Rugby Union

Today saw the first really slow start to the day on tour with late breakfast enjoyed by all and some free time to enjoy the hotel facilities before boarding our coaches and heading into Durban and The Kings Park Stadium home of the Natal Sharks. As you drive through the gates the stadium fills the sky line with its sheer size. The stadium itself was increased to seat 65,000 for the 1995 historic World Cup Final which saw Nelson Mandela hand the World cup to a victorious South African side. The Sharks regularly attract 25,000 spectators which just shows how rugby mad the people are in this part of the world.

Lunch had been organised and once everybody had had their fill we were taken on a stadium tour showing us the difference between home and away teams changing rooms. The most impressive sight however was standing on the side of the playing field and staring up into the stands and out onto the pitch. I wonder how many of the boys were secretly thinking to themselves, one day maybe one day.

After the tour the boys all changed into their training kit for a 'once in a life time' opportunity to train with two legendary 1995 World Cup Winners, Balie Swart and Dean Kayser. Balie took the forwards and from the very first word to the very last word he spoke the boys were transfixed by the sheer size and forcefulness of his nature. The school coaches just stood and watched as Balie showed their boys how to do their jobs as forwards, whilst logging to memory some of things Balie was saying.

Meanwhile the backs had been taken to a completely different field such is the size of the ground and put through their paces by Dean. After assessing the boys handling skills it was clear he had a few areas he wanted to work on. It seems that the Boks pass the ball differently to us and after a fantastic couple of hours he ,had the Bolton boys doing the same.

After the training sessions everybody got together for a group photo with The Kings Park Stadium in the back ground. Before we headed back to the hotel there was just enough time to go to the club shop, after a while a whole new band of Sharks fans emerged sporting a wide variety of gear.

Once back at the hotel the lads had plenty of time to smarten themselves up before tonight's group dinner down at Enzo’s Italian Restaurant to celebrate Thomas Ince's birthday. Thomas was presented with a Pizza Box birthday card which had been signed by the whole of the touring party and all the boys enjoyed Enzo's delicious, complimentary Tiramisu as a perfect finale to a fantastic meal