tour Captain Jason Mort for running the show and huge thanks to Lee Dunsford (Skewen), Lee Kerslake (Nantymoel), and the team at Ospreys for their warm welcome and generosity as hosts.
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