Day 6
With any tour there seems to be a theme and Navsfed’s tour is no different and the theme is early starts and long walks and today was no different. The walk through Provins was a beautiful one through the old winding streets. Twenty minutes later the team immerged at the sports hall where breakfast for all the team was being provided.
As the teams started to arrive each team took up its own small space and either played ball or just relaxed waiting for the morning eagerly awaited Parade. Soon the noise outside became a disturbance which needed investigating. The teams headed back to the front of the building where the French, Italian, Swiss, Rumanian and English teams where in the middle of a singing contest with no apparent winner but a lot of noise all the same.
This set the tone for the parade and as soon as the lead vehicle complete with band started its slow journey through the streets of Provins the team chants and songs began. Navsfed seemed a little taken back by the sudden surge of sound but after a little encouragement soon found their voices and joined in. Both sides of the streets were lined with supporters and locals alike all wanting to take part and enjoy this annual event. As the procession was coming to an end the first team parted and made a tunnel and clapped the following team through and the next and the next. As each passed through they joined the tunnel and by the end this stretched well over a mile as each team experienced the long and enjoyable walk whilst being slapped on the back or high fived and being clapped all at the same time.
When the procession arrived back at the tournament venue lunch was waiting as was the band getting ready to entertain during the course of the day. Each team made a small part of the ground their own and in our case a marquee directly opposite the food stall, there’s a surprise.
After lunch the tournament finally got underway on two different playing fields which separated the age groups and meant that each match had its own commentator booming out action updates through their loud speaker systems. Navsfed’s U17’s were up first and narrowly lost to Paris. The U15’s on the other hand got off to a flyer and quickly set the tone for the rest of there day by winnings all their matches playing good running rugby and scoring many tries. Unfortunately the U17’s just couldn’t get the ball to work for them and finished the day less successfully.
After the final whistle of the day all participants and spectators alike congregated around the food and dink stall where the singing and laughter started and did not stop until dinner was served in the main hall. No sooner had dinner finished before the band started to play and the party started all over again. The atmosphere was fantastic with a truly world wide melting pot of nations from Italy, Switzerland, Belgium, Russia, Rumania, England and of course not forgetting South Africa. The night wore on and soon it was time to get the boys back to the hotel to get a good nights rest ready for the final day of the tournament.
