King’s heading off down under
RUGBY UNION SIMON CARTER
THE King’s School rugby squad is preparing to embark on a Fair Dinkum rugby tour down under as the Macclesfield school plans a mini invasion of Australia and Singapore for an Ashes battle.
In what is the King’s School’s biggest ever sports tour to its furthest destination, 56 players supervised by seven staff with scores of accompanying parents and siblings will depart on July 15, for three days in Singapore followed by a further 16 day tour of Australia beginning in the Northern Territory at Cairns, down to the Gold Coast and Brisbane and finally on to Sydney.
Three teams consisting of a leavers side, young men who have just sat their A Levels, and A and B under 17 development sides will take on the cream of Aussie and Singapore school and clubs sides in what is being billed as an Ashes Series. Perhaps the biggest game of tour will be against Sydney Grammar School, renowned worldwide for its sporting pedigree.
Other games will be against Singapore RU, Downsland College, Churchie, Far North NSW St Augustines, Trinity Grammar School and Peace Lutheran, William Clarke College, Hills Colts and East RFC.
King’s Head of Rugby Giles Hetherington has been developing a specific fluid 15 man style to make the most of the hard running paddocks down under. “Over the last eight weeks we have been developing an attacking brand of rugby ready for Australia playing the ball out wide from one wing to another while making the most efficient use of our big powerful ball carriers,”
He said: “As any side from England we know we are going to be seen as the old enemy and a team to be beat but we are looking forward to the challenge of playing in a series of fixtures where no quarter is given or taken.”
Giles says players to take the fore will be in the leavers side North of England forwards Tim Phillips and Simon Ridgway and backs Jamie Dunkerley and Tom Higginson and in the development teams fly half Will Davies and boys new to the school Harry Harding and Sean Campbell.
The team have also had a special shirt made up for the tour designed by Scott Barrow and featuring the Sydney Harbour Bridge and Opera House
Off piste this little corner of Cheshire plans to make the most of the Aussie sights with snorkelling on the Great Barrier Reef and a tour of Sydney Harbour among some of the highlights planned.
Giles added: “King’s has been to South Africa and Argentina but this is another leap into the global community and we hope boys and staff will make friendships that will last a lifetime in the true tradition of the sport.”