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Day 3, Game Day. Finally, what over a year of planning and organizing had been building to, an international rugby game. Expectations were high, but unlike a regular rugby season, players and coaches had absolutely nothing to prepare with other than the knowledge that France was in the Rugby World Cup quarter-finals and that Canada did not qualify...
The morning started with another leisurely breakfast at the hotel and then a short team run through in the neighbourhood playground. Here is the boys team getting ready to head out.
We then packed up and said goodbye to our first hotel. A couple of hours to check out the sport store Decathlon and to have some lunch and then a short bus ride brought us to our first game at Lycée Bellevue, a gorgeous, sprawling campus of about 2400 students and hosts for our triangular and introduction to French school rugby. And what an introduction it was!
The school director, Daniel, was keen to give us a quick tour of the school including their very own Chateau! While not a real castle (hard to follow Carcassonne!), it was a lovely old building (well over 300 years old) that is used to celebrate athletic and scholastic excellence. It was also where we had our team picture taken prior to the first match. You may notice some cable car towers in some of the pictures... whatever you do, don't ask director Daniel about them! Let's just say that the Bellevue for which the school is named was somewhat "malvued" by the new Toulouse metro add on!
After that, it was a scrambled change and tape up before a bit of a rushed warm up. Not an ideal start, but players made the best of it.
Both teams played Lycée Bellevue in their first match and both teams were introduced to French rugby in a rather emphatic way! Here we go!! (Click for a video!)
On the girls side, things got off to an exciting start. Facing stiff opposition, starved of possession, and up against a strong, athletic and quick Lycée Bellevue 15. The skill level of the French girls was impressive with a pace we have not seen in Victoria and a level of ball handling that kept a continuous possession and flow meant that our girls, many of whom had never played a full 15 a side game, were forced to make a lot of tackles and scramble to get organized on defence. Full credit to the team as they hung around all game and even managed an intercept try by Alex M. The learning that took place was invaluable as there are no teams in BC who will challenge us the way this team did! Final score was 25-5 (there was no kicking as the field did not have uprights).
On the boys side, the first couple minutes shaped up to be an absolute cracker with fantastic strategic kicking from both sides resulting in a early scrum for the SMUS team after a knock on caused by a towering Jack Driscoll kick. The ensuing backs play won us an early penalty and a shot at goal. An uncharacteristic miss of the posts was perhaps a harbinger of things to come as Lycée Bellevue quickly asserted themselves as the dominant team. Full credit to the SMUS boys who stuck it out right until the end and who showed significant improvement from the first to second half. There was little doubt as to who was going to win however, as the expansive, fast-flowing, hard running style of the French made the most of every opportunity to attack and their relentless jackling after dominant tackles ensured a steady supply of ball. Many SMUS players featured in this game at various points including a number of grade 10s, and everyone of them can be pleased with their contributions. Braxton L. stood out in the first half as a big body willing to put in the hard work to defend with courage and we look forward to more of the same as the season progresses.
In the end, uncharacteristic, but perhaps not unexpected, basic errors in handling resulted in most of the game being played on defence. Nervous, tired and a bit overwhelmed, the team struggled to contain the impressive offensive efforts of the Bellevue backs (though in fairness, the sweet backhanded offload at full speed by the tight head prop to set up a try was perhaps indicative of the athleticism of all of their players and to credit just their backs denies the wonderful skill set of all their players). The half time score of 28-0 was an accurate result and the final score of 47-3 (Samuel B. slotting a late penalty from far out) was indicative of the gradual improvements that were being made. It was a great learning opportunity for the SMUS boys to see what rugby could look like and certainly proved inspirational. Coaches Kim and Daum were impressed by the resilience and positive attitude of the players and are certain that these challenging games will lead to important growth as the season plays out. Game 1 (almost full video)
Similar to the girls, game 2 for the boys showed a new level of confidence and focus as the boys regrouped and began playing with some gumption. Also facing LEGTA Auzeville, the SMUS boys committed themselves fully to their tackles and began to string together some phases with a bit of possession that they had so desperately lacked in the first game. First to score, the 7-5 half time score highlighted the resolve of the SMUS boys to be more accurate with their skills and to be more committed in their play, especially on defence. A lovely little chip through by Jack D. was scooped up by a streaking Sam Gramada who was pulled down short of the line. Quick ball led to Declan L. almost getting across but, without panicking, the ball was played back to the right where Nick G. almost scored himself before the forwards pounded away. Finally, Marcus L. dotted it down with a cheeky dummy pass from the back of the ruck and then a quick dive in. It was wonderful to see the joy on the faces of the boys after a job well done.
While the end result of 26-8 was not the desired outcome, the number of positives gained from the game were considerable. OF note was the play of many of the grade 10 boys especially with Tristan m making crunching tackles, Frank T. showing his grit at the breakdown and Quinn M. displaying superior defensive skills on the wing snuffing out multiple overlap attacks that should have resulted in a much larger margin of victory for Auzeville. Across the board, our play improved significantly along with our confidence levels and appreciation of a fast flowing, skillful style of rugby that will be invaluable for the school season when we return. Unfortunately, we did not escape the injury bug as well as the girls and Nick G. earned himself a 9-hour visit to the hospital (ask Mr. Daum about socialist health care!) for a fracture and Samuel B. decided to see if he could get a slightly longer reach by popping his shoulder out (turns out that was a bad idea). Full video of game 2 Congratulations to both teams for showing fortitude, resilience, and for embracing the opportunity to challenge themselves. The coaches are immensely proud of the effort, attitude, and leadership shown by all players. The post game gathering was boisterous as we had 6 teams gathered in the gym for snacks and speeches. Aidan, Ewan, and Harper did a fine job representing the school and even did their speech in French! Both teams were given a very impressive trophy (Director Daniel was very diplomatic in saying that rugby was the winner on the day!) and Auzeville had bandanas for each of the players.
Even more exciting than the trophy we received, was the French Top 14 trophy, Le Bouclier de Brennus, dating back to 1892! Turns out one of the Lycée Bellevue staff members happened to have access to it through the Stade Toulouse rugby team who are current holders of the Bouclier. What a unique opportunity for the players and coaches!
And then finally came the moment of greatest anticipation... Billet time!! Our hosts were very well organized and everyone of the kids was quickly snapped up by a host family and whisked away for dinner, showers, and a good sleep. Reports from all of the players in a gratitude exercise the following morning highlighted amazing families, incredible meals, kind hosts, and new friends. Exactly as it should be!
One more day left on Toulouse and then we hit the road for a long drive to Saint Marcellin and our next billets and rugby games.
One more example of how French rugby is superior to our current Canadian system was the referee allocation. When we arrived and met the two young men assigned to our games the coaches were very worried about the game getting out of hand. As it turns out we had nothing to worry about. Our 16-year-old referee was more confident, calmer, and at least as accurate as any of the referees we have in Victoria. Involved in a program at the school, they are mentored, coached, and trained until 18 (our ref had already been doing it for 3 years) and provide quality officiating for all levels of school play. Both coaches and players were very impressed (and maybe even a bit inspired?).
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