| Matt
went on a 10 day rugby tour to Fiji with the West Harbour Academy
squad, as part of a squad of 31 players, aged 16 and 17. The tour
was expertly organised by Siobhan Seiuli, Kelera Mar and Mark Docking,
and the boys were coached by Reg de Jager and Tom Games. The pictures on this page are taken mostly from an extensive collection on the West Harbour Juniors FaceBook site. Thanks to Grant in particular for quite a few of the images. |
 The team assembled at the unearthly hour of 4.00am at Sydney airport! |
 The boys spent the first 3 nights staying at the Fiji National University in Suva. |
 Warming up before the
first game against Marist Brothers Suva.
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 Muddy conditions indeed! Matt, third from the front, calling the lineout. The boys lost 23-7. |
 The boys being formally welcomed with a kava ceremony after the game. |
| After Suva, the boys
travelled to Ovalau Island, staying several nights in Levuka, the old capital
of Fiji, and a world heritage site. The lads immersed themselves
in the local culture and held training sessions for the local kids. |
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 After a training run in
Levuka
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 The match against Delana
School, Levuka. Matt in the air. The boys lost 19-13.
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 Post match huddle - Matt
No 6.
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| After Levuka, the team returned to the mainland and spent several nights relaxing in luxury at the Uprising Resort on the Coral Coast. | ||
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 Matt and Gil easing into
the Christmas spirit.
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 A relaxing cup of tea
with Zac on the veranda.
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 Morning recovery session
with Reg.
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| The
next stop was Singatoka, which describes itself as a "Rugby
town". The boys had their best game of the tour there, narrowly
defeating the Nadroga Under 17s team in a tight game (20-19) in
remarkably dry conditions. |
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| The trip was a wonderful experience for Matt. The lads found themselves immersed in a very rich culture with hospitable and friendly people, who welcomed the West Harbour boys with open arms. |  Some of the locals were
friendly indeed...
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 In Nadi relaxing before
the flight home
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