MASSEY UNIVERSITY RUGBY FOOTBALL CLUB VARSITY A TOUR TO SOUTH AFRICA

20th FEBRUARY – 7th MARCH 2003

The Massey University senior rugby team departed for South Africa on the 20th February to participate in the Tukkies Super Six Rugby Tournament held in Pretoria. Other International teams involved were Otago University and Sydney University, along with three South African Universities.

The group of 30, including 26 players and 4 management, arrived in the early hours of Friday 21st at Johannesburg Airport to the smiling face of our tournament organiser, and started to prepare for our game the next afternoon. We were taken to the ground where we were to play our three games and had a look over the facilities, which were pretty flash for a University Club.

First game was against University of Pretoria – or Tukkies – as they are known. This club was the host so there was a big crowd gathering. The haka was performed and being on the sideline – it really put a tingle down my spine!

The boys started off really well, considering they had only been together for two weekend training camps. It was 17 all at half time thanks to some outstanding skills by Chris Barron, who dotted down nicely. The second half was not so comfortable, with Tukkies running away easy winners. The 44 hours of travel eventually caught up with the boys – many of whom did not sleep on the way over.

Excuses aside, it was a good blow out and not a bad result against a side that are the South African University champions and who also went down by six points against the Blue Bulls the week earlier. Final score: 17 – 43.

The next game was scheduled for Wednesday, so there was a good break before the next game. We headed up to Sun City – about an hour and a half away - to do some relaxing and sightseeing, as well as taking in a safari for a few ours and having a nice meal or two, including an Impala, cooked on the spit – very nice.

Game two was against University of Free State, from Bloemfontain. We had a great start, but unfortunately could not turn pressure into points, and ended up getting further behind on the scoreboard. The defence showed by the Massey boys was great to see, but out wide Free State had to much class, ending up 33 – 8 victors.

Our final game was against Rand Afrikkans University, from Johannesburg. We were going out confident and believing that we could cause a decent sort of an upset, as all the other teams believed we were the weaker team.

The boys started really well and it was even at half time. Confidence was high, but the three games within 7 days was beginning to show on some of the boys. We were 11 – 8 up with 20 minutes to go and the crowd was really getting excited.

Unfortunately for us, a couple of silly errors in the space of a few minutes let RAU get out to a 26 – 11 lead. This is how it stayed and it was disappointing coming so close.

Otago and Sydney came away winless as well, but we really should have put one win on the board.

The positives of the tour were that the team did improve after every game, and this will be good for the up coming season. Different combinations were tried and some of these were very pleasing.

It was a trip of a lifetime and one that all the team will treasure for a long time to come.

Brendan Bourke – Team Manager

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Massey University's rugby team succumbed to the heat during its first match in the universities' tournament in South Africa.

It lost, 43-17, to the University of Pretoria team in a match played in 39deg, and two players were sent to hospital to be put on drips. The 35-hour trip from Palmerston North and the high altitude of the veld also took its toll.

Standout players for Varsity were hooker Andrew Cribb, wing John Pritchard and centre Chris Barron, who scored two tries. Fullback Jamie Lockwood was also in fine form, as was captain Mark Knofflock.

Team manager Brendan Bourke said the Pretoria team was "big, mobile and aggressive", and had lost a pre-season match to the Bulls' Super 12 side a week earlier by only six points.

The party of 26 players and four officials is now in Sun City for training and signt-seeing.

The Massey University club and players have suggested a tour by the students every two years, with Sydney the most likely future destination for a fraction of the cost of travelling to South Africa.

The current tour is costing the players each about $3000. The Massey club won't have any money to pay when the team returns in two weeks' time.

The fund-raising climaxed with the dinner 10 days ago at which former All Blacks Colin Meads and Doug Rollerson were guest speakers. It attracted 125 people, and at the charity auction, $460 was paid for a basketball signed by Magic Johnson and $2550 for one of the last All Black jerseys worn at Athletic Park and made by the Canterbury Clothing Company.

Some of the players will be on the fully-funded New Zealand Universities tour to Japan in early April.

Varsity's next match is against the University of Free State (Bloemfontein) - which beat Otago University, 43-26, in its opening match - followed by Rand Afrikaans University (Johannesburg).

One of the Varsity players, prop Jared Weir, is from Nuhaka in rural northern Hawke's Bay and when he left Milson, it was the first time he'd stepped on an aircraft.

Massey's South African touring party: Tahi Percy, Jared Weir, Cornelius Williams, Daniel Webby, Bodie McNaught, Andrew Cribb, Matthew Gilbert, Lloyd Budd, Paddy Stevenson, Mark Knofflock, Jason Moore, Perrie Topia, Aidan Lawn, Luke Goodin, Hayden Roche, Andrew Butterworth, Aaron Moore, Rowan Burgess, Andrew Sharp, Micah Bremner, Chris Barron, Matt Redstone, Nicol Ruchti, John Pritchard, Jamie Lockwood, Marcus Hancock. Coach: Steve Morris. Team manager: Brendan Bourke. Tour manager: Michael McCutchan.


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Game 2 & 3 Report:

Only one player injured thus far so pretty happy and lucky. On Wednesday we played Free State University and unfortunately went down 8-32, with no points being scored in the second half. Players who stood out were again Jamie Lockwood, Mark Knofflock and Chris Barron.

Openside Flanker Matt Redstone had a storming first half before coming off. He toppped the tackle easily and was everywhere. Paddy Stevenson scored a try after a good drive from a lineout.

Saturday saw Varsity take on Rand Afrikkans University from Johannesburg and again it was the same story. Went down 11- 28 after leading 11 - 8 with 20 minutes to play. Try scorer was number 8 Luke Goodin, who had an outstanding game, while Jason Moore worked tirelessly until the end.

No Australiasian team (Sydney & Otago) came away with a win, but improvement over all performances was evident.

The boys will be better for the experience and most will be trialling
this coming Sunday.

In Cape town now for some R & R and visited Table Mountain today and also Newlands. Ex-Springbok Lionel Wilson met the boys this morning and will be with the team tomorrow when we visit the University of Stellenbosh. Wilson spent 3 years in Palmy in the late 70's, working with National Mutural.

Sorry there was no report after the second game - just no facilities available.

Cheers.
Brendan Bourke - Manager

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Thursday Feb 20:
On departure from Palmy, the team knew that this was to be no ordinary rugby tour as Webby (hooker) jumped at the chance to write a sensual love letter (with numerous spelling mistakes) to one of the airhostesses.



Auckland airport saw some elementary stuff ups as Bodie McNaught (another hooker) had left his boarding pass behind and thus had to wait in a line of 400 people to sort his life out. During Bodie's wait, Cribby (yet another hooker!) was doing his best to avoid being punched over by New Zealand shot-put and discuss thrower Valerie Adams as he was getting a little bit too close with the video camera. Is there a pattern emerging here? Auckland to Singapore to Johannesburg = very long (26 hours of flying and waiting) yet our Singapore girls took great care of us ... Singapore Airlines that is.

Friday Feb 21:
Arrived in Jo'berg at 7.00am and were welcomed by 29°C heat, jet lag, and of course, Samantha, the tournament organiser. This was the team's first introduction to the beauty of South Africa and Bourky (team manager) was quick to continue what was before only a telephone relationship. The bus ride via Pretoria to the resort, Magalies Park, was definitely an eye opener. The great inequality that is endemic throughout S.A was made apparent as the team saw multimillion dollar houses as well as dirty shanty towns within a few km of each other. Also, it was obvious that security was a major issue in this neck of the woods as barbed wire surrounded most houses and businesses in the area. On arrival to Magalies Park the team settled in and began to get acquainted with the locals. A truly beautiful place situated approximately 30min out of Pretoria. It should be noted that it was Pretoria University (aka Tukkies) who hosted the rugby tournament consisting of three S.A teams as well as the universities of Sydney, Otago and Massey.



Saturday Feb 22 - Game 1 vs Pretoria Uni:
The team's enthusiasm in the morning carried right through to the 3.00pm game against Pretoria as the scores were level at 17 all on half time. Yet the boys wilted under the 39°C heat and 2500m altitude (the height of Mt Ruapehu) and were beaten 43-17. Otago and Sydney also suffered defeats at the hands of the S.A teams. It was evident that the heat had seriously affected the players as the two big rigs, Con Williams and Tahi Percy, had to be taken to hospital and put on drips. We believe the needles were rusty and disease ridden as Crutchy (tour manager) settled for the cheapest hospital in Pretoria. The rest of the team hydrated at the after match function before moving on to the local pubs at Hatfield Square. The sights and sounds were enjoyed by all in a place that was quite a bit different from the classic Fitz and Scarfies scene. It was interesting to see that porn was played on many of the TV screens in the night clubs and that the ladies from those screens seemed to match those that surrounded the team at a ratio of about 7:1.



Sunday Feb 23 - Tuesday Feb 25 - Recovery in luxury:
The team was at high spirits after their first big night in S.A. The stories of sex, drugs, and rock n roll ran rampant on the bus ride to the amazing Sun City resort where the team was to reside in luxury for the next three days. The water parks, casinos and safari tours left a smile on everyone's face ... not to mention the fantastic nightlife. Yet as with every good team, training could not be avoided. Hence Steve 'Bimbo' Morris (coach) decided to get the team better accustomed to the local climate by way of training them in the heat of the day (after what had been a very very big Sunday session with number 16 taking high honours in adult viewing). Knoffers (captain) was unable to train as he had been stung on safari by a mysterious insect which resulted in fever and delusional states leading him to believe that the ladies were actually attracted to his Garfunkle nose, geeky glasses and curly hair. The trip back to Magalies Park on Tuesday afternoon consisted of stopping at the roadside markets. After being constantly harassed by AIDS victims and stall owners, most of the boys actually managed to come out unscathed with some very nice purchases. The African wood and stone crafts took everyone's fancy and, hence, NZ customs were to take a hammering on the team's arrival back into the country the next week. It should be noted to you all that Luke Goodin, aka Ginga Lurch, shook a man's hand before realising that he was asking for money for leprosy ... so stay away from this man!




Wednesday Feb 26 - Game 2 vs Free State Uni:
This game was a much greater improvement from that of Saturday's. Yet fundamental errors were made at crucial times which resulted in the team going down 28-7 ... now on to the after party. As well as enjoying a few Castle Lagers, the boys were entertained by a great game of hostel rugby which forms the basic structure of Pretoria University's rugby club ...i.e. it is from hostel rugby that the major teams are selected. The team was very surprised to learn that it is compulsory for one to go and support their respective hostel team on the days that they play. It takes priority over study! Hence, a crowd of approximately 3000 people packed in to the grounds to watch two top hostel teams battle it out after the Massey-Free State game had been played. A controversial boat race was held between Massey and Free State (we won!) and many entertaining games were played on the bus ride home to Magalies Park. The Free State boys also taught us many great phrases such as "STEING PEAL!"



Thursday Feb 27 - Friday Feb 28:
These days were spent at leisure playing golf, swimming, eating as well as watching cricket and Super 12 rugby. Some of the team managed to get back to the markets where many more Rand were spent. An amazing thunderstorm turned some of the grown men in the team into whimpering little girls. No names will be mentioned Gur, Paddy, Clive, Sharpy and Crutchy...shame on you!






Saturday March 1 - Game 3 vs RAU Rand Afrikaans Uni:
This game was looking good for Massey. Leading 11-8 with 20 minutes left in the match, the team was attacking hard and felt in control. Some outstanding play from Luke Goodin (driven by his fear of leprosy) and Matt Gilbert (driven by his love for Argentina) had the team going forward well.



Yet simple mistakes let the team down again and RAU scored two tries off broken play giving them the win. The after match function saw all six teams swapping clothing and enjoying a couple of beers together. Samantha (tournament organiser) got pashed by the Otago manager right in front of her husband ... a great look!


After getting lost for over an hour in the Bronx of Pretoria our coach tried to settle and comfort us by saying "Back off! Shut up! We're in the S#*!". The team felt a lot better after that. The boys also noticed that one of the team had been accidentally left behind with a beautiful young blonde ... but were too scared to tell the coach. What a night he had! Yet our management were successful at guiding our inept bus driver in the right direction (thank you Clive) and the group finally made it back to Magalies Park where things were about to get messy! Encounters with Gin, Weet Bix, females and a rolling pin made the night very interesting.


Sunday March 2 - Wednesday March 5 - CAPETOWN:
After an entertaining flight in which GAK annoyed us all, we arrived in the spectacular city of Capetown. Visits to Newlands Park, Stellenbosch University, and of course Table Mountain, were highlights during the day. At night we enjoyed the water front bars, La Med, and Claire Mont...some great nightspots!



Sprinklers on the dance floor are definitely something that Booties should look into. The wine tour was a great experience ... the scenery, wine, food and commentary from Mark Knofflock giving the captain's orders made for a great time. The rest is blur to most of the team but we believe it involved more sex, drugs and rock n roll. On a serious note, player of the tour went to Daniel Webby (hooker) for his great team spirit and talent on and off the field (and always keeping his five o'clock appointments), followed closely by our star Jamie Lockwood (fullback). All in all, the tour was a once in a lifetime experience that the team will never forget. A big thanks to the management (Crutchy, Bourky and Clive) for those testing times. Also a big thanks to Bimbo (coach), J.W, Stu and all those who made the tour possible especially our sponsors. To all you ladies ...Ya astie Moie; Lads ... stand up for the champions!

by Matt Redstone and Hayden Roche

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The University of Pretoria, popularly known as Tukkies, organised their second International Universities Tournament, played in Pretoria between February 23 and March 1. Six universities took part.

According to Gert van Coller of Tukkies rugby, finding a suitable time was the first consideration and it was found that this pre-season time was the best before club and provincial competitions started. But it has meant that Super 12 players were not available for Australian, New Zealand and South African teams.

The South African teams were also without their Vodacom Cup players.

The universities taking part:
South Africa:
Free State (Bloemfontein), Pretoria and Rand Afrikaans University (Johannesburg)
New Zealand:
Massey (Palmerston North) and Otago (Dunedin)
Australia: Sydney

Stellenbosch was amongst the invitees but they felt it was too early in the year. So due to their non attendance, Glasgow University were told that they were not welcome.

For the first tournament, last year, teams were invited from Canada, the USA and Namibia, but they battled against stronger opponents.

Van Coller says that the plans were to enlarge the tournament in 2004.

In 2003 the South African teams played against the overseas teams and won all their matches.

However, problems encountered by visiting teams are huge due to the altitude, playing conditions, and jetlag. In addition to this, organisational stuff ups and poor planning by the Organisers made it difficult for the visiting teams, such as no training grounds to use, buses not turning up etc.

Results:

First Round
Pretoria v Massey, 53-17
RAU v Otago, 43-12
Free State v Sydney, 32-26

Second Round
Pretoria v Otago, 31-15
RAU v Sydney, 31-22
Free State v Massey, 28-7

Third Round
Pretoria v Sydney, 41-12
RAU v Massey, 29-11
Free State v Otago, 38-12